J&J Covid Vaccines Left Unused And Unwanted

Reuters: J&J Vaccine Drive Stalls Out In U.S After Safety Pause
Safety concerns about Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) COVID-19 vaccine along with overall flagging demand for vaccinations have slowed its U.S. rollout to a crawl, leaving close to half of the 21 million doses produced for the United States sitting unused. J&J’s vaccine was supposed to be an important tool for reaching rural areas and vaccine hesitant Americans because it requires only one shot and has less stringent storage requirements than the two-dose vaccines from Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. (Erman, 6/7)

AP: Kids 5 And Up Get Shots In Tests For COVID Vaccine
Seven-year-old Russell Bright squeezed his dad’s hand tightly as tests of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine started Monday in Louisiana for children ages 5 through 11. Children held stuffed animals, played under chairs and a few cried at Ochsner Medical Center, just outside New Orleans. Their temperature and blood pressure were checked, their noses swabbed and their blood drawn for tests. Finally, they got a shot of either the vaccine or a placebo. (Plaisance, 6/8)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

AP: Washington: Marijuana Stores Can Offer Joints For Vaccines
Licensed marijuana stores in Washington state can offer free joints to promote on-site COVID-19 vaccine clinics, officials said Monday. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board is calling the effort the “Joints for Jabs” program. The board says licensed adult-use marijuana retail shops can give away a single pre-rolled joint to anyone over 21 who gets a shot at an on-site vaccine clinic held by July 12. (6/7)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia COVID Vaccine Incentives Include Cash Sweepstakes
Philadelphia will hold drawings with cash prizes for residents who have received the coronavirus vaccine, Mayor Jim Kenney announced Monday as the city joined a growing number of state and local governments offering incentives for vaccination. The city’s “Philly Vax Sweepstakes” will include three drawings with top prizes of $50,000. In each of the three drawings, two residents will win the grand prize, four people will win $5,000, and six people will win prizes of $1,000. (McCrystal, 6/7)

Bay Area News Group: CDPH Warns Of Potential ‘Vax For The Win’ Scams
The California Department of Public Health is warning residents to be on guard for potential scams related to the state’s new COVID-19 vaccination incentive programs. The first “Vax for the Win” drawing was held on June 4. The program, which will ultimately award $116.5 million to previously immunized individuals and individuals who agree to be immunized, is designed to motivate residents to get vaccinated before the state’s reopening on June 15. Following the drawing, residents notified the state of scammers impersonating state officials through calls, emails, texts and direct messages on social media, the CDPH said in a news release Monday. (Green, 6/7)

Bay Area News Group: California's COVID Vaccination Records Raise Privacy Concerns
When California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced cash incentives to spur coronavirus vaccine-hesitant residents to get their shots, he emphasized everyone who received a dose was automatically entered into state databases. “We have your information in our system,” he said, referring to the millions of vaccination records in the California Public Department of Health’s confidential, digital Immunization Information System, reassuring anyone concerned about missing their opportunity to qualify for a $1.5 million grand prize for taking a vaccine. But not everyone is so reassured. As the state’s vaccination campaign approaches 50 million delivered doses, the flood of corresponding medical information is sparking fresh privacy concerns about Californians’ health data. (Moore, 6/7)

Also —

Houston Chronicle: Supporters Gather As Methodist Baytown Workers Finish Their Last Shifts Without Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine
Dozens of cheering supporters gathered outside the Houston Methodist Baytown campus Monday evening as several medical workers who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine ended their last shifts working for the hospital system. The act of protest was aimed at what workers said was the hospital’s decision to suspend employees for two weeks without pay and then fire them for failing to immunize themselves. Jennifer Bridges, a nurse who effectively lost her job at the Baytown facility for deciding not to be inoculated, said the goal was to stage a walkout but that did not go as planned. Participating employees who refused the vaccine’s first dose were told not to gather or linger on the hospital grounds after ending their shift, she said. (Wu and Hensley, 6/7)

Houston Chronicle: As Carnival Requires Vaccines For Cruisers, Abbott Signs Ban On 'Vaccine Passports'
Texas businesses cannot require their customers to prove their COVID-19 vaccine status under a bill signed Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott. The measure, Senate Bill 968, outlaws so-called “vaccine passports” and prevents businesses from asking consumers to show their vaccine cards to receive services. Abbott had issued a similar executive order in April, though that applied only to state agencies and other organizations that receive public funding. “Texas is open 100 percent, and we want to make sure that you have the freedom to go where you want without limits,” Abbott said in a video posted to Twitter Monday evening. (Harris and Gray, 6/7)

The Oregonian: Oregon Says It Will Lift Workplace Mask, Distancing Rules When State Hits COVID Vaccination Target 
Oregon’s workplace safety agency said it will lift face covering and distancing rules for businesses and other institutions when 70% of Oregon adults are at least partially vaccinated. That means most employees in public workplaces, such as stores, and private ones, like offices or factories, could take off their masks and work in close quarters — assuming employers don’t maintain their own mask or distancing rules. (Njus, 6/7)