J&J Vaccine Rollout Hits Early Bumps

CNN: Detroit Mayor Declines Johnson & Johnson Allotment, Saying The Other Vaccines Are Better
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan declined an initial allocation of the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine this week even as nationwide demand continues to outpace available supply. Duggan, a Democrat who has been mayor since 2014, said he turned down the shipment because the city is able to meet current demand with its supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines -- even as his administration expanded vaccine eligibility Thursday to residents ages 50 and older with chronic medical conditions. (Setty, 3/4)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Won't Receive New Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Doses Next Week
Maine will get 8,000 fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses next week compared to this week after states were told they would get no new Johnson & Johnson shots. A decline had been expected by states after the new one-dose vaccine’s rollout this week. But Maine did not expect a full drop-off after it expanded eligibility on Wednesday to teachers, school staff and childcare workers under an order from President Joe Biden, who pledged that the U.S. will have enough doses to vaccinate every adult by May. (Shepherd, 3/4)

The New York Times: One And Done: Why People Are Eager For Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine 
In North Dakota this week, health officials are sending their first Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines to pharmacies and urgent care clinics, where people who don’t necessarily have a regular doctor can get the single jab. In Missouri, doses are going to community health centers and rural hospitals. And in North Carolina, health providers are using it to inoculate meatpacking, farm and grocery workers. Since Johnson & Johnson revealed data showing that its vaccine, while highly protective, had a slightly lower efficacy rate than the first shots produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, health officials have feared the new shot might be viewed by some Americans as the inferior choice. (Weiland, 3/4)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

Hartford Courant: Connecticut Dramatically Rolls Back COVID Restrictions, Allowing Full Indoor Dining, Increased Entertainment And Sports Capacity; Travel Ban Lifted
Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday announced that he will roll back pandemic-related restrictions in Connecticut starting March 19, including allowing restaurants to operate at full capacity, loosening rules on sports and entertainment venues and lifting the state’s travel ban. The state will maintain some key measures, including a mask mandate, social distancing rules, a curfew for restaurants and the closure of all bars. (Brindley, Fawcett and Putterman, 3/4)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Gov. Hogan Announces COVID Vaccine Equity Plan That Seeks Community Partners 
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan unveiled a plan Thursday to improve the equitable distribution of vaccines that largely relies on churches and community groups requesting clinics in their neighborhoods. Hogan touted the plan as a way to improve the pace of getting coronavirus vaccine shots into the arms of Marylanders who are not white. Three majority-Black jurisdictions — Baltimore City and Prince George’s and Charles counties — each have fewer people vaccinated than the state’s other counties do. (Wood and Miller, 3/4)

Philadelphia Inquirer: 9,000 Philly Teachers Have Been Vaccinated And Thousands More Are Eligible As Some Schools Prepare To Open Monday
Every educator who works in Philadelphia and wants the COVID-19 vaccine can be inoculated by the end of the month, officials said Thursday. Through a partnership of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the city, and the Philadelphia School District, about 9,000 teachers and other school staff have received their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and in all, 20,000 district, charter, parochial, and independent school teachers, as well as day-care workers, have appointments for shots. (Graham, 3/4)

Axios: Figuring Out Florida's "Extremely Vulnerable" Vaccine Qualification 
Qualifying for a COVID vaccine as "extremely vulnerable" under Florida's new guidelines is entirely up to doctors' discretion, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Wednesday. Being "extremely vulnerable" is the only way Floridians under 65 who are not frontline workers or firefighters, police and teachers 50 and up can get the vaccine so far. (Montgomery and San Felice, 3/4)

CNN: DeSantis Denies Involvement In Vaccine Drive Following Revelation Of $250,000 PAC Donation From Former Illinois Governor 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is denying the state had any involvement in a vaccine drive at a private, gated community after questions arose about a $250,000 donation from a resident to a PAC supporting him following the drive. Ocean Reef Club resident and former Illinois governor Bruce Rauner made the massive donation to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC on February 25, after a vaccine drive was held in January. That donation makes Rauner one of the PAC's top donors. (Murphy, 3/4)

Axios: "Vaccine Tourism" Stretches States' Supplies 
Americans who are highly motivated to get vaccinated are traveling across state lines after hearing about larger vaccine supplies or loopholes in sign-up systems. "Vaccine tourism" raises ethical and legal questions, and could worsen the racial socioeconomic and racial inequalities of the pandemic. (Fernandez, 3/5)

Also —

The Washington Post: San Diego Zoo Great Apes Get Coronavirus Vaccines 
On Wednesday, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the zoo’s nonprofit parent organization, said that four orangutans and five bonobos have now received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine made specifically for animals. They’re the first nonhuman primates to be vaccinated against the virus, which has been shown to infect a number of mammals. “This isn’t the norm. In my career, I haven’t had access to an experimental vaccine this early in the process and haven’t had such an overwhelming desire to want to use one,” said Nadine Lamberski, chief conservation and wildlife health officer at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, told National Geographic. (Peiser, 3/5)

The Hill: Wells Fargo Offering Paid Time Off For Employees To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Wells Fargo is offering employees up to eight hours paid time off to get the coronavirus vaccine, according to an internal memo viewed by Bloomberg. The bank will also offer its employees at its 25 biggest locations free coronavirus testing, according to Bloomberg. Those who are not at those locations can ask for at-home tests. (Lonas, 3/4)

KHN: Kaiser Permanente, Big Player In State Vaccine Effort, Has Had Trouble Vaccinating Own Members 
As managed-care giant Kaiser Permanente assumes a prominent role in California’s new covid-19 vaccination strategy, it is drawing mixed reviews from members across the country for the way it has run its own vaccine program over the past two months. Conversations with 10 Kaiser enrollees in five states — Colorado, Washington, Virginia, Maryland and California — revealed a common frustration: difficulty snagging an appointment. Many also described receiving sporadic and sometimes confusing information from the company, though some said Kaiser has been doing better recently. (Wolfson, 3/4 )