GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The county is expecting a dramatic increase in COVID-19 vaccines in coming weeks and wants to replace its waiting list with immediate appointments by the week of April 5.
Dr. Pamela Hackert, the countys medical health officer, told the county Board of Commissioners this week that while the Health Department has been receiving 6,000 vaccine doses in a typical week, the dose delivery has been as high 11,000 and said she expects availability to go up dramatically in the weeks ahead.
Pharmacies have also been ramping up vaccinations, cutting deeply into the waiting list, which has been as high as 50,000 but had dropped to about 5,500 as of Thursday, March 25.
The waiting list has also been dropping as the county removes individuals who have received shots elsewhere, according to the states vaccination database.
By the end of this week, Hackert said the department expects to have offered or attempted to offer COVID-19 vaccine shots to every county resident on the waiting list who is 65 or older or 50 or older with a pre-existing medical condition.
That effort will help to allow for elimination of the waiting list, she said, and a new process for making appointments.
Our goal is to really start to eliminate the pre-registration and by April 5, instead of (being added to the waiting list), when someone calls or goes online to sign up, they will at that time be offered an appointment, said Hackert.
Registration for vaccinations is currently open to anyone 40 or older regardless of health status and will open to those 30-39 years old regardless of health status on Monday, March 29. Vaccine sign-up expands to those 23-29 years old on Thursday, April 1, and to those 16-22 years old on April 5.
The website to pre-register for a vaccine from the health department is www.gc4me.com.
Senior citizens and those without computer access can also call local senior citizen centers or the Valley Area Agency on Aging at 810-600-0617 to register by phone.
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Instruction
Agencies that have received direct allocations of coronavirus vaccines have taken different approaches to vaccinating their contractors, with some treating them the same as civil servants and others leaving them to fend for themselves.
A handful of federal agencies received direct allocations of coronavirus vaccines over the winter, but there was still some confusion about how and when federal employees could get inoculated. Adding to the complexities, there are about 5 million federal contractors, according to a Brookings Institution analysis published in October 2020, who are critical to helping the government carry out its mission, and there is no uniform policy on whether these contractors are eligible for agency-provided vaccines.
The Office of Management and Budget, which has issued various iterations of guidance regarding contractors since the pandemic started, did not respond for comment.
The Homeland Security Departmentwhich began vaccinating its employees in January in partnership with the Veterans Affairs Department said in a letter to the contracting community last week that its current vaccine plans do not include contractors. However, DHS supports employer efforts to obtain vaccinations for contractor employees as quickly as possible, DHS Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa wrote. Many states and localities offer vaccination prioritization for frontline essential workers. In these instances, an employer letter identifying the employee as both a DHS contractor employee and frontline essential worker may be sufficient in order for them to receive the vaccine sooner.
Government Executive reached out to the other Cabinet and major agencies to ask if they were offering vaccines to their contractors and received the following answers:
The Commerce Department has yet to receive a direct allocation of vaccines, but we expect to receive an allocation and begin vaccinating our critical workers/contractors (and possibly some from other federal agencies) in the coming weeks, said a department spokesperson.
The Agriculture Department also hasnt received a direct vaccine allocation for either staff or contractors, but we are providing administrative leave to any employee to get the vaccine, said a department spokesperson. Additionally, more than 500 USDA employees have deployed alongside their federal partners to provide vaccines at sites across the country and we also offer our facilities, such as refrigeration, to [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and to states.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said that for the domestic workforce, possible sources of the vaccine are state and local allocations, and potential direct allocation to the agency, for which USAID is actively advocating. For the overseas workforce, vaccination efforts are covered under the Department of State plan, with overseas personnel falling under the chief of missions purview.
If USAID does receive an allocation of vaccines, the agency has a plan ready for the domestic workforce and there will be no distinction in eligibility between direct hire and contractor staff, as function will be determinative, the spokesperson said.
The Indian Health Service, trial and urban Indian organization facilities started distributing and administering vaccinations in December. This was following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, which first focused on health care workers, front line essential workers, elders, and those with high risk medical conditions, said IHS Spokesperson Jennifer Buschick. Many IHS contractors who work in IHS facilities and serve as health care or essential workers would fall into that category.
Since then many IHS, tribal and urban Indian health programs have expanded their vaccine distributions to members of the local communities.
