FDA Pushing Other Projects Out Of Way To Speed Up Work On Covid Vaccine

Stat: FDA Plans ‘Sprint’ To Accelerate Formal Review Of Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine
Under heavy pressure, the Food and Drug Administration center that reviews vaccines is planning to deprioritize some of its existing work, like meetings with drug sponsors and plant inspections, in an effort to accelerate its review of Pfizer’s application for the formal approval of its Covid-19 vaccine, a senior agency official told STAT. Pfizer’s vaccine is currently cleared under a so-called emergency use authorization, which allows the company to sell the vaccine for as long as Covid-19 is considered a public health emergency. (Florko, 7/30)

Vaccinations tick up in some critical places —

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccinations Are Increasing. So Are U.S. Cases. 
More than 816,000 doses were reported administered as of Sunday evening over the day’s prior totals, and among them were about 517,000 getting vaccinated for the first time, according to Cyrus Shahpar, White House covid-19 Data Director. “Since the week of July 5, there has been a steady increase in the number of people who are getting vaccinated in the U.S.,” Shahpar said. (Pietsch and Suliman, 8/2)

Axios: White House: Over 500,000 New Shots Recorded Friday, Highest Since July 1 
The United States recorded more than half a million new COVID-19 vaccine shots on Friday, the highest number since July 1, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. The Delta variant is continuing to spread across the United States and it now comprises over 80% of the coronavirus cases in the country, Jean-Pierre said. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that "vaccination is the most important strategy to prevent severe illness and death." (Gonzalez, 7/30)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

Axios: Broadway Theaters To Require Proof Of COVID-19 Vaccination For Guests 
All 41 Broadway theaters in New York City will require guests to provide proof they are fully vaccinated and wear masks to attend performances, the Broadway League announced Friday. The announcement comes as cases of the Delta variant continue to rise, prompting mask mandates and requirements to reemerge nationwide. Broadway theaters are set to open late summer, 16 months after theaters shuttered their doors due to the pandemic. (Doherty, 7/30)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Health Resources Mandates Vaccines; Parkland Says It Can’t Because Of Governor’s Order
The faith-based, nonprofit Texas Health Resources system announced Friday that its 23,000 employees must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 10 — making it the third major North Texas employer to enforce a mandatory requirement. Meanwhile, the region’s largest public hospital, Parkland Health & Hospital System, said it agrees with the decisions made by the other hospital systems but is restricted by Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order. (Gonzales, 7/30)

The Washington Post: Maryland Gave Away $2 Million To Boost Vaccinations. Did It Work? 
Maryland officials have hailed the state’s $2 million VaxCash lottery as an “unqualified success,” a promotion that helped the state reach its goal of inoculating 70 percent of its adult population with at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine by Memorial Day. It worked so well at boosting vaccinations that they decided to start another one: VaxU Scholarship, which offers 20 vaccinated 12- to 17-year-olds a chance at winning a $50,000 in-state public college scholarship. It runs until Labor Day. (Wiggins, 8/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: These Bay Area Counties Are Seeing The Biggest Vaccination Increases Amid The Delta Surge
The week of July 3-9, when the state hit its lowest point in coronavirus vaccinations since they began, an average rate of about 70 per 100,000 Californians were receiving a first dose of the vaccine per day. By July 27, the seven day average rate had jumped to 91 per 100,000 people, a 31% increase. The uptick in shots comes as the delta variant tightens its hold, sending coronavirus cases climbing across the region, state and nation, filling hospitals in hard-hit parts of the country like Missouri and Arkansas. (Echeverria, 7/31)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Vaccination Rates Highest Among Asians In Philadelphia. The Rest Of The State Doesn't Have Complete Data
Pennsylvania’s vaccination numbers appear to show an alarmingly low rate of coronavirus vaccination among Asian American residents, but state officials said this week that the numbers they publicly report are likely incorrect and that they believe the real rate is higher. Asians are among the most-vaccinated racial groups in the United States, leading white, Black, and Latino residents in their uptake of the coronavirus shot. But Pennsylvania’s data for the 66 counties outside of Philadelphia indicate that only a quarter of Asian American and Pacific Islander residents have gotten one or both doses of the vaccine. (McDaniel, McCarthy and Lai, 8/2)

Also —

NBC News: Officials Set Up A Mobile Center At A Missouri Fair To Boost Vaccinations. No One Showed Up
Officials at the St. Charles County Health Department in Missouri said they were disappointed after no one showed up to a mobile Covid-19 vaccination center offering vaccines to those attending a local annual fair this week. The St. Charles County Fair kicked off Tuesday at the Rotary Park in Wentzville, a St. Louis suburb. Attendees had the chance to get the Pfizer/BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Tuesday and Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to county health officials. After spending two days at the fair, workers at the mobile vaccination site did not vaccinate a single person. (Acevedo, 7/31)

The Washington Post: Oklahoma GOP Leader John Bennett Compares Holocaust, Star Of David To Vaccine Mandates 
On Friday, John Bennett, the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, posted on the group’s Facebook page and made a striking comparison: Private companies requiring employees to get the vaccine, he said, are just as bad as the Nazis forcing Jews to sew the yellow Star of David onto their clothes. “Those who don’t KNOW history, are DOOMED to repeat it,” read the caption, below an image of the Star of David patch with “Unvaccinated” written across the top. (Peiser, 8/1)