White House Shifts To Demand-Based Strategy For State Vaccine Allotments

The Washington Post: White House Will Make Unordered Vaccine Supply Available To Other States
The White House on Tuesday told states that coronavirus vaccine doses they choose not to order will become available to other states — the most significant shift in domestic vaccine distribution since President Biden took office, and part of an effort to account for flagging demand in parts of the country. The changes were unveiled to governors as Biden set a goal of providing at least one shot to 70 percent of adults by July 4, an increase that would account for about 40 million more people in the next two months. That level of coverage could drive down cases sharply, as it did in Britain and Israel. But achieving it, experts said, depends on efficiently delivering shots to places where people are still rolling up their sleeves — or can be persuaded to do so. (Stanley-Becker, 5/4)

Modern Healthcare: HHS To Ensure Providers Get Paid For Vaccinating Underinsured Patients
HHS will pay providers to administer COVID-19 vaccines to underinsured patients, the agency said Monday. The new COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund should ensure that providers get fully reimbursed for vaccinating patients with health plans that don't cover vaccination fees or require patient cost-sharing. Under the program, HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration will reimburse providers for such services at national Medicare rates. (Brady, 5/4)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

Bloomberg: Is U.S. Vaccination Slowing Down? In Most States, Yes
In some places, the decline is the mark of a successful campaign: 10 states have started vaccinations for more than half their residents. But in places that have struggled, the slide has been going on for weeks. In some of those states, the number of new recipients has turned into a trickle. “The rate of vaccination has slowed down nationwide,” said Texas Department of State Health Services spokesperson Lara M. Anton. As of April 27, first-time shots in the state fell by 54% from an April 11 peak, according to data compiled by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.  “Everyone who was eager to get vaccinated has gotten their shot.” (Armstrong and Rutherford, 5/4)

AP: Oklahoma No Longer Accepting Full Federal Vaccine Allocation
Oklahoma health officials are no longer accepting the state’s full allocation of coronavirus vaccines as demand has dropped, Deputy Commissioner of Health Keith Reed said Tuesday. “The allocation would exceed 200,000 a week ... I don’t have the exact numbers that we are accepting into the system right now, but it’s more in the tens of thousands versus the hundreds of thousands,” Reed said. (5/4)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Gov. Hogan Orders Nursing Homes To Report Staff, Resident COVID Vaccinations Weekly 
In an ongoing push to improve vaccination rates, the state will now post data weekly on how many residents and staff at each nursing home in Maryland have received shots to protect against the coronavirus. Through Tuesday, about 77% of residents and 63% of employees at the state’s 227 skilled nursing facilities were vaccinated, according to the new dashboard managed by the Department of Aging. However, the rates vary widely from facility to facility and county to county. (Stole and Wood, 5/4)

The Oregonian: Oregon State University Will Require COVID-19 Vaccinations For On-Campus Students And Employees 
Oregon State University became the first public college in the state Tuesday to announce it will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for students, faculty and all other employees beginning in the fall term. Three private colleges have issued similar requirements, and the rest of the state’s public colleges are mulling whether to do the same. (Manning, 5/4)

The Atlantic: The Era Of Mass COVID-19 Vaccinations Is Ending
At its peak, in late March, the mass-vaccination site at Nashville’s Music City Center was giving out 2,100 doses a day. It was all hands on deck: Local nurses, volunteers, FEMA employees, and even U.S. Forest Service EMTs were redeployed to help give COVID-19 shots. But last week, the number of daily doses dropped to less than 1,300—about 1,100 second doses and only 190 first doses. Imagine three weeks from now, when only 190 people are due back for dose two, says Brian Todd, a spokesperson for the local public-health department. At that point, the number “is going to be very low,” he told me. The Music City Center site will close for good on May 28. (Zhang, 5/4)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Drive-Thru Vaccine Site At Convention Center Hums On First Day
With demand for COVID-19 vaccinations dwindling, public health authorities in the Las Vegas Valley are trying something new here: drive-thru inoculation sites. Clark County and Southern Nevada Health District officials debuted on Tuesday the valley’s first large-scale, drive-thru site at the Las Vegas Convention Center, a development only announced Monday. Another drive-thru site will open at Texas Station in North Las Vegas on May 11. “We’re trying to find out what works and what our community needs, so that we can get to the magic 60 percent,” said the health district’s Jonathan Wiercinski, referring to the county’s COVID-19 mitigation plan. (Hynes, 5/4)

CBS News: Target Offers $5 Coupons To Those Who Get Vaccinated In Its Stores 
Adults who get vaccinated against COVID-19 at CVS pharmacies inside Target stores nationwide will also get a $5 coupon, starting this week, the discount retailer announced on Tuesday. Target offers immunization shots at nearly all of the 600-plus CVS pharmacies inside its stores. The extra incentive for the general public and its employees comes as part of its support of public vaccination efforts, the company stated. (Gibson, 5/4)

Also —

Albuquerque Journal: Navajo Nation: 75% Of Residents Fully Vaccinated
The Navajo Area Indian Health Service and the Navajo Department of Health report that 99,254 people are fully vaccinated, equaling about 75% of the reservation’s vaccine-eligible population of residents older than 16. Jill Jim, Navajo Department of Health director, encouraged caution, even as the reservation loosens health restrictions that have been in place for nearly a year. “The magnitude of one event can put a lot of people at risk,” Jim said during a Tuesday video update. She referenced a “cluster” event late last month on the reservation where 30 individuals who were at a gathering tested positive for COVID-19. Contact tracers tracked down about 100 people to determine the virus spread from the gathering. (Davis, 5/4)

AP: Montana Tribe Gifts Vaccines To Neighbors Across The Border
More than 95% of the Blackfeet reservation’s roughly 10,000 residents who are eligible for the vaccine are fully immunized, after the state prioritized Native American communities — among the most vulnerable U.S. populations — in the early stages of its vaccination campaign. The tribe received vaccine allotments both from the Montana health department and the federal Indian Health Service, leaving some doses unused. With an expiration date fast approaching, it turned to other nations in the Blackfoot Confederacy, which includes the Blackfeet and three tribes in southern Alberta that share a language and culture. (Samuels, 5/5)

Georgia Health News: Georgia Teen’s Lapel Pins Make A Point For Vaccine 
Edie Grice, 19, got the idea while talking with her father. If people receive an “I voted’’ sticker for voting, she wondered, why shouldn’t they have something to represent being vaccinated? Edie, a junior psychology major at Georgia Southern University, and her father, journalist DeWayne Grice, have been strong promoters of COVID vaccinations in the Statesboro area. (Miller, 5/4)