The Education Department said it isn't administering vaccines. The Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department referred to OMB for comment.
Larry Hanauer, vice president of policy for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, an association that promotes public-private collaborations on intelligence matters, spoke about the importance for vaccinating all contractors in the intelligence community, which was particularly vulnerable to a large-scale disruption during the pandemic. This was due to the need to reduce or stagger staffing in sensitive compartmented information facilities, which made it harder to execute missions. He called on the ODNI to issue uniform, IC-wide guidance similar to the Defense Departmentsthat provides equitable access to vaccines.
Because contractors play so many critical roles in the Defense Department and the intelligence community, agencies cant fully function until everyone whos working in a [sensitive compartmented information facility] is vaccinated, said Hanauer. The virus doesnt care whether someone is wearing a blue government badge or green contractor badge.
David Berteau, president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, a trade association that represents over 400 companies that contract with the federal government, said during a press briefing on Wednesday theyve been told that contracting officers cant require contractors to get vaccines while they just have emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, which is consistent with past practice and my understanding of the regulations.
Separately, PSC is continuing to encourage the administration to issue guidance for federal contractors (such as for the return to workplaces) in the same, uniform, consistent way that federal civilian employees are being addressed.
When asked during a briefing on Wednesday if the White House is considering expanding access to vaccines for federal employees, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said shed have to check with the COVID response team. Obviously, everyone will be eligible in just over a month, including our government employees, she added. So that is good news.
WINK NEWS
Some events could soon require you to have been vaccinated for the coronavirus to let you in. We were asked by a viewer if this is even legal, so WINK News took that question to experts.
We were told it depends on who or what is making the requirement and when, and people we spoke to Thursday had mixed opinions about whether places should require vaccines.
As more people become protected through vaccination during the pandemic, the question is can it also say No vaccine, no service.
The more business owners that are on board for that, I think it is just an encouragement for people, said Steve Schmittendorf, who was visiting Southwest Florida from Buffalo.
Attorney Pam Seay, an FGCU professor of justice studies, says private is the key word to a vaccine requirement. If a private event on private property wants everyone to be vaccinated, yes.
The same goes for a private business that might require a vaccine, but the business should offer an alternative in order to receive the service.
Seay says a vaccine requirement is still sticky territory.
There are no clear answers at this time, and I do foresee that there will be court challenges in the event that vaccine requirements come in to play or in the event that this COVID crisis continues for too much longer, Seay said.
Although private businesses technically can require vaccines, should they? Southwest Florida has mixed feelings.
Im not sure because what are we gonna do? Were gonna have to carry some sort of card with us now in order to get into some facility or whatever, said Susan Shmittendorf, visiting from Buffalo.
I just wanna go somewhere and have a cold beer. If I have to show five cards, Ill do it, Steve said.
We also spoke to a man who did not want to share his name for air or publication. But he told us restrictions for events based on whether people are vaccinated would be extreme.
Seay says enforcing a vaccine requirement might be the real problem. She says there are already cases of fake vaccine cards out there.
Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. Sign up here.
Sam Webb says hes not against vaccines. His kids are up to date on their vaccines for school, and he got a flu shot a few years ago, the Weatherford truck driver said.
But he wont be getting a COVID-19 shot.
Webb, a former Army medic, is among the thousands of Republicans in Texas and across the country who say they do not trust COVID-19 vaccines and will refuse to get one even as public health experts and elected leaders say mass vaccinations are the key to a return to normalcy from the pandemic that has plagued the nation for a year.
At the beginning of the nations vaccine rollout, experts warned that people of color, particularly Black and brown people, could be skeptical or fearful about getting vaccinated. But over the past few months, white Republicans have emerged as the demographic group thats proven most consistently hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines.
In Texas, 61% of white Republicans, and 59% of all Republicans regardless of race, either said they are reluctant to get the vaccine or would refuse it outright, according to the February University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Thats not an insignificant portion of the states population over 52% of the states ballots in November were cast for former President Donald Trump.
Only 25% of Texas Democrats said they were hesitant or would refuse to get a COVID-19 shot, according to the poll.
Scientists and doctors stress that vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing the worst outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalizations and deaths. No one has died because of the vaccines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Some people may experience short-term side effects, but those effects quickly subside.
But the trend among Republicans is nationwide. A Civiqs poll updated in March indicated that white Republicans make up the largest demographic of people in the U.S. who remain vaccine hesitant with 53% saying they were either unsure about or not getting the vaccine.
