Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Third Dose OK'd For San Franciscans Who Got Johnson & Johnson Shots
San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Allows Third Shot For Those Who Got J&J Vaccine
San Francisco residents who got the Johnson & Johnson Janssen coronavirus vaccine and have been boosted with a second shot can now get a third, following an advisory issued this month by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Regardless of what brand of vaccine people had for their second dose, the city is advising a Pfizer/BioNTech shot for the third. (Ho, 1/28)
The Baltimore Sun: Cheetahs At Maryland Zoo In Baltimore Aid COVID Vaccine Study That’s More Than A Tale Of Big Cat Survival
In the next few weeks, two African cheetahs living at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore will walk to the edge of their habitat, sit like house pets and allow a keeper to pull their tails through an opening in the fence. This is how the cheetahs, Bud and Davis, will get their COVID-19 vaccines. Two or three weeks later, they will repeat the process so their keeper can get a blood sample. There will be another vaccination and blood will be taken six times in all during the year. The samples will become part of a nationwide study seeking to understand how well the particularly vulnerable species is protected against the deadly coronavirus. (Cohn, 1/31)
Bangor Daily News: Maine’s COVID Vaccine Disparities Are Even Greater Among Young Kids
In Cumberland County, about a third of 5- to 11-year-old children have not yet received a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Just two hours to the north, in much more rural Piscataquis County, that figure is a staggering 82 percent. Maine has seen significant disparities in its county-by-county vaccination rates virtually since vaccines became available to the general public. But those disparities for the general population aren’t nearly as pronounced as they are for the 5- to 11-year-old age group that’s currently the youngest age group eligible to receive the vaccine, and the one that became eligible most recently. (Marino Jr., 1/31)
Also —
NPR: Spotify Will Add A COVID-19 Advisory To Podcasts After The Joe Rogan Controversy
The music-streaming service Spotify says it will implement changes to guard against COVID-19 misinformation after some high-profile artists and public figures criticized the platform for hosting Joe Rogan's hit podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Music legends Neil Young and Joni Mitchell each pulled their music from Spotify over their objections to Rogan, who experts say has repeatedly made false claims about the coronavirus and vaccines. Over the weekend Nils Lofgren also confirmed he had his music pulled. Author and researcher Brené Brown said she would stop releasing new podcasts until further notice, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have also expressed their concerns about COVID misinformation on the platform. (Hernandez, 1/30)
The Washington Post: Long Island Nurses Made $1.5 Million Selling Fake Coronavirus Vaccination Cards, Prosecutors Say
For years, Julie DeVuono has offered to help people avoid vaccination. In 2017 and 2018, the nurse’s pediatric practice advertised “vaccine exemption workshops” that it said would detail tips for “the best chance of acceptance.” Now DeVuono and an employee face charges for allegedly selling fake coronavirus vaccination cards and entering them into a state database. Authorities say the pair from Long Island left behind a ledger recording profits of more than $1.5 million in less than three months. (Knowles, 1/310)
