Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Essential Workers Might Get Vaccine Before High-Risk People, Elderly
Stat: 'Essential Workers' Likely To Get Earlier Access To Covid-19 Vaccine
Essential workers are likely to move ahead of adults 65 and older and people with high-risk medical conditions when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signs off on Covid-19 vaccine priority lists, coming after health care workers and people living in long-term care facilities, a meeting of an expert advisory panel made clear Monday. (Branswell, 11/23)
Houston Chronicle: Here's Who Will Be First In Line For A COVID-19 Vaccine In Texas
Health care workers will be the first people in Texas to receive a COVID-19 vaccine once one receives emergency approval from the U.S. government, and on Monday a state panel of vaccine experts and politicians revealed which workers in the health field will receive top priority. (Walters, 11/23)
The Washington Post: Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution And Shipping: How Will It Work?
Riverside Health System in Virginia has ordered a specialized freezer for each of its five hospitals to keep precious vials of coronavirus vaccine as cold as a deep Antarctic freeze. Public health officials in Nashville and Baltimore are revamping routine flu clinics to test delivery methods for coronavirus vaccinations. (Sun and Stead Sellers, 11/23)
Anchorage Daily News: The First Doses Of A COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Distributed Nationwide In Just A Few Weeks. Here’s What We Know So Far About Alaska’s Plans
The first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine could be arriving in Alaska in just a few weeks, state health officials say. The early batches of vaccine will be prioritized for essential workers in health care, assisted living and emergency medical settings, officials said Monday. Vaccines will be in limited quantity initially, and probably won’t be available to the general public until around March. The state is still working on plans to prioritize vaccine supplies once they’re more broadly available. (Berman, 11/23)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccines Face Trust Gap In Black And Latino Communities, Study Finds
If offered a coronavirus vaccine free of charge, fewer than half of Black people and 66 percent of Latino people said they would definitely or probably take it, according to a survey-based study that underscores the challenge of getting vaccines to communities hit hard by the pandemic. The survey released Monday is one of the largest and most rigorous to date. Other recent studies have also pointed to vaccine hesitancy in communities of color, but Monday’s survey delved deeper into the reasons, polling respondents on a spectrum of questions to get at the roots of their distrust. (Wan, 11/23)
And more on AstraZeneca's vaccine announcement —
Bloomberg: Astra Shot That Works Better in Small Doses Raises Questions
The news reached Sarah Gilbert Saturday evening that the Covid-19 vaccine she’s developed with AstraZeneca Plc appeared to work. But the University of Oxford professor had expected a key number: Was it more than 90% effective, as others have been -- or less? Instead, when her colleague Andrew Pollard called with the results, he wanted to show her slides rather than simple figures. “I didn’t really understand why we would have to go through slides,” she recalled. “But then it became clear -- because it’s rather more complicated in our trial.” (Baker, 11/23)
Reuters: Decades Of Work, And Half A Dose Of Fortune, Drove Oxford Vaccine Success | Reuters
It took Oxford University’s brightest minds decades of work to give them the expertise to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. In the end, it was a momentary error - and a dose of good fortune - that carried them over the line. ... While skill and hard work drove development, AstraZeneca said it was a minor mistake that made the team realise how they could significantly boost the shot’s success rate, to as much as 90% from around 60%: by administering a half dose, followed by a full dose a month later. (Smout, Kelland and Burger, 11/23)
