First of five parts.
More than a year ago, on March 2, the state announced that a woman from Norfolk County had the second presumptive case of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. In her 20s, she had just come back from traveling to Italy, state officials said. Health officials at the time said the risk for the general population was low.
Nine days later, on March 11,the World Health Organization declaredCOVID-19 a global pandemic. Two days after that,Gov. Charlie Baker closed local schoolsand banned indoor dining. By March 23, the state had a stay-at-home order in place andbusinesses that were not consideredessential were told to close.
Since then, more than 525,000 people in the United States have died because of COVID-19, and no one's life looks like it did one year ago. Favorite restaurants have shuttered, kids have missed out on a year of being in classrooms full time, jobs were lost, weddings and high school proms were canceledand grandparents and loved onesdied alone.
A nurse helps a nursing home resident have a virtual visit with a family member during the COVID-19 pandemic.AARP Photo
MORE:Timeline: Looking back at one year of COVID in Massachusetts
Many people are working from home, but others dont have the luxury. People are more isolated, families have missed important milestonesand birthdays, anniversaries and holidays have been celebrated alone.
A year of COVID-19 haswrought unprecedented upheaval on the South Shore and around the world, and experts say the ramifications will be felt for years.
For Joyce Babineau, the hardest part of her day now is driving home to New Bedfordfrom her jobat Stop & Shop to an empty house. Her husband, Paul Babineau, is not there to greet her, ask about her day or make her coffee.
Paul Babineau, 76, died from COVID-19 in October, one of more than 16,000 peoplekilled by the virus in Massachusetts.
He was admitted into the hospital. I was quarantined at home. So of course we couldn't see each other, Joyce Babineau said. My husband ended up dying alone.
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Babineau is a scanning coordinator at the Stop & Shop in Dartmouth, and a union steward for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328, which represents Stop & Shop workers from Quincy to Rhode Island.
She said when the pandemic started, she was afraid because of her husbands health.
I was afraid that I would bring it home to my husband. My husband's 76 years old and he's retired and he hadhealth issues, Babineau said. So my fear was always that I would end up bringing it home, which I did. It's something that I have a very hard time living with because I know I gave it to my husband.
Babineau said she believes she got sick from a co-worker who came to work with the virus.
Babineau said she first met her husband decades ago, when he was playing guitar in a band. She fell for the guitar player.
They were married for nearly 40 years.
I was going to retire at the end of the year, so we could spend time and travel together. But now I have nothing, she said.
Studies have shown that life in lockdown and thefear and nervousness that come with it have taken a toll on the nations mental health. A study from Boston University showed that symptoms of depression were three times more prevalent during the pandemic in a group of more than 1,400 participants. Lower income andhaving less than $5,000 in savings were associated with a greater riskfor depression, the study found.
The U.S. Census Bureau, in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hasalso been monitoring depression and anxiety in U.S. households amid the pandemic. The federal bureaus estimatethat about 11 percent of American adults had symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder before the pandemic. The number of people expressing symptoms of those mental health issues rose above 42 percent in December.
Brenda Burke of Holbrook and husband Mike Flagg wave to her mom Mary, 91, through her window at the Queen Anne Nursing Home in Hingham.Greg Derr
What we're seeing is a significant increase in depression and anxiety, said Luana Marques, a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. We're also seeing reports of first responders having symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder.
Marques said the length of the pandemic, something people may not have prepared for mentally, may be a factor in the stress.
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I think people sort of adjusted as quickly as they possibly could, but it's become a marathon with no end in sight, Marques said. The chronic stress that the brain is facing is certainly leading to feeling emotionally exhausted, feeling like it's hard to keep going, and some of the protective factors like social support, of course, they're not there to the extent that they had been before. I am seeing a decrease in resilience for the majority of people.
Dr. NassirGhaemi,a professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, said social isolation is a chief factor in rising levels of depression.
When COVID isolates Duxbury seniors, a new Pea Pods group creates a family
Duxbury seniors left isolated and lonely by the pandemic form new Pea Pods group 'like family'
Sue Scheible, The Patriot Ledger
"Social distancing means social isolation,"Ghaemi said. "There's a huge literature in medical research for decades that social isolation is associated with medical and psychiatric illnesses. It increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity among medical illnesses."
