Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Vaccine Lotteries Not Increasing Numbers; FDA Approval Will Decrease Vaccine Hesitancy
The Boston Globe: Out Of Luck — COVID-19 Vaccination Lotteries Don’t Work
The United States has missed President Biden’s July 4 goal of vaccinating 70 percent of eligible Americans against COVID-19. This is no surprise. Vaccination rates have been declining for months. With the spread of the highly transmissible and deadly Delta variant, the situation is worrisome. To counter this decline in vaccinations, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio announced, on May 12, a weekly $1 million lottery for people who got the vaccine. That day Ohio was administering about 15,000 COVID-19 vaccines daily. Two days later, the rate was nearly double, at 33,000 per day. This lottery-style incentive was celebrated as a huge success. NPR ran a podcast titled “Ohio’s Vaccine Lottery Proves an Effective Incentive.” Even President Biden described it as “creative” and highlighted other state lottery programs. (Ezekial J. Emanuel, Patricia Hong and Matthew Guido, 7/6)
USA Today: Speed Up COVID Vaccine Approval Process To Reduce Hesitance, Save Lives
Even as Broadway reopens and the nation's stadiums fill with fans, the pandemic is far from over. Every week, over 2,000 people continue to die from COVID-19 in the United States – more than one every five minutes. Tragically, almost all of these deaths are preventable. Of the more than 18,000 people who died in May from COVID-19, just about 150 – less than 1% – were fully vaccinated. (Jerome Karabel, 7/6)
Dallas Morning News: Women Are The Secret To Boosting Vaccination Rates
Women have received more shots than men. They also account for 65% of American adults still undecided about whether to get the coronavirus vaccine. It’s time to help get these women off the sidelines so the country can meet its goal of getting at least one dose of vaccine to 70% of adults, something President Joe Biden had hoped to do by July 4, and is necessary to reach herd immunity. Roughly 47% of all eligible Texans have received at least one inoculation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 60% of those 18 and older. About 40% are fully vaccinated compared to over 50% in New York, California and Pennsylvania. (Ana Kreacic, 7/4)
The New York Times: U.S. Covid Vaccine Numbers Are Great. Keep Going.
For all the missteps during its early days, the American coronavirus vaccination campaign is poised to go down as a triumph of science and public health. Seven months after the first shots were authorized for emergency use, 66 percent of adults — more than 100 million people — have received at least one dose. That’s not the 70 percent President Biden was aiming to reach by July 4, but it’s close, and it’s an impressive figure. This progress has enabled the nation to edge its way back to something resembling normal. Daily case counts and death tolls are falling steadily in most places. Restaurants and theaters and barbershops are open. Mask mandates are being lifted. So far, most of the vaccines seem to work well against the dangerous Delta variant and all of its known cousins. What’s more, the latest research suggests that for most people, vaccine boosters will not be needed anytime soon. (7/3)
NBC News: The Covid Wuhan Lab Leak Theory Is Being Twisted To Validate Conspiracy Theories
We are hearing a lot about how science and scientists got the lab leak theory wrong. This (mostly) partisan narrative, especially powerful among conservatives, is being used to discredit both science and science-informed public health officials. And it's both misinformed and shortsighted. Unlike what people like Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones may lead you to believe, the lab leak theory isn't an I-told-you-so movement. An admission of uncertainty isn't a condemnation of science or a validation of conspiracy theorists. In fact, it is how science works. There are ambiguity, the emergence of new evidence and the shifting of individual and collective perspectives. (Timothy Caulfield, 7/6)
The Atlantic: COVID-19 Did Not Affect Mental Health The Way You Think
You’ve probably heard that the coronavirus pandemic triggered a worldwide mental-health crisis. This narrative took hold almost as quickly as the virus itself. In the spring of 2020, article after article—even an op-ed by one of us—warned of a looming psychological epidemic. As clinical scientists and research psychologists have pointed out, the coronavirus pandemic has created many conditions that might lead to psychological distress: sudden, widespread disruptions to people’s livelihoods and social connections; millions bereaved; and the most vulnerable subjected to long-lasting hardship. A global collapse in well-being has seemed inevitable. (Lara Aknin, Jamil Zaki and Elizabeth Dunn, 7/4)
