Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Expecting Fewer Vaccine Doses
The Hill: States Expecting Fewer Vaccine Doses Than Promised: Report
The federal government has downgraded the quantity of coronavirus vaccine it projects it will distribute in December from 300 million to closer to 40 million doses, the Washington Post reported Saturday. Drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna are slated to receive hearings for Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorizations in the weeks ahead. The government has since announced it will distribute the vaccine on a staggered scale to ensure state supplies do not run short before the second dosage, which comes 21 days after the initial dosage. (Budryk, 12/6)
KHN: Demand For COVID Vaccines Expected To Get Heated — And Fast
Americans have made no secret of their skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines this year, with fears of political interference and a “warp speed” timeline blunting confidence in the shots. As recently as September, nearly half of U.S. adults said they didn’t intend to be inoculated. But with two promising vaccines primed for release, likely within weeks, experts in ethics and immunization behavior say they expect attitudes to shift quickly from widespread hesitancy to urgent, even heated demand. (JoNel Aleccia, 12/7)
The Hill: State, Local Officials Plead For Vaccine Distribution Funds
Public health experts say state and local governments are underfunded and unprepared for what is expected to be the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. While the Trump administration has spent more than $10 billion supporting the development of COVID-19 vaccines, just $340 million has been allocated to agencies below the federal level to help with distribution efforts that will cost anywhere from $6 billion to $13.3 billion, according to various estimates. (Hellmann, 12/5)
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Des Moines Register: Iowa's COVID-19 Vaccine Plan Includes Teachers After Nursing Homes
After Iowa vaccinates nursing home residents and critical health care workers against the coronavirus, the state is likely to focus on protecting Iowans living in other kinds of group settings, people with chronic health problems and workers in certain professions — such as teachers, first-responders and food-production workers — the state’s draft vaccination plan says. (Leys, 12/4)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan's Top Doctor: COVID-19 Brings 'the Most Massive Vaccination Effort In A Century'
While Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared last week that "hope is on the horizon" with two COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, the state's chief medical executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said she knows there will be challenges in the enormous job of vaccinating Michigan's 10 million people. From prioritizing who should get vaccinated first to finding enough trained health care workers to both care for sick COVID-19 patients in Michigan's hospitals and run vaccine clinics, Khaldun called it "the most massive vaccination effort in a century" in a Friday interview with the Free Press. (Shamus, 12/6)
