Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Feel Like You Won The Lottery After Your Jab? 5 Ohioans Will Win For Real
Politico: A Shot At A Million: Ohio Offers Vaccinated A Chance To Win Big Bucks, College Scholarships
Ohio will give away $1 million each to five vaccinated adults within the coming weeks as an incentive for residents to get the shot, Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday. The first drawing will occur on May 26, with subsequent drawings occurring each Wednesday for a total of five weeks. To win, participants must be 18 or older, an Ohio resident and vaccinated with at least one Covid vaccine dose before the lottery takes place. The five winners will receive $1 million from existing federal coronavirus relief funds, DeWine said. (Carrasco, 5/12)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
WUSF Public Media: Florida Matters: As Vaccinations Lag, Education And Incentives Ramp Up
More than 7 million Floridians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s about 33% of the population. The Biden administration has set a national goal that 70% of adults receive at least one dose by the Fourth of July. For some folks, getting a shot is as easy as walking into the nearest Publix or CVS. But vaccination rates are lower in communities of color, where hesitancy and misinformation persist. (Prevost and George, 5/12)
AP: Nurses, Nonprofits, Others Take Vaccine To Homebound People
For months, Victoria McAllister searched online to make a vaccination appointment. Unlike other people who can hop into a car, though, she has ruptured discs that could slice her spinal cord if she hits a pothole or her wheelchair bumps floor molding. So McAllister, 64, was over the moon when the county health department in Hayward, California, where she lives, called offering to inoculate her against COVID-19 at home. Two paramedics with Hayward Fire came last month, jabbed her arm with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and stuck around to make sure she was alright. (Har, 5/13)
Los Angeles Times: Latino, Black Californians Less Likely To Get COVID Vaccine
Only about one-third of Latino and Black Californians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while majorities of white and Asian American Pacific Islander Californians have, according to a Times analysis. The Times analysis found that 33% of Latino residents and 34% of Black residents of the state have received at least one dose of vaccine. By contrast, 50% of white residents, 46% of Native American residents and 60% of Asian American Pacific Islander residents have received a dose. (Greene and Lin II, 5/12)
The Baltimore Sun: Federal Court Rules Maryland Must Provide Baltimore Jail COVID Vaccination Data After ACLU Filing
A federal judge on Monday ordered the state of Maryland to provide status reports and updates detailing current COVID-19 outbreaks and vaccination distribution data for incarcerated individuals at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, according to court filings. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander said the state will be directed to “file a status report” and respond to a motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union by May 21. The data in the status report must include “how many people incarcerated in the jail as of May 20, 2021, have been offered the vaccine, and how many have actually been vaccinated,” the court filing read. (Jackson, 5/11)
Also —
Reuters: Delaying Second COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Can Help Reduce Deaths - Study
Giving a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine but delaying a second dose among people younger than 65 could lead to fewer people dying of the disease, but only if certain conditions are met, a predictive modelling study showed. ... For example, Pfizer (PFE.N) has said there is no clinical evidence to support Britain’s decision to extend the gap between doses of its vaccine to 12 weeks, but data from the rollout in England shows protection against death of around 80% from one dose, with a 70% decline in infections. (5/13)
Stat: Vaccines Seem To Work Well Against Covid Variants. It's Also Complicated
The question about how Covid-19 vaccines stand up to coronavirus variants often gets distilled to: Do they work? The simplest answer is yes. People who’ve received one of the highly powerful vaccines don’t need to be too worried about the variants for now, experts say. But the complete answer is more complicated. (Joseph, 5/13)
