Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Uneven Covid Vaccine Adoption Revealed
KHN: Stark Racial Disparities Persist In Vaccinations, State-Level CDC Data Shows
Black Americans’ covid-19 vaccination rates are still lagging months into the nation’s campaign, while Hispanics are closing the gap and Native Americans show the highest rates overall, according to federal data obtained by KHN. The data, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to a public records request, gives a sweeping national look at the race and ethnicity of vaccinated people on a state-by-state basis. Yet nearly half of those vaccination records are missing race or ethnicity information. (Recht, Pradhan and Weber, 5/20)
CNN: Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout For Ages 12 To 15 Is 'Better Than Expected,' Health Officials Say
Appointment slots are quick to fill. Excited grins are hidden behind masks. Syringes are filled and shots are ready to go into arms. The rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 in the United States has been reminiscent of when those very first Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered late last year, said Dr. Lisa Costello, a pediatrician at West Virginia University Medicine Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on State Government Affairs. (Howard, 5/19)
CNN: US Coronavirus: Getting More Americans Vaccinated Is Going To Be A Lot Of Work, Expert Says. But It's Critical In Our Battle
The US is reporting some of the lowest Covid-19 metrics in nearly a year and officials say we're finally turning the corner. But vaccination rates have slowed nationwide and are uneven across American communities. For parts of the US, it will be an uphill battle to get more shots into arms. But experts say that challenge is critical -- and officials need to deploy all kinds of strategies to help boost vaccinations. It's our best shot to overcome the pandemic. (Maxouris, 5/20)
NBC News: Confusing Rules, Loopholes And Legal Issues: College Vaccination Plans Are A Mess
In Texas, public universities can’t require a vaccination, but private ones can. In Massachusetts, where colleges and universities can mandate Covid-19 vaccinations, 43 of more than 100 had agreed to do so by mid-May. In New York, public universities cannot allow for religious exemptions, while a majority of the state’s private universities can. That patchwork approach is reflected across the country. An NBC News analysis of nearly 400 colleges and universities that are requiring the Covid-19 vaccination found that the vast majority have unclear directives, loopholes or legal complications that are leaving professors frustrated, students unmotivated and a potential public health crisis come fall. To add to the confusion, among all states and jurisdictions, 19 have statewide regulations for public colleges: Seven require vaccinations for students and 12 do not. (Kesslen, Watkins and Syed, 5/20)
