Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walk-Up Vaccination Locations Opening Up In More States
Salt Lake Tribune: To Help Make COVID-19 Vaccination More Convenient, Utah No Longer Requires Providers To Use It Within A Week
As the demand for COVID-19 vaccines declines in Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox has removed the requirement that providers use all first doses of the vaccine within seven days of receiving them. The governor’s office said that rule — which was implemented through executive order early this year in an effort to speed up the state’s vaccination efforts and ensure doses weren’t going to waste — was no longer necessary, as the state enters a new phase of distribution. (Stevens, 5/7)
Los Angeles Times: As Of Monday, L.A. Offers Appointment-Free COVID Vaccinations
Appointments are no longer needed for Angelenos to get COVID-19 vaccinations at any site run by the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Sunday. “We stand at a critical juncture in our fight to end this pandemic, and our City will keep doing everything possible to knock down barriers to vaccine access and deliver doses directly to all Angelenos,” Garcetti said in a statement. The move is intended to give people who don’t have the time or technological resources to navigate online booking platforms a chance to get the shot. Vaccinations are free. (Wigglesworth, 5/9)
WMFE: Starting Monday, Publix Accepting Walk-Ins For COVID Vaccinations
Starting Monday, all Publix pharmacy locations will accept walk-in customers who want to get the COVID‑19 vaccine, in addition to those who schedule appointments online, while supplies last. Vaccinations are provided to eligible individuals 18 and older, and walk-in customers may choose the two-dose Moderna or one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, pending availability. (Prieur, 5/8)
Fox News: NJ Gov. Murphy Open To Paying People To Get COVID-19 Vaccine
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says the state is considering paying people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. "We might, I think all things are on the table frankly," Murphy told FOX 5 New York in an interview. "We have to get to our objective, which is 70% of the adult population by the end of June." Last week, Murphy launched the "Operation Jersey Summer" campaign, which is aimed at helping the state reach its vaccination goal. As part of the campaign, Murphy launched the "Shot and a Beer" program, which will give state residents age 21 years and older a free beer with COVID-19 vaccinations starting in May. The program includes thirteen participating New Jersey-based breweries. (Manfredi, 5/9)
AP: Minnesota Health Officials Get Creative With Vaccinations
Minnesota health officials are trying various strategies in an attempt to get people vaccinated and slow the spread of the coronavirus. Volunteer physicians are working with a brewery in St. Paul on a pop-up event that rewards those who get shots with a free beer. Vaccinations are being offered in the downtown bus depot in Duluth. An Elk River clinic is offering shots to patients who are seeking help for other health care needs. (5/9)
Anchorage Daily News: Statewide Survey Sheds Light On Vaccine Hesitancy Among Alaskans
The results of a statewide survey conducted by Alaska’s health department in March offer some insight into Alaskans’ attitudes related to COVID-19 vaccines and will be used to inform public messaging, state health officials said this week. The results, which were published Thursday in a report compiled by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, indicated about a 36% vaccine hesitancy rate — meaning they were unsure or undecided about whether to get vaccinated — among the more than 1,000 survey respondents with Alaska area codes who answered questions via text. The survey data showed that over half of Alaskans who fell into the “vaccine hesitant” category were open to learning more about the vaccines before deciding whether to get vaccinated. (Berman, 5/9)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Esperanza Has Been A Success At Vaccinating Latinos, But Black Philadelphians Still Lag Behind
For Herbert and Ed Jackson, father and son, the decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has been complicated by fear, skepticism, and the logistics of receiving a shot. Herbert Jackson, 50, got his first dose May 3. He’s known people who died of the virus and works at a North Philadelphia paper factory, he said, and was worried about catching the virus there. “No one is masked” there, he said Wednesday afternoon, after meeting up on Hunting Park Avenue with his son, who just finished work as a security guard at Esperanza Academy Charter School. (Laughlin, 5/10)
AP: Vaccination Rate Among Arkansas Prison Staff Worries Experts
Sluggish COVID-19 vaccination rates for Arkansas prison workers are raising concerns about the prison system’s ability to ward off disease during the pandemic’s next phase and against more-contagious variants, according to public health and incarceration experts. About 42% of the more than 4,700 Arkansas Department of Corrections employees have received at least one shot, an agency spokeswoman said. The corrections department set a goal of vaccinating 80% of employees after shots were offered on Jan. 5, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Sunday. (5/9)
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Houston Chronicle: Online Trolls Take Anti-Vaxx Hate Speech To A New Level, Attacking Houston's Dr. Peter Hotez
Internet trolls unleashed a new wave of hate speech Thursday directed at Houston vaccine researcher Peter Hotez, a longtime nemesis of the anti-vaxx movement. The website Natural News, which promotes false conspiracy theories about 5G and Bill Gates, posted a story about Hotez at the top of its website. “Echoing the fascism of genocidal maniacs like Hitler and Stalin,” it said, “Peter Hotez displays his own brand of insanity by equating vaccine skeptics with cyber criminals and nuclear terrorism.” (Gray, 5/7)
