Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Republicans Push Back At Biden's Vaccine Push
Houston Chronicle: 'Not On My Watch': Texas Republicans Buck Biden's Door-To-Door Vaccine Drive
Some Texas Republicans are pushing back against President Joe Biden’s push for greater outreach to get more Americans to receive COVID-19 shots, as vaccination drives in states like Texas have stagnated. “Not on my watch!” Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted in response to the president’s comments on Tuesday that “we need to go community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oft times door-to-door, literally knocking on doors.” (Wermund, 7/7)
Fox News: Fauci's 'Get Over This Political Statement' Comment On Vaccines Gets Panned
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top disease expert in the U.S., drew ire on social media Wednesday when critics said he seemed to write off vaccine hesitancy as a purely political statement. Fauci gave an interview to MSNBC and talked about how important it is for Americans to get vaccinated. He said vaccines help protect the person receiving the jab, as well as family members and the community. He expressed frustration with those who continue to refuse the shots that he called highly effective and safe. (DeMarche, 7/7)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi's Dire Vaccine Rate: Are Politics The Cause Or Just A Point Of Conversation?
As COVID-19 vaccination rates climb across the rest of the nation, Mississippi remains in last place despite efforts by state public health officials to target difficult-to-reach populations. They've clamored to near-close disparity gaps, made their way into rural counties, designed outreach for homebound people, rushed to get the vulnerable vaccinated and set up centers to promote equitable access. The fully-vaccinated rate appears to have stalled, however, and there are a number of potential reasons why: education and income levels, medical myths and mistrust, and rural location — maybe even politics. (Haselhorst, 7/7)
Dallas Morning News: COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy In Texas Due To Concerns About Side Effects, DMN/UT-Tyler Poll Shows
The pace of COVID-19 vaccinations is slowing in Texas and concerns about side effects are a leading cause of hesitancy, according to a poll by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler. One in 5 unvaccinated Texans are at least somewhat open to a shot but have not scheduled an appointment for a host of reasons, the poll released Sunday found. About 34% cited side effects as a factor, while 16% said they are “waiting to see” and 11% feel they don’t have enough information. The poll, conducted June 22-29, surveyed 1,090 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. It surveyed Texas voters on a wide range of state and political issues. (Morris, 7/7)
Dallas Morning News: Dallas County Reaches Herd Immunity Even As New COVID Cases Continue To Hold Steady, Experts Say
Dallas County crossed a major threshold in its fight to curb the coronavirus pandemic this week, reaching herd immunity on July 4, according to a nonprofit that tracks health data for the county. At least 80% of the county’s residents have either natural immunity from previously contracting COVID-19 or are vaccinated, officials at the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation said in a statement Wednesday. While celebrating the public health goal, officials at the center and elsewhere stressed continued caution as new strains of the virus — especially the delta variant — continue to take hold here and vaccination rates remain stagnant. (Garcia, 7/7)
CNN: US Covid-19 Vaccinations: Here's Where The Biggest Coverage Disparities Remain
In May, President Joe Biden’s administration announced a new goal to administer at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine to 70% of adults — and to have 160 million people fully vaccinated — in the United States by July 4. At the time, the pace of vaccinations was well on track to meet, and exceed, this goal. But vaccination rates have slowed to less than half of what they were at the time of the announcement, and the administration fell short of its goal by millions of people. (McPhillips and Krishnakumar, 7/7)
Albuquerque Journal: NM Health Officials Don’t Plan To Require Vaccine For Schoolchildren
New Mexico does not plan to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for school attendance when it becomes available, likely later this year, a top state health official said Wednesday. Health Secretary Tracie Collins told members of a legislative panel she’s hopeful federal approval for different COVID-19 vaccinations for children under age 12 will be issued by December – if not sooner. Currently, only those 12 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine and slightly more than 30% of children between ages 12 and 15 had gotten at least one shot as of this week, according to Department of Health data. (Boyd, 7/7)
In updates on vaccine lotteries —
AP: Colorado Mom Of 4 Is Final $1 Million Vaccine Lottery Winner
A Colorado mother of four has been chosen as the final $1 million vaccine lottery winner, Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday. Heidi Russell, a stay-at-home mother expressed her gratitude and shock after finding out about her win. “This prize will be so helpful in raising four kids,” Russell said. “When I told my daughter yesterday, her first comment was ’Yes, my college is paid for.” (7/7)
AP: WVa Gov Hands Out Third $1M Prize In Vaccine Giveaway
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice handed out the third $1 million prize for residents who have received coronavirus vaccines. The Republican governor presented Heather Coburn of Princeton with a ceremonial check on Wednesday. Coburn happens to work at a Bluefield car dealership owned by Bill Cole. Cole is a former Republican state Senate president who lost to Justice in the 2016 gubernatorial race. Justice won the race as a Democrat before switching to the GOP a year later. (7/7)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Lottery: Trial Volunteers Can't Enter
People who volunteered for clinical trials of coronavirus vaccines and got their first dose before Dec. 1 are out of luck when it comes to the state's new MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes. That's because the rules of the contest say only Michigan residents who got the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 1, 2020, or later are eligible for a chance to win cash prizes and scholarships totaling about $5 million. "Unfortunately, anyone who received their dose prior to Dec. 1 is not eligible for the sweepstakes, which could include those in clinical trials," Mike Nowlin, a spokesperson for the Protect Michigan Commission, told the Free Press in an email message. (Jordan Shamus, 7/7)
