Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Google, Walmart Step Up Efforts To Help Vaccination Effort
CNN: Google Maps Will Soon Display Covid-19 Vaccination Sites
Google Maps will soon display locations that offer Covid-19 vaccinations, further bolstering awareness of the virus — and how to avoid it. The feature is rolling out in the coming weeks, beginning in four states: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Google (GOOGL) announced Monday that searches for "vaccines near me" have increased five fold since the beginning of the year and it's implementing this feature to ensure it's "providing locally relevant answers." (Valinsky, 1/25)
San Francisco Chronicle: Google Seeks To Help COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
Google is pledging to use its resources to help more people get vaccinated against COVID-19. The company said Monday that it will convert some of its facilities into vaccination sites, starting in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City and Kirkland, Wash. Google intends to expand the program nationally and is partnering with One Medical in the effort. Additionally, Google is taking steps to promote accurate vaccine information on its search pages and spending $150 million to support groups that are helping to inoculate people from COVID-19. (Morris, 1/25)
The Hill: Walmart Expands Coronavirus Vaccine Operation
Walmart is preparing to expand its coronavirus vaccine operation to seven more states beyond the two where it’s currently offering vaccinations, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to The Hill on Friday. Walmart will begin providing vaccinations in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas, as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, this week and next, according to the spokesperson. (Williams, 1/22)
In updates on the vaccine supply in California, Nevada, Louisiana and Iowa —
Las Vegas Review Journal: COVID Vaccine Shortage Forces Inoculation Slowdown In Nevada
Vaccination sites in Southern Nevada are scaling back COVID-19 inoculations as the state continues to receive very limited doses from the federal government, state officials said Friday. “Many vaccination sites are having to scale down because of the limited allocation we are set to receive next week,” Candice McDaniel, a bureau chief with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said during an online press briefing. The shortage played a role in the temporary closure this weekend of the largest site in the state, Cashman Center in downtown Las Vegas. It also has contributed to the scramble for limited appointments as well as the postponement of some appointments. (Hynes, 1/22)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Ochsner Cancels More First-Dose Coronavirus Vaccination Appointments As Distribution Slows
Ochsner Health System said Friday that it will cancel first-dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Louisiana scheduled for Tuesday and beyond due to a drop-off in vaccine distributions to the hospital network. This follows an announcement last week that Ochsner would postpone first-dose appointments between Jan. 21-25. The hospital system said then that scheduled second doses for those who already received a first dose will continue as planned. Ochsner said it has administered 86,093 COVID-19 vaccine doses across its facilities as of Thursday, but vaccine dose delivery has declined 70% since the first four weeks of distribution. As a result, the health system is prioritizing second-dose vaccination needs and canceling first-dose appointments in the immediate future. (Gagliano, 1/23)
Des Moines Register: Polk County COVID-19 Shot Appointments Snapped Up Quickly After All Seniors Became Eligible
The Polk County Health Department filled all available appointments for coronavirus vaccinations by Friday afternoon, a day after eligibility was opened to all residents 65 or older. The county, which includes Des Moines, has booked vaccination appointments through Jan. 31. The department is holding off on opening subsequent appointments until officials know how many vaccine doses will be available for the next week, spokeswoman Nola Aigner Davis said Friday. (Leys, 1/22)
Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine FAQs: When We Can Get It, How To Find Out, And More
It seems like it’s all anyone wants to talk about these days: Covid vaccine. When can we get it? How can we find out? How well will the vaccines work? How close will they get us back to the life we see in TV shows and movies filmed in the before times, when only health workers and trick-or-treaters wore masks and social distancing wasn’t part of anyone’s vernacular. (Branswell, 1/25)
In updates on vaccines going to waste —
Becker's Hospital Review: 1,900 Moderna Vaccine Doses Spoiled At Boston Hospital After Freezer Is Unplugged
Almost 2,000 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine were spoiled when a cleaning contractor accidentally loosened a plug on a freezer at Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, The Boston Globe reported Jan. 21. Pharmacy staff found the freezer, holding 1,900 doses of the vaccine, had failed, and the doses were compromised, Kyle Toto, a spokesperson for VA Boston Healthcare System told the Globe. (Anderson, 1/22)
Becker's Hospital Review: Nurse Accidentally Administers Empty Syringe At Colorado COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
A contract nurse working at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Pueblo, Colo., accidentally administered an empty syringe to a patient, local news station FOX 21 reported Jan. 21. In a statement shared with the news station, a spokesperson from the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment said the syringe was new since routine safety protocol requires used syringes be discarded immediately. The health department identified the mistake through "normal safety processes," and provided the individual with a COVID-19 vaccination after determining the person was safe. (Carbajal, 1/22)
ProPublica: How Many Vaccine Shots Go To Waste? Several States Aren’t Counting
Experts say that waste reporting is essential during a vaccination campaign to encourage careful handling and the use of every viable dose and, more importantly, to identify potential problems in the shipping and cold storage operations. With inconsistent reporting requirements and no enforcement of a federal mandate to report wastage, vaccine providers have little incentive to acknowledge wasting vaccines, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University. Jha said he thinks that the true number of wasted doses across the country is far higher than a handful. (Gabrielson, Chen and Simon, 1/21)