Meanwhile, people of color have shown increased confidence in the vaccine over the past few months. In October 2020, 53% of Black Texans said they would not get a COVID-19 vaccine a percentage that dropped to 29% when asked last month, according to UT/Texas Tribune polls. By comparison, 43% of Texas Republicans said they would not get the vaccine in October, compared with 41% last month.
Most hesitancy among Republicans stems from a distrust of scientists and an unfounded concern about how new the vaccine is, said Timothy Callaghan, an assistant professor of health policy management at the Texas A&M School of Public Health.
What you do find is that over time conservatives have been more vaccine hesitant than liberals, which you can largely attribute to higher levels of distrust in the scientific establishment among conservatives, Callaghan said. However, the actions of certain political actors over the past few years have sort of intensified those beliefs within the party.
For Webb, he said he thinks its more about Republicans being distrustful of the government, and this has been pushed really hard by governmental authorities.
I'm not against vaccines, Webb said. Im against something that was rushed out so quickly.
Scientists and medical experts say no corners were cut for the COVID-19 vaccines. Built on years of research of coronaviruses, combined with global collaboration and large infusions of funding, COVID-19 vaccines were able to be developed quickly. Each of the three vaccines approved so far in the U.S. underwent clinical trials meticulously reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration.
It wasn't just this brand new thing, said Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas Countys health and human services director. It was built on prior research and development, but it is a great tremendous scientific breakthrough.
Andrea Norman Harmon, a Springtown resident, said she distrusts the vaccine and is relying on her Christian faith.
I haven't even done any research on it, because in my mind, there's no way that you can 100% convince me that you can tell me what the effects are five years down the road if I take this vaccine today, said Harmon, a conservative. Research shows strong evidence that mRNA vaccines like the COVID-19 vaccines will not cause long-term harm.
Harmon said she does not trust government officials, regardless of party. Shell only get her high school-aged son vaccinated for COVID-19 if it is required for school, although her children are vaccinated for other diseases, she said.
If it's voluntary, and it stays voluntary, I will never take the vaccine, she said. If it comes down to I have to take it in order to keep my job I will be in heavy prayer over what I need to do.
That pervasive distrust across such a broad demographic is particularly concerning for public health experts with the goal of reaching herd immunity.
Anytime there are pockets or segments of the population that don't get vaccinated, it creates pockets of vulnerability, Huang said. We want everyone to take this public health measure.
Epidemiologists estimate to reach herd immunity, between 70% and 90% of the population needs to be vaccinated. Because the vaccines arent approved for people under 16, that means virtually all adults in Texas.
Its not only Texas, but we look at some other states where a large proportion of them are Republicans, said Jamboor K. Vishwanatha, founding director of Texas Center for Health Disparities. Its a brutal fact I mean it's going to affect all, because we will not be able to reach herd immunity. And with all of these new variants that may be coming, COVID may be with us for the long haul.
COVID doesnt discriminate between political affiliation, Vishwanatha added. [But] unfortunately, it got politicized from the beginning.
Elected leaders like former President Donald Trump have at times downplayed the severity of the virus while denigrating scientists who urged for increased caution. Trump, who received the vaccine, did so off camera and did not make a strong public push for Americans to get vaccinated.
Tasha Philpot, a University of Texas at Austin political science professor, said Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts messaging has been tepid in its encouragement of Texans getting vaccinated. Abbott received his first dose live on TV, but he also stresses in his public statements that the vaccines are always voluntary, a nod to members of his party who reject the vaccine.
Philpot said Abbotts decision to end most of the states COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month also sent a message to his party: The pandemic is over.
It's a signaling game, she said. I think if the signal had come from a credible source in their eyes, that we would be having a completely different discussion going on right now.
Abbott did not respond to request for comment.
Many Republican officials are attempting to simultaneously appeal to two different crowds with the Republican party nearly split down the middle on attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, she said.
The last thing they want to do is upset their base, said Callaghan, the health policy management professor at Texas A&M. If Abbott came out, full-throated, saying everyone really needs to do this so we can put the pandemic into decline and get back to normal and get Texas back to the way it should be that might send a different signal to get more Republicans to vaccinate.
