20 million Americans could receive Covid-19 vaccine in December
Roughly 20 million people could be vaccinated against the coronavirus in December, the head of the Trump administration’s vaccine and drug accelerator said Friday. Americans can expect that about 25 to 30 million people could be vaccinated each month afterward, said Moncef Slaoui, co-lead of Operation Warp Speed, during a Rose Garden event with President Donald Trump and other top health officials.Politico, Read More.
How to Avoid a Surprise Bill for Your Coronavirus Test
More Americans are getting tested for coronavirus than ever before — and that could mean more surprise medical bills. Congress wrote rules in March that aimed to make coronavirus testing free for all Americans. Patients, with or without insurance, have found holes in those new coverage programs. They’ve faced bills that range from a few dollars to over $1,000.The New York Times, Read More.
Health experts want to prioritize people of color for a Covid-19 vaccine. But how should it be done?
November 9, 2020, STAT, Nicholas St. Fleur – “An equity lens has to make sure even within those categories that we’re focused on the types of workers that oftentimes are neglected and fall through the cracks in our system,” said Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who was a reviewer for the report. “Those workers are disproportionately low-wage workers. They’re disproportionately workers from communities of color.” Bibbins-Domingo said taking an equitable approach to that first phase would mean making sure it’s not just doctors who receive the vaccine. “It’s the health care worker, the public health aide, the home health aide who’s going to come in to take care of my mother and then go work in a nursing home and then go work somewhere else who I worry about won’t get prioritized for the vaccination and absolutely should be,” she said. The report said 27.8% of nursing home workers are Black, while among home health aides, 29.7% are Black and 17.5% are Latino. View Story.
Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine is looking 90% effective
November 9, 2020, AP, Linda A. Johnson and Lauran Neergaard – Pfizer Inc. said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine may be a remarkable 90% effective, based on early and incomplete test results that nevertheless brought a big burst of optimism to a world desperate for the means to finally bring the catastrophic outbreak under control. The announcement came less than a week after an election seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s handling of the scourge, which has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, including almost a quarter-million in the United States alone. “We’re in a position potentially to be able to offer some hope,” Dr. Bill Gruber, Pfizer’s senior vice president of clinical development, told The Associated Press. “We’re very encouraged.” View Story.
State health department in 'planing stages' of developing medical marijuana program
November 8, 2020, USA Today, Karen Weintraub and Elizabeth Weise – The day President Donald Trump turns the White House over to Joe Biden, COVID-19 will remain just as big a threat to Americans. But the strategy for tackling it will change dramatically. Public health experts expect a major reset, including a renewed emphasis on science, better communication and efforts to simultaneously boost the economy and public health rather than pitting the two against each other. The shift is expected to be swift once Biden takes office.”The public will immediately notice a vast change in science messaging from the White House,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. “The Biden administration will both convey pro-science messages and model the best behavior from among all White House and Cabinet staff.” View Story.