Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Message Of Vaccine Efficacy Getting Lost, Health Experts Worry
Axios: The COVID Vaccines Are Still The Pandemic's Endgame
The goal of the COVID-19 vaccines was always to reduce death and severe illness. Even with the Delta variant, the vaccines are still doing that. But that message is getting lost, infectious disease and vaccine experts tell Axios. Two-thirds of the world isn't fully vaccinated. To return to some semblance of "normal," health authorities need to emphasize how the vaccines aren't failing and drastically increase global vaccine production. (Herman, 9/7)
AP: Afghan Refugees At Fort McCoy Offered COVID-19 Vaccines
Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy are being offered free COVID-19 vaccines — one of many precautions being taken at the military base to prevent the spread of the virus. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said all Afghans and U.S. residents coming from Afghanistan are tested for COVID when they first arrive to the U.S. and have the option to get a COVID-19 vaccine either at the airport or at Department of Defense facilities. (9/6)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Gwinnett School District To Offer $500 Vaccine Incentive
Gwinnett County Public Schools is offering a one-time $500 incentive to eligible staff members who get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees who were vaccinated earlier this year are also eligible for the payments, according to a news release from the school district. The incentive is available to all full-time employees with benefits as well as contracted cafeteria staff and speech language pathologists. (Malik, 9/7)
The New York Times: The Best Birthday Present In 2021? A Covid Vaccine.
Zoe Tu, a seventh grader in Brooklyn, likes to celebrate her birthday with dulce de leche Haagen-Dazs ice cream cake. This year, her 12th, was no exception, but the day was also marked by a treat of another kind: her Covid vaccine. Zoe got the shot the first day she became eligible, on Aug. 2, and it was accompanied by a $100 gift certificate given as a vaccine incentive at the Barclays Center. (Her mother allowed her to spend it on anything she wanted.) “The nurse was really excited about wishing me a happy birthday,” Zoe recalled. (Goldberg, 9/5)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
CIDRAP: Study Shows Minimal Risk Of Guillain-Barre Relapse After COVID Vaccine
Only 1 of 702 adults who previously had Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) needed medical care for a relapse after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, finds a study yesterday in JAMA Neurology. Researchers at Maccabi Healthcare Services in Tel Aviv and Haifa, Israel, conducted the retrospective study to evaluate the country's policy of not excluding people previously diagnosed as having GBS from receiving the vaccine. An earlier association between other vaccines and GBS had raised concerns among clinicians and patients about COVID-19 vaccines. (9/2)
Stat: CEPI Warns Of Major Hurdle To Developing New Covid-19 Vaccines
The world still needs more — and better — Covid-19 vaccines. But a major hurdle stands in the way of the development of new vaccines, as well as the critical studies needed to determine the best way to use these important tools, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) warned in a letter published Tuesday in the journal Nature. Unless countries that have purchased vaccine doses and companies that have already brought vaccines into use agree to find ways to resolve the problem, manufacturers that trail the first wave of producers may not be able to prove that their vaccines work. (Branswell, 9/7)
