Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Experts Say If You've Had Covid And One Shot, Don't Rush For Boosters
The Wall Street Journal: Fully Vaccinated And Had Covid-19? No Rush For A Booster Shot, Experts Say
People who both had Covid-19 and are vaccinated don’t need to rush to get the boosters now rolling out across the U.S., health experts say. Millions of Americans who have received Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine now qualify for an additional dose, under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of shots for seniors and certain at-risk adults. Some of those who qualify are people who have been infected with the disease, either before they were vaccinated or after. (Schwartz, 10/10)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
KHN: New California Law Bans Harassment At Vaccination Sites, But Free Speech Concerns Persist
It’s now illegal in California to harass people on their way into a vaccination clinic, under a law signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. But First Amendment experts continue to raise legal questions about the law’s constitutionality, including its definition of harassment. The new law, which takes effect immediately, makes it a misdemeanor to harass, intimidate, injure or obstruct people on their way to get a covid-19 or any other kind of vaccine, punishable by a maximum $1,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail. (Bluth, 10/8)
USA Today: COVID Vaccines For Kids Will Be In High Demand, Experts Urge Patience
“In the first four days after 12- to 15-year-olds were eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, we had nearly 28,000 vaccine doses given in the state,” reaching more than 7% of all the adolescents eligible, said Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s secretary of health. With the expanded authorization, almost double that many children will be able to get in line – a full 8.5% of the U.S. population – and there is pent-up demand as many parents are eager to get their kids vaccinated now that they are back at school. “We’ve already had families inquire when they come in or calling and asking if we’re going to be giving the pediatric dose,” said Dr. Sharon Marshall, a professor of pediatrics at Wayne State University and pediatrician at Wayne Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. (Weise, 10/8)
Los Angeles Times: Unvaccinated Black, Latino Angelenos Have Highest COVID Rates
Los Angeles County on Saturday reported 28 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the death total to 26,308 countywide since the pandemic began, with total reported infections around 1.5 million. Black and Latino residents who remain unvaccinated have Los Angeles County’s highest rate of COVID-19 infections, while unvaccinated white residents have the highest death rates, the public health department said. Between late August and late September, unvaccinated Black and Latino residents in LA County together had a rate of about 590 cases per 100,000 people, the county said in a news release. (Goffard, 10/9)
Axios: NIH Chief Urges Evangelical Christians To Get Vaccinated Against COVID
National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said Saturday on CNN that it's "truly heartbreaking" to see fellow evangelical Christians hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 due to disinformation. "We see still more than 1,000 people [per day] losing their lives to this disease — almost all of those unvaccinated and, therefore, didn't have to happen," said Collins, who's due to retire at the end of 2021. (10/10)
San Francisco Chronicle: These Charts Show The Incredibly Stark Difference In COVID-19 Death Rates Between Vaccinated And Unvaccinated In California
Unvaccinated Californians were between 15 and 20 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated ones when deaths from the disease most recently peaked at the start of September, according to state data. The California Department of Public Health publishes data on the vaccination status of people who test positive for coronavirus as well as people who are hospitalized with, and die from, COVID-19. Their data shows that the death rate among unvaccinated Californians aged 16 and older soared in early September, reaching a peak of 13 average daily deaths per million on Sept. 6. (Neilson, 10/9)
KHN: Community Clinics Shouldered Much Of The Vaccine Rollout. Many Haven’t Been Paid.
Community clinics in California say they haven’t been paid for at least 1 million covid-19 vaccine doses given since January, creating a “massive cash flow problem” for some and complicating efforts to retain staff. Clinics in other states, including Michigan and Mississippi, are also awaiting payment. The delays stem from the distinct way federally qualified health centers are reimbursed for care under Medicaid, the joint federal-state program providing health coverage for low-income people. Some centers are not even billing for the shots because they say it’s too complicated. Clinics are owed tens of millions of dollars, at minimum, for shots they’ve given since the vaccines received emergency authorization. (Pradhan and Bluth, 10/11)
KHN: Journalists Examine Vaccination Rates Among Student Nurses And In Covid Hot Spots
Contributing writer and former KHN correspondent Michelle Andrews discussed difficulties in providing clinical training to student nurses who refuse to get vaccinated on CBS News on Thursday. (10/9)
In vaccine research —
New York Post: Smoking Marijuana Could Lead To Breakthrough COVID Cases, Study Finds
Heavy marijuana users who are also vaccinated may be more susceptible to breakthrough cases of COVID-19, a new study found.The study, published last Tuesday in World Psychology, found that those with a substance use disorder (SUD) — a dependence on marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, opioids and tobacco — were more likely to contract the coronavirus after receiving both of their vaccination shots. Those without a SUD saw a 3.6 percent rate of breakthrough infections, compared to a 7 percent rate in those with a SUD. At 7.8 percent, those with marijuana use disorder were most at risk for breakthrough infections, the study found. (10/11)
Fox News: FDA Says Moderna Vaccine's Benefits Outweigh Risks After Nordic Countries Limit Use
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reiterated its stance that the benefits of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine outweigh its risks on Friday after several Nordic countries began restricting its use for certain age groups due to concerns about a rare heart-related side effect. The FDA responded after health officials in Finland said Thursday that males under age 30 should not receive the Moderna vaccine due to a slightly higher risk of developing myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. A day earlier, Sweden said it would pause use of Moderna’s vaccine for people under 30, while Denmark paused use for people under 18 and Norway recommended people receive the Pfizer vaccine. (Barrabi, 10/10)
