Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Maryland Widens Booster Shot Program To Nursing Home Elderly
Axios: Elderly And Immunocompromised Marylanders Are Eligible For COVID-19 Booster Shots
Governor Larry Hogan (R) announced on Wednesday that elderly people who live nursing homes and people who are immunocompromised are eligible to get a COVID-19 booster shot effective immediately. Maryland is the first state to announce a plan for distributing boosters to a wider population of people, outside the immunocompromised. Hogan said "confusing and contradictory" guidance from the federal government forced him to act now. (Garfinkel, 9/8)
Axios: WHO Director Calls For Countries To Halt COVID-19 Booster Shots
The World Health Organization on Wednesday doubled down on calls for wealthy countries with large supplies of coronavirus vaccines to forgo booster shots through the end of the year. The WHO director's comments come as the Biden administration weighs offering COVID booster shots later this month, and as a global vaccine disparity persists. (Doherty, 9/8)
The Washington Post: People Who Got Johnson & Johnson’s Coronavirus Vaccine Feel Left Behind In The Push For Boosters
Janice Higgins isn’t the type to ignore advice from health professionals, especially when it comes to protecting herself from the coronavirus. When officials recommended masks, she wore them. When the vaccines arrived, she got the first one available to her. But the Biden administration’s plan for coronavirus booster shots is testing her faith in the process. Higgins is one of 14 million Americans who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which isn’t covered under the booster plan announced Aug. 18. (Hawkins, 9/8)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
CBS News: State Vaccine Incentives Do Little To Boost Vaccination Rates, Research Shows
While some vaccine holdouts may be swayed by free cash or other offers, such programs have not been shown to boost vaccination rates, new research from the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) at the University of Pennsylvania shows. The center compared daily vaccination rates in 24 states with rewards programs in June to inoculation rates in the 26 states without incentive programs. "At least for these statewide incentive programs, there was no effect on the daily vaccination rates, which means we did not see more people coming into get vaccinated in the immediate aftermath of the introduction of these statewide incentives," Harsha Thirumurthy, associate director of CHIBE, told CBSN. (Cerullo, 9/8)
Houston Chronicle: Hidalgo To Cancel Controversial $11 Million Vaccine Outreach Contract, Saying It Has Become Politicized
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday said she would cancel a controversial vaccine outreach contract after Republican commissioners had accused her of steering the work toward a Democratic firm with no public health expertise. “The way it’s being politicized is getting in the way of getting people vaccinated,” Hidalgo said. “It’s really sad, but it’s the truth of the matter. We need to focus on so many other efforts.” Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey on Tuesday said they failed to understand how Elevate Strategies had won the contract, despite submitting a more expensive bid and scoring lower than the University of Texas Health Science Center, which received the most points in a county scoring competition. (Despart, 9/8)
Also —
Stat: Moderna Turns To Biotech Startup To Ramp Up Covid Vaccine Manufacturing
Moderna will turn to a biotech startup, National Resilience, to manufacture additional doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna had previously said it would manufacture 800 million to 1 billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, ramping up to 3 billion doses in 2022. A person familiar with the company said the collaboration might result in hundreds of millions more doses. Currently, the vaccine is given as a two-dose series, though Moderna has said at least some patients may need a third dose given many months later. (Herper, 9/8)
Axios: COVAX Cuts 2021 Forecast For Available COVID Doses
COVAX, the UN-backed program aimed at addressing COVID vaccine inequality, cut its forecast for doses available in 2021 by roughly a quarter. The forecast led the World Health Organization (WHO) to double down on calls for wealthier nations to wait until at least the end of the year to administer booster shots so lower-income nations can vaccinate their populations. (Chen, 9/8)
Stat: In Another Sign Of RNA’s Growing Popularity, Replicate Is Relaunching
A California startup is putting a new spin on a now-familiar idea: using RNA as the foundation of a new therapy. Cancer-focused biotech Replicate Bioscience is hoping to take the same technology that underpins the Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer — with a bit of a scientific twist — and use it to help the body’s own cells attack cancer cells. The company is “relaunching” this week with what its key investor’s head of communications calls a “light rebranding;” it accompanies a $40 million Series A led by Apple Tree Partners. (Sheridan, 9/8)
