Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unclaimed Second Doses: Utah Plans To Release Them To New People
AP: Unclaimed 2nd Vaccine Doses To Be Re-Distributed, Gov Says
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is ordering vaccine shots set aside as second doses be re-distributed as first doses to new people if the original patient doesn’t come back for their follow-up appointment a few weeks later. The second shots will be released if they’re not claimed within seven days - but latecomers can still come back at a different time, he said Thursday during his monthly news conference on PBS-Utah. Some state lawmakers have suggested not holding back a reserve of vaccine for second doses, but Cox said that health experts advise against that step. (Whitehurst, 1/22)
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox Says Utah Stockpile Of Vaccines For Second Shots Will Be Used If Someone Misses An Appointment
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday announced the state won’t be letting booster shots of the coronavirus wait on shelves if the intended recipient doesn’t show up for a second dose. The best use of the 104,000 second doses in the state’s stockpile has been a matter of discussion between health experts and officials lately — with some state lawmakers arguing they should be repurposed as first doses to maximize the number of people with partial protection from the virus. But Cox says leaders in the state’s coronavirus response believe it’s important to give first-dose recipients a chance to get fully inoculated. “There is a name on every one of those second doses,” the Republican governor said during a news conference televised by PBS Utah. (Rodgers, 1/21)
The Washington Post: Vaccine Shortages Intensify While Some Doses Sit On Shelves, An Obstacle To National Strategy Promised By Biden
In a phone call with the four-star Army general overseeing the distribution of coronavirus vaccines, Tennessee’s top health official laid out what she saw as the No. 1 obstacle to getting more shots into people’s arms. “The only limitation is supply,” Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey recalled telling the general, Gustave F. Perna, earlier this month. From Miami to Manhattan, hospital leaders and public officials have been equally emphatic. But in one of the most puzzling aspects of the early vaccine rollout, the shortages are intensifying in some jurisdictions, while others have yet to use all their vaccine. The bottleneck isn’t just in administering the vaccines; some states are not ordering everything they’ve been allotted. (Stanley-Becker and Sun, 1/21)
Also —
AP: Health Experts Blame Rapid Expansion For Vaccine Shortages
Public health experts Thursday blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over. The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans. (Johnson, Melley and Matthews, 1/22)
KHN: Covid Vaccine Rollout Leaves Most Older Adults Confused Where To Get Shots
Over a month into a massive vaccination program, most older Americans report they don’t know where or when they can get inoculated for covid-19, according to a poll released Friday. Nearly 6 in 10 people 65 and older who have not yet gotten a shot said they don’t have enough information about how to get vaccinated, according to the KFF survey. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.) (Galewitz, 1/22)
Georgia Health News: How Do The Elderly Who Are Homebound Get COVID Shots?
For Georgia seniors, the COVID vaccine rollout has been rocky at best. Yet an increasing number of people 65 and older living in the community and in long-term care facilities now are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. But what about the elderly who are homebound? Right now, Georgia public health officials are wrestling with that issue. (Miller, 1/21)
AP: Lucky Few Hit COVID-19 Vaccine Jackpot For Rare Extra Doses
Fortune struck one man in the bakery aisle at the supermarket. Two others were working the night shift at a Subway sandwich shop. Yet another was plucked from a list of 15,000 hopefuls. With millions of Americans waiting for their chance to get the coronavirus vaccine, a lucky few are getting bumped to the front of the line as clinics scramble to get rid of extra, perishable doses at the end of the day. It is often a matter of being in the right place at the right time. (Condon, Choi and Sedensky, 1/22)
