Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Beef Up Security To Prevent Theft Of Vaccine Shipments
The Hill: Hospitals Boost Security, Seek To Stop Vaccine 'Line-Jumping'
Hospitals and health care systems are taking unprecedented steps to safeguard the limited supplies of coronavirus vaccines amid concerns over security and the potential for black markets to emerge across the globe. Operation Warp Speed, the government drive to develop and distribute the vaccines, requires medical facilities to develop a security plan. Every dose of vaccine shipped from manufacturing centers in Michigan and Belgium is tracked from the warehouse to hospitals where they are injected in staffers, medical officials said. (Wilson, 12/17)
NPR: Native Americans Receiving Coronavirus Vaccine After Struggle With Pandemic
Health officials are administering the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine in Indigenous communities across the U.S., one of the populations most vulnerable in the pandemic. About 68,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will initially be distributed among the population, the Indian Health Service said last week. Doses began to arrive this week and will first be given to the elderly and health care workers. (Oxner, 12/17)
Bangor Daily News: Maine’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan For Nursing Homes Plagued With Doubts
Maine’s nursing homes are preparing to vaccinate staff and vulnerable residents by next week, but the rollout is plagued with questions as homes report start times into January amid concerns about vaccine volume and the pharmacy giants leading the effort. The first rounds of vaccinations for Maine’s nearly 6,000 nursing home residents and at least a portion of approximately 20,000 people who care for them identified in the state’s vaccination plan will begin Monday after a first round of Moderna vaccines is likely to be approved after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel recommended it for emergency use on Thursday. (Andrews, 12/18)
AP: As US Rushes To Give Shots, Tennessee Builds Vaccine Reserve
As states rush to inoculate health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, only Tennessee has prioritized building its own emergency reserve of the coveted vaccine. An Associated Press review of each state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans shows that Tennessee alone has specified it will hold back a small portion in “case of spoilage of vaccine shipped to facilities.” The state’s initial shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that arrived Monday was not distributed for inoculation, so health care workers had to wait until the second shipment arrived days later. The move has baffled health care leaders, who say medical workers should take priority, especially as the state hits record case numbers. (Kruesi, 12/17)
Capital & Main: Chasing The Vaccine: A Special Pandemic Nation Podcast Series
The anxiously awaited rollout of coronavirus vaccines is now in motion, albeit in limited amounts at this early stage. Mark Kreidler speaks to a cross section of experts, health care executives and frontline workers to find out how California plans to equitably distribute the vaccine without leaving behind any communities. (12/17)
In news about allergic reactions —
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Vaccinations Continue As Planned As Health Care Worker Released From Hospital After Serious Allergic Reaction
The only known severe allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States occurred in Juneau this week, and public-health officials are hoping Alaskans take the rareness of the event into consideration as they think about getting vaccinated. The hospital worker was released Thursday, after a two-night stay at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau. She and another worker at the hospital both experienced adverse reactions after receiving the vaccine this week. The second worker was briefly treated for a mild reaction at the hospital Wednesday afternoon and released after about an hour. “We’re definitely hearing some reports of vaccine hesitancy because of it,” Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said about the events in Juneau. (Krakow, 12/17)
CNBC: Covid Vaccine: You Can't Sue Pfizer Or Moderna Over Side Effects
If you experience severe side effects after getting a Covid vaccine, lawyers tell CNBC there is basically no one to blame in a U.S. court of law. The federal government has granted companies like Pfizer and Moderna immunity from liability if something unintentionally goes wrong with their vaccines. “It is very rare for a blanket immunity law to be passed,” said Rogge Dunn, a Dallas labor and employment attorney. “Pharmaceutical companies typically aren’t offered much liability protection under the law." (Sigalos, 12/17)
