Vaccination pace may be slowing; paid time off for shots

The pace of vaccination in the United States could slow as vaccine hesitation increases.

About 1.8 million vaccine stings were reported on Tuesday, the lowest number in two weeks. Part of the decline could be due to availability caused by a break in Johnson & Johnson cans. However, demand has declined at some vaccination sites despite opening vaccine availability to every adult in the US. Roughly one in four Americans says they will not be vaccinated.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that his administration was about to meet its goal of delivering 200 million doses of vaccine within his first 100 days in office, but he also indicated that the program is entering a new phase in which those are who have favourited vaccines are reluctant to be convinced the shots are safe and effective.

“If you’re waiting for your turn, don’t wait any longer,” said Biden. “Now is the time for anyone over the age of 16 to get vaccinated.”

Public health officials and other advocates are offering new incentives to attract those who hesitate. DC Marijuana Justice sponsored a Joints for Jabs program. Krispy Kreme offered donuts, Budweiser offered beer.

In Florida’s Palm Beach County, three mass vaccination centers had no takers for 10,000 of their 16,000 slots. Undeterred, the county will deploy three mobile units, each capable of vaccinating 500 people a day, to reach minority groups and others who do not register for admissions to mass vaccination centers or retail stores.

“They make more sense to go to them than wait for them to come to us,” said Darcy Davis, CEO of the county health district.

– Mike Stucka, USA TODAY, and Jane Musgrave, Palm Beach Post

Also in the news:

► Flight attendants would like the mask mandate on airplanes to be extended beyond the current expiry date of May 11th.

►Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said the state will work with Florida to sue the federal government and the CDC to try to expedite the lifting of a ban on cruises in US waters during the pandemic.

►In a study of about 75 skilled care facilities in Chicago, only 22 of the nearly 15,000 fully vaccinated residents and employees had breakthrough infections. Most had no symptoms, but two were hospitalized and one died.

► A Chinese health official says around 200 million people, or 14.29% of the population, have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to date.

►Italy distributes 184,000 doses of J&J doses to regional vaccination centers and recommends them for people over 60. Blood clot problems that led to a break in J&J vaccinations affected women under 50.

📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 31.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 569,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global total: more than 143.4 million cases and 30 million deaths. Nearly 278 million vaccine doses have been distributed and nearly 216 million administered in the US, according to the CDC.

📘 What we read: Do you have a loved one who does not want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s how to talk to them.

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77 Iowa prison inmates received improper overdoses of the Pfizer vaccine

Iowa Corrections Department officials mistakenly overdosed 77 inmates of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the department confirmed.

Cord Overton, a department spokesman, didn’t say how much additional vaccine was given to each inmate.

Kimberly Koehlhoeffer, 51, of Fairfield, told the Des Moines Register, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, that her son Anthony Koehlhoeffer is among those 77 inmates. She said Anthony told her doctors that they had informed him and others that they had received “six times the recommended amount”.

Kimberly Koehlhoeffer said her son and other inmates experienced symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, severe bruising at the injection site, and severe dehydration.

In a statement emailed to the Des Moines Register, Overton stated that as soon as the department was informed of the error, the staff immediately sought advice from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pfizer.

– Andrea May Sahouri, Des Moines Register

CDC Study Shows Pfizer Makes Moderna Vaccines Safe For Pregnant Women

A major new study confirms COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women, a claim supported by a reproductive science organization. The new findings from CDC researchers were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

The preliminary results are based on reports from more than 35,000 US women who received either Pfizer or Moderna admissions while pregnant. Their rates of miscarriages, premature births, and other complications were comparable to those for pre-pandemic pregnant women. The authors say more extensive studies are needed and they could include the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was not available at the time this research was conducted.

Separately, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine endorsed vaccination during pregnancy, saying, “Everyone, including pregnant women and those trying to get pregnant, should get a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines are safe and effective. ”

Joe Biden urges employers to offer paid time off for vaccinations

Sensing a shift in the country’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign from insufficient supply to dwindling demand, Biden’s administration is trying to make it easier for Americans to shoot.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged employers, large and small, to give their workers paid time off to get vaccinated and, if necessary, recover from side effects. Biden says employers with fewer than 500 employees can get a tax refund to cover costs.

“No working American should lose a dollar off his paycheck because he chose to do his patriotic duty and get vaccinated,” Biden said.

Only 43% of working adults in the US have received a COVID vaccine.

One damning report comes from plants that make J&J vaccines

A Food and Drug Administration inspection report on Wednesday impaled conditions and training at a Baltimore factory that made the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The 13-page report states that the Emergent BioSolutions Bayview facility was too small, poorly designed, and dirty. Unsealed bags of medical waste have been observed, along with peeling paint and damaged floors and walls that could hinder proper cleaning, inspectors said. The staff were not adequately trained and improperly handled the ingredients, the report said.

Production at the facility, where mix-ups ruined 15 million doses of vaccine, was halted last week. No vaccines made from the plant have been marketed in the United States

The demand for million dollar homes soared during the pandemic

When wealthy Americans took advantage of cheap mortgages, greater savings, and the ability to work from home during the pandemic, their demand for larger homes and million dollar offers outpaced home sales in all other price ranges.

The number of homes sold for more than $ 1 million rose 81% in February to 17,216 from 9,635 last year. At the same time, the number of homes sold for less than $ 100,000 fell 26% from 30,382 last year to 22,569, the National Association of Realtors told the US TODAY.

“There are people who have become much richer as their stock portfolios have increased and who don’t spend any money on anything other than housing,” says Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “They don’t go to restaurants or go on vacation and they want to spend their money on housing and more time at home.”

– Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

Joints for Jabs is a hit in DC

DC Marijuana Justice sponsored a one-day “Joints for Jabs” campaign on Tuesday, but it took a sniff around to find the sites. “We’re not posting the locations of the # JointsForJabs giveaways because we don’t want lines or crowds,” the group said on Twitter.

Later, some people published the location of some websites. And the group tweeted, “A big thank you to all of the volunteers and donors who helped make today’s #JointsForJabs a huge success!”

One in four New Yorkers was infected with the first surge in the virus, according to the study

Almost 25% of New York City residents were infected with the coronavirus in the first few months of the epidemic, according to a new study. According to a study by the city’s Department of Health in collaboration with other agencies, the number for Black and Hispanic New Yorkers was over 30%. The researchers reviewed the antibody test data from last spring for more than 45,000 New Yorkers. The presence of antibodies serves as an indication of a previous infection.

“In view of the different risks of infection, effective interventions for risk groups are required during ongoing transmission,” the authors of the study say.

New York was overwhelmed with infection and death in the early days of the pandemic. More than 32,000 New Yorkers have died and more than 900,000 infections have been reported.

Contributor: The Associated Press

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