Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccine Hesitancy: Don't Be Choosy, Fauci Says; Harris Visits DC Pharmacy
The Hill: Fauci: Whatever COVID-19 Vaccine Is Available, 'Take It'
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, is advising Americans to not wait for certain COVID-19 vaccines to become available before getting inoculated. “When a vaccine becomes available, take it,” Fauci told Savannah Guthrie during an interview on the "Today" show Thursday. (Williams, 2/25)
NBC News: Fauci Says He Expects Vaccine Supply To Increase Soon With Johnson & Johnson Approval
In an interview with NBC's "TODAY" show, Fauci told co-host Savannah Guthrie that he expects "nothing but good news" Friday when the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is expected to vote to recommend authorization of the vaccine. ... When asked by Guthrie about the varying percentage effectiveness of each Covid-19 vaccine, Fauci urged Americans to "take the vaccine" whenever it becomes available. "This is a race, Savannah, between the virus and getting vaccines into people," Fauci said. "The longer one waits on getting vaccinated, the better chance the virus has to get a variant or mutation." (Wong, 2/25)
CBS News: Dr. Fauci Answers Coronavirus Vaccine Questions In CBSN Special
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, is encouraging everyone to get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them, and he answered questions about the vaccines from viewers as part of the CBSN special, "A Shot of Hope: Vaccine Questions Answered." (Yilek, 2/25)
And Vice President Kamala Harris encourages people to get the vaccine —
The Hill: Harris Visits DC Pharmacy To Promote Vaccine Program
Vice President Harris, along with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), visited a pharmacy in Southeast Washington, D.C., on Thursday to promote the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine pharmacy program and try to address vaccine hesitancy. (Chalfant, 2/25)
Los Angeles Times: Harris Tries To Ease Black Communities' Vaccine Concerns
Vice President Kamala Harris stood by the pharmacy counter of a Giant grocery store in a largely Black neighborhood here Thursday, talking an older customer through her booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “It will feel, when you get the shot, the same way the first one felt,” Harris told her, recounting her own experience. “The next day, I realized I needed to take it a little slow.” This latest example of Harris’ retail effort to promote the vaccine, as the vice president stood between the frozen pizza bin and bags of quinoa, underscored her central role for the Biden administration in persuading Black Americans to take the shot. With many of them wary based on a history of mistreatment by the medical system, Harris’ participation is seen as crucial, especially as some other high-profile Black influencers, including NBA stars, have declined to take on a public role. (Bierman, 2/25)
NBC News: Harris Implores Black Americans To Get Covid Vaccines Despite 'Righteous Skepticism'
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed concerns that some Black Americans have had about Covid-19 vaccines, encouraging them to get the shot despite historical skepticism of the medical field. "We must speak truth about the history of medical testing in this country," Harris said in an interview with MSNBC's Rev. Al Sharpton. (Richardson, 2/25)
