Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wondering What's In The Pfizer Vaccine? Here Are The Ingredients
USA Today: Pfizer COVID Vaccine Ingredient List: 'Nothing Too Surprising There'
Experts say the ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, which was authorized Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, looks pretty standard for a vaccine. In a letter to the FDA, Pfizer listed the ingredients in its vaccine. (Rodriguez, 12/14)
Stat: Inside The Frantic And Secretive Sprint To Name The Covid-19 Vaccines
The United States has a Covid-19 vaccine, the result of science carried out at breakneck speed. Now, whether the country knows it or not, it’s awaiting the results of another whirlwind effort: one to come up with brand names for products that will literally change the world. (Garde, 12/15)
In other vaccine news —
CNN: Most Americans Will Likely Get A Covid-19 Vaccine, Survey Finds
A large majority of Americans, 71%, say they will "definitely or probably" get a Covid-19 vaccine, according to a survey out Tuesday from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That's up from 63% in September - indicating a steady increase in trust as regulators worked to authorize the vaccine and held public meetings to discuss data supporting their use. (Langmaid and Grayer, 12/15)
The Hill: Republicans Four Times More Likely Than Democrats Not To Get COVID-19 Vaccine: Poll
A poll released on Monday determined that Republican respondents were four times more likely than Democrats to say they would never get the COVID-19 vaccine as immunizations begin to be administered across the country. An ABC News-Ipsos poll found that a respondent's party identification was directly related to their willingness to take the vaccine. A total of 26 percent of Republican respondents said they would never get the COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 6 percent of Democrats and 14 percent of independents. (Coleman, 12/14)
The Hill: Surgeon General Urges Vaccine Education Among Communities Of Color
Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Monday stressed the need for education about the COVID-19 vaccine in communities of color, specifically in Black communities, which have justifiably low levels of trust in health care institutions. “Having a vaccine is only the first step. We must now move from vaccines to vaccinations. And it would be a great tragedy if disparities actually worsened because the people who could most benefit from this vaccine won't take it,” Adams said at a press conference from George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. (Johnson, 12/14)
The Hill: DC First Responders To Be Vaccinated On Camera In Confidence-Building Push
A group of five Washington, D.C., first responders will publicly get the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a confidence-boosting effort, The Washington Post reported. The group, which includes the acting fire chief, three firefighters and the department’s medical director, will be among the first people in the city to receive the vaccine. Other firefighters will receive theirs later in the week. (Budryk, 12/14)
KHN: Pediatricians Want Kids To Be Part Of COVID Vaccine Trials
If clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines aren’t expanded soon to include children, it’s unlikely that even kids in their teens will be vaccinated in time for the next school year. The hurdle is that COVID vaccine makers are only in the early stages of testing their products on children. The Pfizer vaccine authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday was greenlighted only for people ages 16 and up. Moderna just started trials for 12- to 17-year-olds for its vaccine, likely to be authorized later this month. (Allen, 12/15)