Ghaemi said that increased harm,like the side effects of depression, could have a major impact spread over such a wide swath of people.
"The thing about public health is it only takes a small, negative harm, when applied to the large population, to give you real, noticeable, social harms," Ghaemi said. "When half the population is a little depressed, that means that the people who are already a little depressed at the extremes are going to get more non-functional, whereas before maybe they might've handled it. That's the issue."
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Marques said right now she is focusing on prevention and building resilience.
Will there be long-term effects? Absolutely. What do they look like? I don't think we can predict, Marques said.
CynthiaSierra, the chief executive officer of Manet Health Community Health Center, said the beginning of the pandemicgalvanized the state and its health systems' emergency preparedness to deal with a threat that they had spent years getting ready for.
The best-laid plans, however, don't always turn out as expected, she said.
We realized very, very early on, in January into early February, that we need to make greater investments in personal protective equipment and disinfection supplies, Sierra said. "We are a very fiscally disciplined charitable community health center, so we didn't have a lot of surplus.
Manet Community Health Center is a nonprofit health and social services provider based in Quincy, Hull and Taunton. It has served the South Shore for more than 40years. Sierra said her team faced supply shortages andhad to bolster its telehealth offerings and communication effortsquickly to help address the pandemic.
Mayor Thomas Koch and Cynthia Sierra at the Manet Community Health Center's Houghs Neck location in Quincy.Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger
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We learned early on that it was going to be (phone) calls. It was going to be person-to-person outreach. It was going to be video conference meetings, Sierra said. It was a lesson learned for us in a very positive way to be a little bit less electronic because that's how you're really going to be able to communicate the most pressing priorities and then also leave room for engagement and questions.
She said the role of a community health center that treats people regardless of their ability to paywas vital during the pandemic. Sierra said it was especially important in the early days of last March to ramp up testing.
"We had to find those pathways to do the testing because our principal role was to be a shock absorber for the hospitals, Sierra said. If we could screen and test and educate and isolate or quarantine, if necessary, patients and (other people), we're contributing to the broader health of the community by stopping the spread, but also keeping those hospitals and those hospital emergency departments, in particular, available and open."
Manet Community Health Center's Dr. Lily Yung, talks with 102-year-old Quincy resident Dorothea Neal as she gets her first COVID vaccine.Lisa Aimola, City of Quincy in partnership with Manet
Dr. Richard Nesto, chief medical officer of Beth Israel Lahey Health, said that a lesson he took away from the pandemic was the need for a more centralized response.
I never, a year ago got up in the morning and said to myself, what if we have a pandemic? ... And yet it's not like this hasn't happened before in recent memory to a lesser degree, like with H1N1, for instance," Nesto said. There needs to be a more centralized, dedicated effort for us to get ahead of these things. Because I think the hallmark of the spring was the lack of preparedness for something that everyone said is a once in a lifetime that actually may not be anymore.
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Nesto said that his health system, which includes hospitals in Boston, Needham, Milton and Plymouth, essentially turned into one large hospital to deal with the pandemic.
We made all of the beds from Plymouth to Newburyport available to any patient in our geography that needed a hospital bed, Nest said. We actually broke down traditional referral patterns that patients and providers were used to.
He said each hospital also had to adjust to accepting many more emergency patients than usual.
Emergency room nurse Megan Cataldo of Marshfield gets a computer ready in the treatment area of South Shore Hospital's mobile integrated health unit on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.Greg Derr
We had to learn how to expand our hospitals to accommodate a huge influx of sick patients through our emergency rooms, Nesto said. Ordinarily, hospitals have many more patients because of elective surgeries and other procedures that are planned. That was a huge, huge hill to climb.
He said the pandemic also showcased the importance of community hospitals, which helped absorb many sick patients.
Dr. Jason Tracy,chief of emergency medicine at South Shore Hospital, said that besides the influx of patients and the need for personal protective gear, another big hurdle was the mysteries surrounding COVID-19.
I think the biggest issue that we grappled with was the unknown, and quite frankly, the very deep fear of our own personal safety and the safety of the staff taking care of our patients, Tracy said. It was coming and seeing patients and what that meant for me and others in terms of going home and seeing our families. Do we shower before we get into the house? Do we sleep in the basement away from our family members? All of the stuff that, again, fortunately, has become less of a concern, primarily through vaccination, but alsolearning more about the disease. But it was a very scary time in those early days."
