Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Dramatically Expand Vaccine Access, Prompting A Race To Sign Up
Clairion Ledger: In Mississippi, All Adults Can Get COVID-19 Vaccinations Starting Tuesday
Starting Tuesday, vaccine eligibility flood gates will open.Ten days after Gov. Tate Reeves' repeal of all county mask mandates, he gave another directive over Twitter on Monday: COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is opening to all Mississippians. It's a far sooner date than President Joe Biden's goal of widening eligibility to all Americans by May 1. But Mississippi wasn't first up to bat. Arizona and Alaska made the move last week. (Haselhorst, 3/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Counties Open Vaccines To All Adults With Disabilities And Health Conditions, But Access Is Spotty
Even as California, including many Bay Area counties, opened up coronavirus vaccine eligibility to roughly 4.4 million younger residents with disabilities and underlying medical conditions on Monday, access to appointments remained spotty for some. Jenny Panighetti, who lives in Mountain View and uses a wheelchair because of arthrogryposis, a muscle and joint disease, has been trying since last week to book a vaccine appointment. But she found that many sites are either not scheduling first-dose shots or have yet to update their eligibility to include people under 65 with disabilities or health conditions associated with serious illness and death from COVID-19. (Ho and Gafni, 3/15)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Suburbs Can’t Inoculate Everyone In Group 1A By May 1 Unless They Get A Lot More Vaccine, Officials Say
The Philadelphia suburbs are prepared to meet the state’s March 28 deadline to schedule coronavirus vaccinations for all eligible residents who want one. But it may be months before those shots actually get into the arms of the counties’ most vulnerable residents, officials said Monday. Chester County expects it will take as long as three months to vaccinate all their residents in phase 1A, which includes people 65 and older and adults with high-risk conditions, while Montgomery County anticipates it could take up to five months. And these estimates, county officials say, do not allow for any appointments by people in lower-priority groups. (McCarthy, 3/15)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Georgians Scramble For COVID Vaccine Slots On Day 1 Of Expanded Eligibility
Georgia’s big push to quell COVID-19 began Monday with overwhelming demand, prompting celebrations among those able to get vaccines into their arms and frustrations for those who couldn’t. Appointments were quickly booked at vaccination sites in Fulton County, DeKalb County, Macon and Habersham County. Fulton’s vaccine hotline saw a surge in callers trying to get a place in line. Others navigated though the multiple state and pharmacy sign-up websites available to Georgians, only to be likely informed that all slots were gone and they’d be contacted at a later date. (Hart, Oliviero, Stirgus and Edwards, 3/15)
Axios: How To Snag A COVID Vaccine Appointment In Des Moines
We're finally at the phase where your social media feed is probably sprinkled with vaccine selfies and reminder cards. Now that Iowans with pre-existing conditions are eligible for vaccinations — it's likely you or someone you know can schedule their shots. (Ta, 3/15)
The Baltimore Sun: Under Pressure To Improve Equity, Maryland’s Mass COVID Vaccine Sites To Set Aside Appointments For Nearby Residents
Under pressure to improve striking disparities in Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday that the state-run mass vaccination sites will set aside thousands of appointments per week for residents of Baltimore City, Prince George’s County and other jurisdictions where the clinics are located. The M&T Bank Stadium site in Baltimore, the Regency Furniture Stadium site in Waldorf, the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury, the Hagerstown Premium Outlets site in Western Maryland, and Six Flags America in Bowie will each set aside 2,100 “priority appointments per week,” the governor said in a news release. (Campbell, 3/15)
Boston Globe: State Police Were Offered COVID-19 Vaccines At Work. Hundreds Have Declined To Get Them
Thirty percent of the Massachusetts State Police, totaling nearly 850 members in all, have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 at department-run clinics, reflecting a potential hesitancy that has lingered even among front-line law enforcement who interact with the public. The data among some State Police personnel stands in contrast to the acceptance of vaccines among the Massachusetts public, where shot-seekers have faced fierce competition as they join the state’s eligibility pool. Police, firefighters, and other emergency personnel were among the first to be made eligible, getting clearance to be vaccinated two months ago. Educators and school staff became eligible Thursday. (Stout and Moore, 3/15)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
Fox News: Chicago Teachers Union Tells Members Not To Reveal If They Received COVID Vaccine
Tracking how many Chicago Public Schools teachers have been vaccinated against COVID-19 has been a challenge, in part, because the teachers union asking its members not to inform district officials, according to media reports. The school district and the Chicago Teachers Union have been involved in a public battle over whether to resume in-person instruction after months of virtual learning. The dispute centers on what the union has deemed inadequate safety protocols. The district opened its doors this month to tens of thousands of students from kindergarten to through eighth grade. The move came after weeks of tense negociations between district and untion leaders. (Casiano, 3/15)
WUSF Public Media: USF Health Experts To Host COVID Vaccination Discussion In Spanish
University of South Florida Spanish-speaking faculty members are starting a series of Zoom discussions about the COVID-19 vaccine and ways to prevent the spread of the virus. The community discussions, which kick off Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., will be in Spanish, giving attendees the chance to voice their concerns and opinions in their native language. (Shalabi, 3/15)
Politico: Why Newsom Still Isn't Getting The Vaccine
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses have it. The governors of Texas, Iowa and West Virginia have gotten theirs. But in California, elected officials from Gov. Gavin Newsom on down have largely chosen not to get vaccines yet. (Kahn, 3/15)