Dallas GOP chairperson Rodney Anderson stressed that the Republican Party isnt a monolith there are many who want the vaccine and there are a variety of reasons some might not want it. However, Anderson declined to share his personal views on the vaccine.
Anderson said most of his fellow party members that hes talked to cite concerns that the vaccine was quickly developed. He said he thinks those who believe in conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccines or virus are in the minority.
But Anderson said GOP leaders like Abbott and others have done an admirable job encouraging Texans of all political leanings to be vaccinated.
The communication at the state level between the governor, lieutenant governor of encouraging individuals [to] get vaccinated, get vaccinated, get vaccinated, has been appropriate and has been effective, he said.
When the vaccine first began rolling out, headlines and polls emerged indicating that people of color, especially Black and Hispanic people, were more hesitant about getting vaccinated than other demographics.
However, over time those numbers have changed. According to the UT/Texas Tribune polls, Black Texans hesitancy dropped by 24 percentage points from November to February.
Among Hispanic Texans, attitudes toward the vaccine diverge based on political affiliation. About half of Hispanic Republicans said they were either against or unsure about getting a vaccine, compared with 34% of Hispanic Democrats who said the same.
Still, a higher percentage of Hispanic Republicans in Texas who were polled said they would get vaccinated than white Republicans.
The UT/TT Poll did not receive a large enough sample of Black Republican respondents to derive meaningful results.
Some initial surveys indicated that there was vaccine hesitancy among people of color, but recent polls are showing that sentiment has largely decreased, Vishwanatha with the Texas Center for Health Disparities said, saying the problem is more about access.
The sentiment that Black and Hispanic people are less likely to want the vaccine is dangerous, Vishwanatha said, because of the disparities that persist. Black and Hispanic Texans already face disproportionately higher rates of dying or being hospitalized after being infected with COVID-19. And according to state data, they are being vaccinated at rates much lower than white people.
By kind of pushing this narrative that Black people don't want the vaccine anyway it's kind of blurring over the fact that there's this racial divide in terms of the dissemination of the vaccine and who gets who's actually getting access to it, Philpot said.
Also notable is the difference in the root cause of why people of color are hesitant to get vaccinated compared to white Republicans.
The huge difference between those two groups is this unique mistreatment of the Black community by the medical establishment, both historically and in modern times, that gives them additional pause about participating in a new vaccination program, Callaghan said. And that's simply just not a reason why Republicans are hesitant to vaccinate against COVID-19.
Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Many people are anxiously waiting for Monday to sign up for their COVID-19 vaccine. But some are a little confused how the process works. Here are some helpful tips.
Author: khou.com
Published: 6:13 PM CDT March 26, 2021
Updated: 6:11 PM CDT March 26, 2021
This boom has been aided by the fact that since March 1, everyone over 16 has been eligible to get the vaccine in the Virgin Islands so tourists dont even have to worry about cutting in line. The territory accommodates about 100 walk-ins each day, too. Nowhere else in the U.S. can you actually just walk in and get the vaccine, anybody over 16, Mr. Bryan said on Monday. On March 1, the islands also opened two federally supported community vaccination centers on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
March 26, 2021, 12:43 a.m. ET
U.S. travelers also face less red tape when visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands compared with other Caribbean destinations. If they submit a negative coronavirus test within five days of leaving for the territory, or a positive antibody test taken within four months, they do not have to quarantine upon arrival. Travelers to Jamaica and Barbados, in contrast, are asked to quarantine no matter what. And U.S. travelers cant visit the Cayman Islands unless they conform to strict eligibility criteria.
Dr. Hunte-Ceasar said that, at this point, the Department of Health did not consider vaccine tourism to be a problem. We definitely want to ensure the local residents get vaccinated, she said. But we have not had any shortages by serving both populations. The Virgin Islands currently have 27,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 18,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine available, said Monife Stout, the departments immunization director.
Noreen Michael, a scientist at the University of the Virgin Islands who studies health disparities, agreed that it was crucial to ensure that vaccines are available to residents who want them, but said she had not seen evidence to suggest that tourists are taking vaccines away from residents who want them. On the public health side, its a plus, she said. On the equity side, I dont see it as significant issue.
