Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walk-In Covid Vaccine Sites Roll Out In Some States
Detroit Free Press: Duggan Announces Detroit Walk-In COVID-19 Vaccine Locations
Appointments are no longer needed to get a vaccine in the city of Detroit, starting Tuesday, Mayor Mike Duggan announced Monday. The move is intended to encourage more people to get the COVID-19 shot, since vaccination rates have dropped throughout the United States, Duggan said. He suspects it is due to publicity about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause. (Rahal, 4/19)
Houston Chronicle: As COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Increases In Texas, Clinics Say No Appointments Needed
Walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics are now all the rage in Houston, as larger allocations and dwindling demand change the scarcity-fueled dynamic of the past several months. “Now, there is more supply than there is demand,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo during a Monday afternoon news conference at NRG Park. “That means we have more vaccines than we have people willing to get them.” (Wu, 4/19)
In other news on the vaccine rollout —
AP: Arizona Governor Orders 'Vaccine Passport' Ban For The State
Gov. Doug Ducey used his executive powers Monday to prohibit local and regional governments from making “vaccine passports” a requirement for people to enter businesses or get services, calling it an encroachment on the private medical information of Arizona residents. The Republican governor signed an executive order that also bans state agencies or businesses that contract with state government from requiring the vaccine passports that prove people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Tang, 4/19)
The Hill: Alaska To Allow Prison Visits For Fully Vaccinated Inmates, Family Members
Alaska's Department of Corrections (DOC) will allow family members to visit fully vaccinated inmates starting on Wednesday, Alaska Public Media reported. It will be the first time public visitations are open for the state’s prisons in more than a year, as corrections officials closed all nonessential access in March 2020 amid to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only facilities in Anchorage and Ketchikan will remain closed due to recent outbreaks. (Oshin, 4/19)
AP: California Allows Fans For US Opens If Vaccinated Or Tested
A limited number of spectators will be allowed at the U.S. Women’s Open in San Francisco and the U.S. Open in San Diego in June provided they are vaccinated or can show proof of a negative test for the coronavirus. The USGA announced the policy Monday after consulting with California health officials. (Ferguson, 4/19)
AP: A Jab On The Job: Companies, Unions Offer COVID-19 Vaccines
Marie Watson wanted to be among the first in line when she and other essential workers became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine — and with good reason. The maintenance parts buyer for a Mission Foods tortilla plant in Pueblo, Colorado, had lost her father to COVID-19 in the fall and was told by a doctor last year that she herself almost certainly had the virus. So when her union, the United Food Workers and Commercial Workers, secured appointments for the plant’s 200 workers, she jumped in her car and drove to a nearby drive-thru clinic for the first of two doses. (Olson, 4/19)
The Washington Post: New Jersey Couple Offers Free Rides To Coronavirus Vaccination Sites Aboard ‘Joe’s Covee Car’
When Joseph Cicchetti rolls up to strangers’ driveways in his black hatchback, he is instantly recognizable. There aren’t many Fiat 500s covered in handcrafted red spikes intricately designed to resemble the coronavirus protein. Cicchetti had a good reason to turn his car into a mobile virus: The 58-year-old will take anyone in his suburban New Jersey neighborhood to their coronavirus vaccine appointment aboard “Joe’s Covee Car.” (Salcedo, 4/19)
Axios: Where Seniors Remain Unvaccinated And Vulnerable To The Coronavirus
More than 80% of Americans 65 and older have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, per the CDC, but millions across the country remain unvaccinated — particularly in the South. Seniors who have yet to receive their shot remain highly vulnerable to the virus even as the country overall becomes safer. (Owens, 4/20)
