Doses Trashed, Empty Shots Given As Covid Vaccine Program Hits Snags

Fox News: Patients Expecting COVID-19 Vaccine Injected With Empty Syringes At Kroger Location In Virginia: Report
Multiple patients at a Kroger location in Virginia who were hoping to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were reportedly injected with an empty syringe by mistake, according to a local report. A health care professional at the location at Kroger location in Chesterfield County was "under the impression" that a colleague had filled the syringes before the patients came in for their appointments, local news station WRIC reported. Fewer than 10 people were injected with an empty syringe. The patients affected by the mishap were later contacted to come back for the actual vaccine, per the news station, which added that the Virginia Department of Health was subsequently contacted and has been "working with [the Kroger location] on this issue." (Farber, 3/11)

Fox News: Kansas Hospital Trashes Hundreds Of Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Due To Mistake
A Kansas hospital was forced to throw away nearly 600 COVID-19 vaccine doses this week due to a "process error," health officials said Thursday. Lawrence Memorial Hospital said it received 570 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health on Wednesday. The doses are typically delivered while frozen -- so they can be placed in a freezer at the hospital until they are ready for distribution. The Lawrence, Kansas, hospital, in a release, said it followed this procedure, "not realizing they were already thawed." (Aaro, 3/12)

Houston Chronicle: Outdated Population Data May Be Costing Texas Millions Of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
Texas health officials and Gov. Greg Abbott say the federal government is using outdated population figures to calculate the number of COVID-19 vaccines sent to Texas — an inaccuracy that has potentially cost the state millions of doses. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been using a five-year average of census data, from 2014 to 2018, to determine weekly vaccine allocations. But state officials say those numbers underestimate Texas’ adult population by roughly 1 million people — a large part of the reason why Texas ranks so low in its distribution compared to other states. (Harris and Rubio, 3/11)

WUSF Public Media: 'We're Losing Time': Expert Urges Florida To Expand COVID Vaccine Eligibility 
Some infectious disease experts say Florida's efforts to restrict who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine are starting to be counterproductive. Health News Florida's Stephanie Colombini talked with Dr. Glenn Morris, Director of the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute, who said it's time to make it easier for people to get shots. (Colombini, 3/11)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

The Hill: Fauci: CDC Will Release New Guidance For Vaccinated Americans 'Very Soon'
The nation's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said Thursday that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would issue new guidance in the coming days for Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. In an interview Thursday evening with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, President Biden's chief medical adviser said that a "series" of announcements would come in the days ahead defining best practices for Americans who have already received one or two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. (Bowden, 3/11)

AP: Wisconsin Greatly Expands Coronavirus Vaccine Eligibility
Wisconsin is expanding coronavirus vaccine eligibility to at least 2 million more people later this month, including anyone 16 or older with common pre-existing medical conditions such as being overweight, pregnant or having high blood pressure, health officials announced Thursday. People who don’t have pre-existing conditions that would qualify them as of March 29 or who haven’t otherwise qualified to get vaccinated yet are expected to become eligible sometime in May, the state Department of Health Services said. (Bauer, 3/11)

Los Angeles Times: California Releases Details On How Millions Can Get COVID-19 Vaccinations Beginning Monday
Four days before an estimated 4.4 million Californians with disabilities or underlying health conditions become eligible for the vaccine, the California Public Health Department released guidance on the verification process. Notably, the state is not requiring that eligible disabled or sick individuals present documentation of their condition. Instead, all will be required to self-attest that they meet the criteria. Disability rights advocates had pressed for a process that would not create unnecessary barriers, especially for those less mobile, prompted by issues with vaccine line-jumping. The state also offered specific examples of people who would qualify for eligibility but are not explicitly listed. (Shalby and Smith, 3/11)

NBC News: Covid Vaccinations Are Free — But They're Taking A Toll On Local Pharmacies' Bottom Lines
Pharmacists may be on the front line of Covid-19 vaccination distribution, but they feel increasingly like an afterthought when they try to get paid for it. A common complaint among community pharmacists is that they are sapped physically, mentally and financially by hours of paperwork, piles of rejected claims and unceasing billing audits just to receive some level of payment for administering vaccines. And it’s a problem that could push some of these small businesses to the brink financially. (McCausland, 3/12)

Also —

The Hill: 49 Percent Of GOP Men Say They Won't Get Vaccinated: PBS Poll
Nearly half of U.S. men who identify as Republicans said they have no plans to get the coronavirus vaccine, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released Thursday. The study, which surveyed 1,227 U.S. adults from March 3 to March 8, found that approximately 30 percent of Americans overall said they do not plan on getting vaccinated.  (Castronuovo, 3/11)