Perhaps, too, vaccine tourism could be used as a force for good to secure doses for marginalized groups in other regions. Although the Virgin Islands provide free Covid-19 vaccines, the islands could charge tourists for their vaccines, and the funds could be used to send vaccines to regions that need them, said Felicia Knaul, an international health economist at the University of Miami. Could we send those vaccines to Jamaica, or to the Dominican Republic or Haiti? she asked. Once youve gotten past the key welfare and human rights aspects, if you can use that funding to pay for people who right now have no access, I think its worth thinking about.
For now, health authorities are focused on ways to reduce vaccine hesitancy in the territory. People access misinformation and perpetuate lies and things that are harmful, Dr. Hunte-Ceasar said in a news conference last week. As a result, the islands have been experiencing a surge in cases and hospitalizations that she said give her chest pain and heartburn every night. Although vaccine hesitancy does seem to be decreasing, residents will need to start widely embracing the vaccine if the islands are to meet their goal of vaccinating 50,000 Virgin Islanders by July 1.
In the meantime, visitors from the continental U.S. will continue to take advantage of the extra doses. Some have stayed longer than they planned, too and have even contemplated moving to the islands for good.
I started falling in love with the culture of St. Croix, said Hemal Trivedi, a documentary filmmaker who lives in Weehawken, N.J., and was vaccinated in St. Croix in February. Toward the end of the trip, we were actually looking for a place to buy.
Texas, Indiana and Georgia announced Tuesday that residents 16 years and older will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations starting Thursday for Georgia residents, Monday for Texans and on March 31 for Indianans. They joining a growing list of states that plan to broaden vaccine eligibility to all adults ahead of a May 1 deadline set by President Biden.
With every dose, Texas gets closer to normal and protects more lives from COVID-19 hospitalization and death, the states health department said in a Twitter post.
West Virginia, Alaska and Mississippi are the only states where all adults are eligible to receive shots. Others, like Texas, Georgia and Indiana, have announced future expansions; Utah, for example, will open eligibility to all adults on Wednesday. And Tennessee announced last week that all residents 16 and older would be eligible for vaccinations starting April 5. Some states, such as New York, have been gradually expanding eligibility: New Yorkers 50 years and older became eligible on Tuesday.
Widening the eligibility for vaccines comes at a time when federal health officials have warned of a possible fourth surge of the virus as troubling new variants spread, urging Americans to get vaccinated. Mr. Biden has said there would be enough vaccines available by the end of May for all adults and has suggested that Americans could see a return to normalcy by July 4 if they got vaccinated and kept following health precautions, like mask wearing.
Virus case numbers in the country have plateaued thats not good, they should keep going down and down, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the countrys leading expert on infectious diseases and a top adviser to Mr. Biden, said Tuesday on Good Morning America. As of Monday, the seven-day average of new virus cases nationwide was 54,000 a day, according to a New York Times database, a level comparable to that of mid-October.
When you plateau like that, there really is a danger of a resurgence, Dr. Fauci said.
About 25 percent of the total U.S. population has received at least one shot, and 14 percent are fully vaccinated. The pace of vaccinations has been steadily increasing in recent weeks to an average of about 2.5 million shots daily, well above the daily rate of fewer than one million shots two months ago. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said Tuesday that a total of 27 million doses would be allocated to states, pharmacies and other jurisdictions and programs, 4 million of which would be of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
In Texas, about 22 percent of all residents have received at least one shot of a vaccine, and 11 percent are fully vaccinated, according to a New York Times analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the states mask mandate and scrapped crowd capacity limits on all businesses, a move that drew criticism from federal officials, including the president. Texas is OPEN 100%, Mr. Abbott tweeted at the time.
About 19 percent of Georgians have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to a Times database. Gov. Brian Kemp said that as of Tuesday, more than one million older residents have received at least one vaccine dose.
March 26, 2021, 12:43 a.m. ET
As you all know, this is our ticket back to normal, Mr. Kemp said. And were getting closer to that point every single day.
Businesses in much of the country are open and more than a dozen states have no mask mandates in, a Times database showed.
In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that the states mask mandate will drop to an advisory on April 6. But face coverings will remain mandatory in all state buildings, facilities, vaccination and testing sites until further notice and in schools for the remainder of the year.
In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday that the state would ease some restrictions beginning on Friday, including increasing the number of people permitted at mass gatherings, and reinstating normal hours for when alcohol may be served at bars and restaurants. Mr. Cooper continues to enforce a statewide mask order.
