In Baltimore, Where Shots Are Scarce, Only Second Doses Being Given Out
The city's sole vaccination site inoculated just 250 people with second doses Wednesday. In Ohio, nursing home residents are being revaccinated after Walgreens discovered it didn't keep the shots at the correct temperature.
The Baltimore Sun:
Baltimore COVID Vaccine Site Offers Only Second Doses Due To Lack Of Supply; Just 250 Shots Given Wednesday
As others got their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at Baltimore City Community College’s Liberty Heights campus Wednesday, Juan Morales was denied his first. The 43-year-old cook at Accents Grill in the Greenspring Shopping Center in Pikesville learned that, due to a lack of supply, Baltimore City’s sole vaccination site would offer vaccines only to those who already received their first dose. He missed the email announcing the change, effective all month. (Campbell, 2/3)
The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland To Open Its First Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Friday, Though Long Waits Are Expected
Maryland health officials said they expect to open the state’s first COVID-19 mass vaccination site Friday at the Baltimore Convention Center, though officials already are warning there are limited doses available and to expect a wait for an appointment. That lack of vaccine already has stymied clinics around the state and frustrated people in priority groups who have sought to get in line, any line, for a dose. (Cohn, 2/4)
Boston Globe:
State Officials Redirecting Unused COVID-19 Vaccines To Older Residents, High-Risk Communities
Disappointed with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination drive so far, Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday said officials are redirecting large quantities of unused doses now sitting in freezers to doctors and pharmacies, including many in communities hardest hit by the coronavirus. They’re also designating specific days for local residents, especially people of color, to get shots at the new mass vaccination site at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, following reports that many who booked initial appointments there were white people from surrounding communities. (Weisman and Andersen, 2/3)
The Washington Post:
Some States Are Racing Ahead Of Others With Their Coronavirus Vaccine Rollouts. Their Secret? Keeping It Simple.
In South Dakota, distribution of the vaccine has been limited to a small number of health-care providers who meet via phone twice a week and can make decisions on the fly as conditions change. Connecticut has teamed with a well-established partnership network while using community ambassadors to advocate for the vaccine among populations where hesitancy runs high. And West Virginia has tightly coordinated its rollout, using the National Guard to speed supplies to where they are needed while streamlining the rules for who can get the shots. (Witte, 2/3)
KHN:
‘Cruel’ Digital Race For Vaccines Leaves Many Seniors Behind
With millions of older Americans eligible for covid-19 vaccines and limited supplies, many continue to describe a frantic and frustrating search to secure a shot, beset by uncertainty and difficulty. The efforts to vaccinate people 65 and older have strained under the enormous demand that has overwhelmed cumbersome, inconsistent scheduling systems. (Stone, 2/4)
And patients at five Ohio nursing homes are being revaccinated after a glitch at Walgreens —
Modern Healthcare:
Walgreens Reviewing Procedures After Storage Error Leads To Revaccination In Five Ohio Long-Term Care Facilities
Walgreens on Tuesday notified Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine that vials of COVID-19 vaccine administered to patients in five nursing homes Monday were not stored at the proper temperature. In a statement, Walgreens said, "After completing vaccinations on Feb. 1 at five long-term care facilities in Ohio and following our internal controls processes, we discovered the vials containing the vaccine were subject to improper storage before being delivered to these facilities. There is no reason to believe any patients who received these doses will suffer any harm." (Christ, 2/3)
