Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Rule Change For 'Vaccine Court' May End Help For Shoulder Injuries
USA Today: Vaccine Court Rule Change Would Eliminate Pay For Shoulder Injuries
The most common injury from errant vaccine shots might no longer be paid through a federal program due to a rule change ushered in during the final days of the Trump administration. ... Federal vaccine court, established under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, handles rare cases of people who have serious side effects from a recommended vaccine. ... The court has a list of "table injuries" making people eligible for compensation if they show they received the covered vaccine and document side effects within a set period. If an alleged harm is not listed as a table injury, a person must prove a vaccine caused the injury. (Alltucker, 2/4)
Anchorage Daily News: Did 5 People Really Die From COVID-19 Vaccines In Alaska? No, State Officials Say. None Did
State health officials debunked some COVID-19 vaccination claims after a misleading description of vaccine reactions among Alaskans spread across social media this week. On Wednesday, the day after the Alaska Watchman published a piece with the headline, “At least five Alaskans died and 111 suffered adverse reactions after COVID vaccines,” the state’s top doctor made it clear that no Alaskans — in fact, no one in the U.S. — have died because they got vaccinated. “The CDC came out very clearly this week and said that there have been no reported deaths that they have attributed to the vaccine,” the state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, said on a call with the public Wednesday. Zink said she had been getting more questions about vaccine safety but did not specifically reference the Watchman piece. (Hollander and Krakow, 2/5)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
Chicago Tribune: Breastfeeding Mom Denied Moderna Vaccine In Kane County
Kate Raess read the studies, talked to her obstetrician and consulted with her pediatrician. After months of consideration, the Illinois mom, who is breastfeeding her newborn son, decided she would get a COVID-19 vaccine. (Bowen, 2/4)
San Francisco Chronicle: More Bay Area Women Are Getting Vaccinated Than Men. Here's Why
These early numbers reflect a national trend: Of people vaccinated nationally from mid-December to mid-January, 63% of people were women, according to federal data released Monday. Experts said the disparity in part reflects data that women live longer than men: In the five Bay Area counties that provided gender breakdowns, women over 65 outnumber their male counterparts, though women accounted for half or just over half of the total population. Also, more women work in health care in California due to the high proportion of nurses who are women. (Moench, 2/4)
Houston Chronicle: Galveston County Looking For Volunteers To Administer COVID Vaccine
The Galveston County Office of Emergency Management is seeking volunteers to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations. And, it turns out, volunteering to dish out vaccines could be the key to obtaining one yourself. The county’s vaccine hub, located at Walter Hall Park, was originally staffed by health care workers from the University of Texas Medical Branch. “As we’ve gotten more doses and moved forward, they still have jobs at UTMB to do,” said OEM spokesperson Zach Davidson. “So we’ve started reaching out to the community and the response has been incredible.” (Gordon, 2/4)
The Washington Post: D.C. Officials Knock On Doors To Reach Seniors Amid Push For Vaccine Equity
D.C. officials have a new tactic in their push to vaccinate residents in neighborhoods hit hardest by the coronavirus, while officials across the Washington region on Thursday continued to manage the ongoing fallout from the pandemic. Ensuring that the limited supply of vaccine doses is being distributed equitably among residents has been a key focus for elected officials across the region. Fairfax County is offering free transportation to vaccination sites for some residents who live farther away. Montgomery County is prioritizing residents from Zip codes with high infection rates. The District on Thursday announced its newest method to reach residents: knocking on their front doors. (Zauzmer, Natanson and Tan, 2/4)
NPR: Digital Race For COVID-19 Vaccines Leaves Seniors Without Computer Skills Behind
With millions of older Americans eligible for COVID-19 vaccines and limited supplies, many continue to describe a frantic and frustrating search to secure a shot, beset by uncertainty and difficulty. The efforts to vaccinate people who are 65 and older have strained under the enormous demand that has overwhelmed cumbersome, inconsistent scheduling systems. The struggle represents a shift from the first wave of vaccinations — health care workers in health care settings — which went comparatively smoothly. Now, in most places, elderly people are pitted against each other competing on an unstable technological playing field for limited shots. (Stone, 2/4)
USA Today: COVID Vaccine: Some People Cutting, Bribing Before Their Turn
More than a month since the U.S. first began administering COVID-19 vaccines, many people who were not supposed to be first in line have received vaccinations. Anecdotal reports suggest some people have deliberately leveraged widespread vulnerabilities in the distribution process to acquire vaccine. Others were just in the right place at the right time. "There's dozens and dozens of these stories, and they really show that the rollout was a complete disaster in terms of selling fairness," said Arthur Caplan, who heads the medical ethics division at the NYU School of Medicine. "It wasn’t that we didn’t have consensus (on who should go first). We didn’t pay attention to logistics, and that drove distribution, not rules." (Hauck, 2/3)
