Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DHS Won't Make Arrests, Encourages Immigrants To Get Vaccines
AP: US Won't Make Immigration Arrests At Virus Vaccination Sites
The U.S. government says it won’t be making routine immigration enforcement arrests at COVID-19 vaccination sites. Vaccination sites will be considered “sensitive locations” and generally off limits for enforcement actions, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Monday. (2/1)
The Hill: DHS Encourages Vaccination Regardless Of Immigration Status
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday said it would not conduct enforcement activities near COVID-19 vaccination sites as a way to encourage immigrants to seek the vaccine regardless of their status. “It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine,” the agency wrote in a release. “DHS is committed to ensuring that every individual who needs a vaccine can get one, regardless of their immigration status.” (Beitsch, 2/1)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
Politico: Blizzard Halts Vaccination Efforts Across Northeast
A sprawling winter storm crippled Covid-19 vaccination sites across the Northeast on Monday, further complicating an undertaking that’s been marred by repeated delays and delivery problems. Officials halted distribution efforts from Washington to Maine as the storm marched up the East Coast, where it’s expected to leave as much as 2 feet of snow in some areas. The delays come just as health officials warn new, more easily transmissible strains of the virus could be identified throughout the region. (Young and Eisenberg, 2/1)
Houston Chronicle: FEMA Is Stepping In To Help With Texas' COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
As part of President Joe Biden's plan to give 150 million vaccinations over 100 days, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is deploying or supporting vaccination efforts in 11 states, including Texas. Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Washington are currently home to nine federally supported vaccination sites as of Jan. 27, NBC News' Laura Strickler and Dennis Romero reported over the weekend.(Rosenthal, 2/1)
Georgia Health News: Health Agency Freezes Employee Vacations, Citing Pandemic
The state’s Department of Public Health has told its employees – already stretched from pandemic duty — that they can’t take annual leave or vacation till at least April. In a Jan. 8 memo obtained by Georgia Health News, the state agency described a three-month moratorium on taking leave due to the vaccination rollout. (Miller, 2/1)
Modern Healthcare: Optum Says It Erroneously Billed 249 People For COVID-19 Vaccine
Optum accidentally charged 249 Medicare Advantage enrollees for the COVID-19 vaccine. The New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance Office said that the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary accidentally charged enrollees $34 for the administration of the vaccine and $0.05 for the vaccine itself. An Optum spokesperson said the company is contacting anyone who was sent an invoice to tell them that they do not need to pay any fees associated with the coronavirus vaccine, and all members who have already paid the bill will receive a refund. (Tepper, 2/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines To Stress-Test Grocery Stores And Pharmacies
Some of America’s biggest retailers are preparing to take a central role in administering Covid-19 shots, hoping to avoid logjams and other complications that have slowed the vaccine rollout’s early days. The U.S. fell far short of its initial goal of inoculating 20 million people by the end of 2020, with health departments, hospital systems and long-term-care facilities beset by supply-chain bottlenecks, vaccine hesitancy and confusing, scattershot systems for making appointments. (Terlep and Kang, 2/1)
KHN: Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice Of Blue Shield To Lead Vaccination Push
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, struggling to salvage a once-bright political future dimmed by his mishandling of the covid crisis, tapped nonprofit health insurer Blue Shield of California last week to allocate the state’s covid vaccine. The company has thus far said little about how it plans to reorganize a gargantuan and complicated vaccination campaign that has befuddled and frustrated public health officials and vaccine seekers alike. (Wolfson, 2/1)
KHN and WHYY: In Philadelphia, A Scandal Erupts Over Vaccination Startup Led By 22-Year-Old
It started as a group of college friends who wanted to help during the pandemic. They had tech skills, so they used 3D printers to make face shields. Then they organized as a nonprofit, Philly Fighting Covid, and opened a testing site in a Philadelphia neighborhood that didn’t have one yet. The organization’s leader, Andrei Doroshin, had bigger ambitions. Even before the first coronavirus vaccine was authorized, the 22-year-old graduate student at Drexel University planned to get involved, although he has no background in health care. (Feldman, Marin and Yu, 2/2)