In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced some changes on Tuesday, including allowing sports and entertainment venues to operate with additional capacity and increasing the number of people allowed at events indoors and outdoors. He also issued preliminary guidance on in-person graduation ceremonies and commencements and will continue universal mask wearing.
On Monday, the C.D.C. director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said members of Mr. Bidens virus team have reached out to governors and other state officials about the spread and detection of variants and sought to persuade them to slow down the relaxation.
We just dont want to be at this rapid uptick of cases again, and that is very possible that that could happen, she said. Weve seen that. Were behind the eight ball when that starts to happen.
A coronavirus vaccine which exists in pill form could enter the first phases of clinical trials this year.
Oravax, the company working on the substance, announced in a press release that it hopes to begin the first phase of clinical trials in humans by June.
The step is only the earliest phase of developing a vaccine. There is no guarantee of success, and even if it works it could be a year or more before it is authorized for use (Moderna and Pfizer began their first human trials in March and May 2020 respectively).
Oral vaccines are an option being assessed for "second-generation" vaccines, which are designed to be more scalable, easier to administer, and simpler to distribute.
Oravax is joint venture by two firms: the Israeli-American company Oramed and the Indian company Premas Biotech. Its press release Friday said that trials could begin by June.
An oral vaccine could "potentially [enable] people to take the vaccine themselves at home," Nadav Kidron, CEO of Oramed, said in the release.
The vaccine could be shipped in a normal refrigerator and stored at room temperature, Kidron said, "making it logistically easier to get it anywhere around the world," the Jerusalem Post reported.
In an email to Insider, Prof. Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, sounded a note of caution.
"We would need properly conducted studies to prove [oral vaccines'] worth," he said.
"But they may also be of value in people who are severely needle phobic and may be easier and more rapid to administer."
Oral vaccines could also offer other benefits over vaccines taken in the arm, Hunter told Insider.
"The thing about systemic vaccines (shots in arms) in that they are generally very good at preventing severe disease" but they are often not great at preventing infection.
The theory is that because the infection first happens in the nose and throat, that vaccines focused on those areas will help stop infection before it can develop to anything worse.
Data about the Oravax vaccine has not been published to date. "The results of the animal studies are encouraging", Hunter told Insider. "But don't assume that animal results always translate into human results".
"We need human studies to be sure," he said.
Other types of second-generation vaccines are being investigated, such as vaccines delivered by a spray through the nose. Scientists are also studying whether vaccines could be delivered through patches.
Prof. Sarah Gilbert, lead scientist on the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said that Oxford is assessing the possibility of developing tablets and nasal-spray oral vaccines, the Independent reported on February 25.
Oxford University declined to answer questions about oral vaccines put by Insider before publication.
Another company, ImmunityBio, is running Phase 1 clinical trials of an oral version of the vaccine. However, this would be used more as a booster dose to the intramuscular vaccine, rather than the vaccine on its own.
The only test of an oral COVID-19 vaccine done in humans so far has not panned out.
In late 2020, a company called Vaxart announced good results in animal trials, but in the first human trials got disappointing responses.
According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, global automotive production fell by 16% last year thanks to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to suppress it. OICA President Fu Bingfeng called 2020 the worst crisis ever to impact the automotive industry.
Regionally, the United States saw automotive production drop by 19%, slightly more than average worldwide, and produced a combined 8,822,399 cars and commercial vehicles.
In Europe, production fell by 21% on average, with its main producing countries reporting drops between 11% and almost 40%. South America saw production fall more than 30% as Brazil took the impact of COVID hard, and vehicle production in Africa slid more than 35%.
Asian producers fared better than vehicle manufacturers elsewhere. Automotive production on the worlds largest continent fell about 10%, and the OICA reports that Chinas accelerated recovery led vehicle production there to fall only 2% over the course of the year. Asia accounts for a 57% share of global vehicle production.
The 2020 results follow up on negative results from the year before. In 2019, world auto production fell 5%, ending a ten-year streak of growth. 2020, said Bingfeng, wipes off all the growth made over the last ten years. In all, 78 million vehicles were produced last yeara figure equivalent to the amount of cars sold in 2010.
On the bright side for automobile manufacturers, the OICA says the last few months of 2020 saw gradual recovery in consumer demand for trucks and cars.
Demand for mobility for persons and goods is expected to remain high, said Bingfeng, although he cautioned that it would not be the same as in the past.
