Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
July 4th Vaccine Goal At Risk As Vaccination Rates Plummet
USA Today: Vaccination Rates Fall To New Lows
The rate of vaccinations around the country has sunk to new lows in recent weeks, threatening President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of American adults with at least one dose by July 4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on June 3 that 63% of adults had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, only slightly up from the 62% the week before. Twelve states, including Utah, Oklahoma, Montana, the Dakotas, and West Virginia, have seen vaccinations sink to 15 daily shots in 10,000 residents; Alabama had just four people for 10,000 residents get vaccinated last week, according to data from The Washington Post. (Aspegren, 6/7)
The Washington Post: Vaccination Rates Fall Off, Imperiling Biden’s July Fourth Goal
Plummeting vaccination rates have turned what officials hoped would be the “last mile” of the coronavirus immunization campaign into a marathon, threatening President Biden’s goal of getting shots to at least 70 percent of adults by July 4. The United States is averaging fewer than 1 million shots per day, a decline of more than two-thirds from the peak of 3.4 million in April, according to The Washington Post’s seven-day analysis, even though all adults and children over age 12 are now eligible. (Diamond, Keating and Moody, 6/6)
The Washington Post: Americans Abroad Push For Access To Vaccines, Raising Question About International Inequality
The United States is one of the small number of countries where coronavirus vaccinations are widely available. “All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore,” President Biden said on Wednesday. But one group of Americans feels left behind: expatriates. “We pay taxes, we vote, why shouldn’t we have a vaccine?” asked Loran Davidson, an American living in Thailand. (Parker, 6/6)
ABC News: Full FDA Approval Could Drive COVID-19 Vaccinations, But Experts Advise Against Waiting
One-third of unvaccinated U.S. adults say they will only get in line for the COVID-19 jab once it's fully approved, but medical experts say it can also be risky to wait. Moderna became the latest COVID-19 vaccine maker to apply for full approval by the Food and Drug Administration, announcing last week that it has started the process for approval in people ages 18 and up. That follows Pfizer's announcement in early May that it was seeking approval in those ages 16 and up. (Deliso, 6/6)
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ABC News: US Surpasses 300 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots Administered
The U.S. surpassed another milestone Sunday in its efforts to vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that over 300 million vaccines doses have so far been administered across the country. (Pereira, 6/6)
CIDRAP: Over 60% Of US Adults Have At Least 1 COVID Shot
Even if the United States meets President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccination goal for first doses by Jul 4, now just a month away, at least 30 states will not hit the 70% mark among their own adult residents. One-dose vaccine coverage hit 63% this week. (McLernon, 6/4)
AP: Jill Biden, Dr. Fauci Visit Vaccine Site At Harlem Church
First lady Jill Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci toured a COVID-19 vaccination site at a historic Harlem church on Sunday. Biden, Fauci and U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, watched as people got their shots in the basement of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Biden asked a teenager about to get his shot how old he was, and when he said he was 14, she responded, “You’re 14, that’s exactly what we want! Twelve and over.” (6/6)
