Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Truckers Who Deliver Covid Shots Say They Should Be At Top Of List, Too
The Wall Street Journal: Trucking, Freight Industry Seek Faster Route To Covid-19 Vaccinations
As the U.S. vaccine rollout accelerates, freight operators and transportation groups are pushing to get their workforce better access to vaccinations, arguing their operations are crucial to keep the economy running. That is thrusting truck drivers, parcel carriers and dockworkers into a heated national debate over who should get priority for the shots, as teachers, public-transit workers and other essential workers jockey for a place in vaccination lines defined by national and regional priorities. (Smith, 2/19)
AP: Caregivers Of Frail Tennessee Kids Get Vaccine Priority
The upcoming vaccine priority group in Tennessee includes people who live with or care for children younger than 16 who have any number of medical frailties, ranging from those receiving chemotherapy to children who use a wheelchair because of high-risk conditions. They might have to wait more than a month and a half to be eligible, under state Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey’s recent conservative timeline. But the national vaccine landscape is constantly shifting, with President Joe Biden saying there will be enough doses for 300 million Americans by the end of July. (Mattise, 2/21)
The Hill: Publix Offers Employees Who Get COVID-19 Vaccine A $125 Store Gift Card
Publix will give employees a $125 gift card to the store if they get a COVID-19 vaccine, the grocery store announced last week. “We care about our associates and customers and believe getting vaccinated can help us take one step closer to getting back to normal,” Publix CEO Todd Jones said in a Friday statement. “We’re encouraging our associates to get vaccinated when they become eligible and doses are available.” (Pitofsky, 2/21)
Philadelphia Inquirer: For Philly Hospitals, Phone Calls More Effective Than Digital Platforms At Registering Seniors For COVID-19 Vaccines
Temple University Hospital System’s offer of COVID-19 shots to 10,000 older and medically at-risk patients prompted a low response rate — just 15% — from the people who should be most concerned about getting the virus. But after those initial invitations to register through TempleHealth, its online patient portal, the hospital system followed up with phone calls. The acceptance rate jumped to about 80%. “We knew this was going to be a lot of manual phone calls in our population,” said Tony Reed, chief medical officer at Temple University Health System. “We’re afraid that the people who need it aren’t going to get it if we don’t make it a personal touch." (Laughlin and McDaniel, 2/21)
Georgia Health News: State Eases Penalty On Elbert Medical Practice, Sets Vaccine Policy
An Elbert County physician office that was penalized for giving COVID-19 vaccine to teachers has seen its controversial suspension shortened by state health officials. An agreement Thursday between the state and the Medical Center of Elberton came a day after the Department of Public Health set out the penalties for vaccine providers who give shots to people not on the priority list. The list currently includes health care workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and Georgians 65 and older. (Miller, 2/19)
Anchorage Daily News: Behind Alaska’s Low ‘Wasted’ Vaccine Numbers, A Combination Of Diligence And Last-Minute Random Calls
Similar narratives are emerging around the country of leftover vaccines going to “random people” to avoid throwing them away. The two vaccines currently being used need to be administered within six hours after vials are taken out of cold storage and opened. If the vaccines are not used within that period, they need to be tossed. Here, the situation is part of a larger strategy that seems to be working, if the state’s numbers are any indication. As of Thursday, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported fewer than 100 wasted doses and more than 137,000 people with at least one shot in their arms. (Hollander and Krakow, 2/21)
In other vaccine rollout news —
North Carolina Health News: Without Transportation, Many Can't Get A COVID Shot
Jane Campbell is frustrated. Campbell, the town commissioner in Davidson, North Carolina, worries that some of her constituents, especially older adults, don’t have a way to get to COVID-19 vaccine sites. From Davidson, the nearest locations for anyone seeking a shot have been at mass vaccination events in the Charlotte area—more than a half hour away, Campbell said. For many older adults who needed transportation, that was too far. (Bergal, 2/20)
KHN: Countless Homebound Patients Still Wait For Covid Vaccine Despite Seniors’ Priority
Opening another front in the nation’s response to the pandemic, medical centers and other health organizations have begun sending doctors and nurses to apartment buildings and private homes to vaccinate homebound seniors. Boston Medical Center, which runs the oldest in-home medical service in the country, started doing this Feb. 1. Wake Forest Baptist Health, a North Carolina health system, followed a week later. (Graham, 2/22)
KHN: In Search Of The Shot
Too little covid vaccine and too great a demand: That’s what KHN readers from around the country detail in their often exasperating quest to snag a shot, although they are often clearly eligible under their local guidelines and priority system. Public health officials say the supply is growing and will meet demand in several months, but, for now, readers’ experiences show how access is limited. Some savvy readers report no problem getting in line for the vaccine, but others say that balky application processes and lack of information have stymied their efforts. Their unedited reports are a good snapshot of the mixed situation around the country. (2/19)
Also —
The Hill: Blumenthal Pushes Facebook, Twitter To Remove Vaccine Misinformation Targeting Pregnant Women
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is pushing Facebook and Twitter to clamp down on coronavirus vaccine misinformation campaigns that are targeting pregnant women. Blumenthal, in a letter sent to the tech giants on Friday, urged them to follow through on commitments to remove coronavirus vaccine misinformation after reported incidents of anti-vaccine campaigns are targeting and harassing pregnant women with false information. (Klar, 2/19)
KHN: The Do’s And Don’ts On Social Media For Vaccine Haves And Have-Nots
Posting about their day is a regular practice for Generations Y and Z, especially when they have something novel or exclusive to share. So, in the thick of a global pandemic, and with the shaky rollout of covid vaccines making them somewhat of a holy grail, it’s no surprise selfies featuring the coveted shot are infecting social media timelines. It might engender envy, even outrage, especially if the person posting seems to have cut the line. But what if the intention was to encourage others to also get the shot? Does that make it OK? (Giles, 2/22)
The Hill: Crist Calls On DOJ To Investigate DeSantis Over Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution
Democratic Florida Rep. Charlie Crist sent a letter to acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson on Sunday, calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over allegations that the governor was selecting vaccine administration sites to benefit political supporters. (Choi, 2/21)
