Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccinations Rise In US, But It May Be February Before Everyone Gets A Shot
CNN: It Could Be February Before All Eligible Americans Get At Least One Vaccine Dose, Analysis Shows
At the current pace of vaccinations, it will take until mid-February to get at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine to all eligible Americans, according to a CNN analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90 million eligible people in the US are still unvaccinated. And though the seven-day average of people initiating vaccination each day is the highest it has been since July 4 at 446,300, many experts say the US is still not where it needs to be to get the pandemic -- and the rapidly spreading Delta variant -- under control. (Holcombe, 8/4)
ABC News: All 50 States Report Rising Vaccination Rates As COVID Infections Surge, Data Shows
While states like Missouri end a second month enduring a surge in COVID-19 cases as the more contagious delta variant spreads, public health officials across the country are hearing the same story from an increasing number of people getting the vaccine: someone they know recently caught the virus and the experience was unsettling. "We don't want to see more people getting sick as a driving force to get people vaccinated, but we know the case counts and more people in the hospital will play a role in that conversation," Dr. Sam Page, St. Louis county executive, told ABC News. (Mitropoulos and Haslett, 8/3)
KHN: ‘Wisdom And Fear’ Lead 90% Of U.S. Seniors To Covid Vaccines
Amid the latest surge in covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, the United States on Tuesday hit a milestone that some thought was unattainable: 90% of people 65 and older are at least partly vaccinated against the disease. That’s more than 49 million seniors vaccinated. Overall, 70% of adults have been inoculated, at least partly, and nearly 68% of people over 12. (Galewitz, 8/4)
KHN: Analysis: Don’t Want A Vaccine? Be Prepared To Pay More For Insurance
America’s covid-19 vaccination rate is around 60% for ages 12 and up. That’s not enough to reach so-called herd immunity, and in states like Missouri — where a number of counties have vaccination rates under 25% — hospitals are overwhelmed by serious outbreaks of the more contagious delta variant. The vaccine resisters offer all kinds of reasons for refusing the free shots and for ignoring efforts to nudge them to get inoculated. Campaigns urging Americans to get vaccinated for their health, for their grandparents, for their neighbors, or to get free doughnuts or a free joint haven’t done the trick. States have even held lotteries with a chance to win millions or a college scholarship. (Rosenthal and Kramon, 8/4)
San Francisco moves on a booster —
Associated Press: San Francisco To Provide Extra COVID-19 Vaccination Shots
San Francisco will provide an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people who got the single-shot Johnson & Johnson variety but public health officials aren't calling it a booster, authorities said Tuesday. In a possibly unique decision in California, the Department of Public Health said people who request it can receive a supplemental dose at city-run clinics. The second shot will be a vaccine produced by either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. (8/3)
CNBC: J&J Covid Vaccine Recipients Can Get Supplemental Pfizer Or Moderna Dose In San Francisco
The San Francisco Department of Public Health and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said Tuesday they are allowing patients who received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose Covid-19 vaccine to get a second shot produced by either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. J&J recipients can make a special request to get a “supplemental dose” of an mRNA vaccine, city health officials said in a statement to CNBC, declining to call the second shots “boosters.” J&J’s vaccine requires only one dose and recipients are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the shot. (Lovelace Jr., 8/3)
And from other states —
ABC News: Alabama Offering $5 In Canteen Credit To Prisoners Who Get Vaccinated
As coronavirus cases in Alabama prisons continue to rise, the state Department of Corrections is offering incarcerated individuals incentives to get vaccinated. Both inmates who get the vaccine and those who've already gotten it will get $5 in canteen credit. (Ibssa, 8/4)
AP: Tennessee Won't Incentivize Covid Shots — But Pays To Vax Cows
Tennessee has sent nearly half a million dollars to farmers who have vaccinated their cattle against respiratory diseases and other maladies over the past two years. But Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who grew up on his family's ranch and refers to himself as a cattle farmer in his Twitter profile, has been far less enthusiastic about incentivizing herd immunity among humans. (8/3)
Associated Press: North Carolina Senate OKs Parental Consent For Children's Virus Vaccine
Young people would need parental permission now before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina legislation approved unanimously Tuesday by the state Senate. The bill, which now must return to the House for consideration, contains a parent or guardian requirement for vaccines approved by federal regulators for emergency use, such as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. It's currently the only coronavirus vaccine available to children as young as 12.
