Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Jabs For Kids Ages 5-11 Slow Way Down
Bloomberg: Kids’ Covid Vaccinations Plummet As U.S. Considers Shots For Younger Children
Covid-19 vaccinations among children ages 5-11 have fallen to the lowest levels since the shots were first approved, a sign that parental enthusiasm for the shots may be running low even as authorities consider expanding the shots to even younger children. The seven-day average of first doses fell to about 37,062 on Jan. 28, marking the slowest one-week period since the government approved the vaccines for those children on Nov. 2, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Just 31% of kids 5-11 have gotten a shot, compared with 75% of the total population. (Levin, 2/3)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The COVID-19 Vaccination Gap Between Black Georgians And Others In The State Has Narrowed
At this stage of the pandemic, Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano counts each shot in an arm as a small victory. Vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, racial disparities in access to health care and distrust in institutions remain some of the biggest hurdles to vaccinating Black Georgia residents against COVID-19. Public health officials and advocacy groups have worked hard over the past year to make inroads with marginalized communities and those efforts have started to show promising signs. The gap between Black Georgians who have taken the shot and the rest of the state has narrowed. (Scott Trubey, 2/4)
Chicago Tribune: Chicago's COVID 'Vaccine Ambassadors' Spread The Word On Shots
When Armani Nightengale waited in the car last March to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the United Center, her husband was more nervous than she was. Over the next couple of weeks, he carefully checked her arm to make sure nothing looked wrong. Then, the conversation shifted to when he would get the shot. That’s when things got more “combative,” Nightengale said, as she began asking why he was reluctant, especially given that they had three young children. Her husband, on the other hand, felt unsure about how signing up for the vaccine would affect his immigration status. But in December, after months of evolving conversations on the benefits of getting inoculated, he agreed. (Yin, 2/3)
And in vaccine research news —
Fox News: CDC Director: Studies Yet To Show BA.2 Sub-Variant Evading Current Vaccines More Than Omicron
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that experts have not yet seen studies suggesting omicron sub-variant BA.2 will evade COVID-19 vaccine protection any more so than the original omicron strain has already. "In terms of early studies, we have not seen any studies that suggest it’s more severe, nor have we seen studies that suggests that it will evade our vaccines any more so than omicron has already – and, in fact, that our vaccines will work just like it has with omicron," Walensky said at the White House COVID-19 response team briefing. (Musto, 2/3)
Stat: PhRMA Takes Aim At WHO, EU Over Support Of Weakening Patent Rights
Amid growing concern over access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry trade group has lashed out at the World Health Organization and other global agencies for supporting efforts to pause patent rights in hopes of increasing supplies to poor countries. In comments made to the U.S. Trade Representative, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America argued that the WHO and other agencies, including the World Trade Organization, were no longer reliable stewards of intellectual property rights and, instead, have been promoting a “range of harmful policies” that would hurt incentives for drug and vaccine makers. (Silverman, 2/3)
Also —
Stat: Covid-19 Therapies Appear Cost-Effective ... For Now
The prices charged for several medicines used to treat people with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 — including pills from Pfizer (PFE) and Merck (MRK) — are reasonably priced based on the value they offer patients, according to a preliminary assessment. In each case, the different therapies met cost-effectiveness thresholds and averted hospitalization costs for Covid-19 patients who are at a high risk of developing a severe form of the coronavirus. Other potential benefits include helping to stop the spread of the coronavirus and easing the severe overcrowding at hospitals, although these are not as easily quantified. (Silverman, 2/3)
