NPR -
May 14, 2021
Children's immunizations dropped dramatically during the pandemic, and health officials are eager to get kids caught back up on their routine shots before they return to school. … a CDC advisory committee said health workers can decide to give other needed vaccines, such as for measles and HPV, without waiting two weeks after the COVID shot has been administered. The AAP made a similar recommendation.
Kaiser Health News -
May 14, 2021
Hispanics who have yet to receive a covid shot are about twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites or Blacks to say they’d like to get vaccinated as soon as possible, according to a survey released Thursday. The findings hint at fixable, though difficult, vaccine access problems for the population. One-third of unvaccinated Hispanics say they want the shots, compared with 17% of Blacks and 16% of whites, according to the survey released Thursday by KFF.
NBC News -
May 14, 2021
Millions of Americans have immune disorders or autoimmune diseases — such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease — that require them to take immune-suppressing treatments for life. Because people with compromised immune systems were largely excluded from the Covid-19 vaccine trials in the U.S. and globally, it’s unknown how much protection they get from vaccination. … Researchers at the NIH are currently recruiting participants across the country to be tested before and after they receive their Covid-19 vaccinations.
BBC -
May 14, 2021
Adults are more likely to report mild and moderate side-effects after mixing doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer Covid vaccines, a study indicates. Chills, headaches and muscle pain were reported more frequently when different vaccine doses were combined. Any adverse reactions were short lived, with no other safety concerns.
NPR -
May 14, 2021
Researchers have found just 12 people are responsible for the bulk of the misleading claims and outright lies about COVID-19 vaccines that proliferate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. "The 'Disinformation Dozen' produce 65% of the shares of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms," said Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which identified the accounts. (Joseph Mercola, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., etc.)
STAT -
May 13, 2021
An expert panel on Wednesday recommended that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine be offered to adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, opening the door to vaccinating this age group in coming weeks — and before the start of the next school year. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 14 to 0 in support of the recommendation, making the Pfizer vaccine the first to be offered to children under the age of 16. … The committee advises the CDC on vaccine policy.
CNBC -
May 13, 2021
CDC scientists say their investigation into a rare blood clotting issue linked to the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine has identified 28 people who developed the potentially life threatening blockages — three of whom have died. The FDA and CDC on April 13 asked states to temporarily halt using J&J’s vaccine “out of an abundance of caution” while it investigated six women, ages 18 to 48, who developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST, in combination with low blood platelets within about two weeks of receiving the shot.
CNN -
May 13, 2021
A CDC expert said Wednesday that it's OK to give the coronavirus vaccine alongside other vaccinations, a major boon for children and teenagers behind on their regular inoculations. Doctors and other clinicians were previously advised to avoid giving coronavirus vaccine within two weeks of any other vaccine. But Dr. Kate Woodworth of the CDC's birth defects division said Wednesday that advice has now changed, saying there is substantial data on the safety of the vaccines.
BuzzFeed News -
May 13, 2021
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday announced that the state will award five random adults who get COVID-19 vaccine shots $1 million each, and that five other teens who also get vaccinated will get full, four-year scholarships to public colleges and universities. "Getting them vaccinated is so important that we will have a separate incentive for them," DeWine said during a public address.
AP -
May 13, 2021
COVID-19 deaths in the US have tumbled to an average of around 600 per day — the lowest level in 10 months — with the number of lives lost dropping to single digits in well over half the states and, on some days, hitting zero. Confirmed infections have fallen to about 38,000 per day on average, their lowest mark since mid-September. While that is still cause for concern, reported cases have plummeted 85% from a daily peak of more than a quarter-million in early January.
Yahoo! Finance -
May 13, 2021
Initial unemployment claims dropped more than expected to a fresh pandemic-era low, with new filings inching back toward pre-pandemic levels as more vaccinated Americans return to work and in-person activities. … Weekly jobless claims have nearly halved since the start of 2021, and have fallen precipitously from their pandemic-era high of more than 6 million last year.
NPR -
May 13, 2021
Overall, the poll found that only 52% of Americans have a great deal of trust in CDC. Other health agencies were even lower — only 37% of Americans said they had a lot of trust in the NIH or the FDA. "We're in a period of distrust of government in general," … Trust in public health during a pandemic is incredibly high stakes. Public health measures — like mask wearing and business restrictions — can't work as intended to contain a pandemic if the community doesn't believe they're based on reliable information.
AP -
May 13, 2021
Coronavirus cases are exploding in Asia and the Pacific with over 5.9 million new confirmed infections in the past two weeks, more than in all other regions combined, the International Federation of the Red Cross said Wednesday. It warned that the surge is pushing hospitals and health systems to the brink of collapse. Seven out of 10 countries globally that are doubling their infection numbers the fastest are in Asia and the Pacific, it said.
AP -
May 12, 2021
Parents, schools and vaccine clinics rushed to begin inoculating younger adolescents Tuesday after U.S. regulators endorsed Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, a decision seen as a breakthrough in allowing classroom instruction to resume safely around the country. A handful of cities started offering shots to children ages 12 to 15 less than a day after the FDA gave the vaccine emergency use authorization for that age group.
NPR -
May 12, 2021
Anyone needing a ride to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot will be able to get a free trip from the ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber, the White House announced Tuesday, in the latest push to encourage Americans to get vaccinated. "The feature will launch in the next two weeks and run until July 4," the White House said. People who want to use the program would need to select a vaccination site near them and then redeem the companies' offer of a free ride.
The New York Times -
May 12, 2021
According to a new U.S. census estimate, some 30 million American adults who are open to getting a Covid vaccine have not yet managed to actually do so. Their ranks are larger than the hesitant — more than 28 million who said they would probably or definitely not get vaccinated, and than the 16 million who said they were unsure. … They are, for the most part, America’s working class, contending with jobs and family obligations that make for scarce discretionary time.