Emergency Room Chief Dr. Jason Tracy stands in South Shore Health's auxiliary outdoor emergency room on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.Greg Derr
The hospital and South Shore Health's network faced the coronavirus crisis head-on byrelying on incident training done over the years in coordination with the federal government. The hospital set up an auxiliary outdoor emergency room in a tent and pivoted its mobile health unit to help with the pandemic.
The mobile unit, with trained paramedics, was set up before the pandemic for people who might not be able to make it to a hospital or doctors office. Administrators said the unit was a huge help because many patients were avoiding care because of the pandemic.
MORE:South Shore Healths mobile health care program takes off during COVID-19
You have a bunch of patients that have chronic diseases that typically we would manage pretty actively, whether that's in the primary care world or in a specialist's office, or there are patients that are here in the hospital frequently, and suddenly we weren't seeing any of them, said Dr. Kelly Lannutti, South Shore Healths chief of urgent care. I think we all recognized that we needed to do things differently for those patients, and I think for us, having mobile integrated health ready to go was obviously a huge blessing.
William Tollefsen, South Shore Healths vice chair of emergency medicine and urgent care, said they had one patient, a 95-year-old woman, who had been discharged from a nursing home with a wound that needed to be evaluated. She wouldnt come to see a doctor because of the pandemic, but did allow a paramedic to visit her and help assess the wound. He said she hadnt been enrolled in mobile health before the pandemic andserves as an example of how the service adapted.
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Tollefsen said one thing the pandemic reinforced was the importance of preventive care. He said that many of the non-COVIDpatients who came in would be in worse shape than they would be before the pandemic because they delayed seeking help.
While we had almost 50 percent of the number of patients in the emergency department, the acuity of the patients that we had with non-COVID illness was palpable, Tollefsen said. We had a significant increase in sudden cardiac death. We had increases in patients with sepsis. We had increases in other types of illnesses.
The first COVID-19 vaccine arrived at South Shore Hospital on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020.Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger
Tracy said despite all the planning and success in fightingthe pandemic, COVID-19 has still taken an immense toll on the staff.
One of the roles that I have here is going and rounding on the floors and interacting with the staff on these COVID-dedicated areas, and the tears that come from people's eyes as they start to talk about their day, their week, their month, their year, is heartbreaking because people are sad. They have been really hurt by this. We've never had to manage a patient dying with a family member on Zoom, Tracy said. That's heartbreaking. And you could do that multiple times a day.
The state's vaccination efforts continue with 703,676 fully inoculated as of March 8. That's positive news. However, Tracy said there is still a lot to learn.
I still remain worried about what's to come. Until we can get to the point that our population is vaccinated, we're always going to be learning more about this. That's the one thing we've learned about this virus, is there's more to learn, Tracy said. As a system and as health care providers, we have to be nimble and understand that things are changing and going to continue to change. We are in this for the long haul. This is going to be our new normal. I think as we anticipate going into the future, there'll be some element of masking and a vaccination program and patients with COVID-19 in our system for a while to come. It will be here for a while.
MORE:Tracking COVID-19 vaccine distribution by state: How many people have been vaccinated in theUS?
On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was safe forfully vaccinated Americans to gather without masks or to visit a small group of unvaccinated family members so long as they weren't in a high-risk category.The agency said that fully vaccinated people should still use social distancing measures and masks in crowds and in public, however.
Tollefsen said going forward, people will have a lot more insight into their risk tolerance in terms of going to a packed restaurant or attendinga concert. He said people who live with a sick family member might continue to avoid crowds. Tollefsen said his own behavior as a physician will change.
Maryann Salvatore kisses her husband Mario through the protective plastic at the Dwyer Home in South Weymouth.Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger
I can't see walking into a room with a patient with respiratory distress or having some respiratory symptoms, now until forever, not wearing (personal protective equipment), Tollefsen said.
Lannutti said some elements of health care will also change. Telehealth, for example, will likely be a larger part of how people interact with doctors.
Sierra, from Manet Health, said the resiliency people have shown over the past year is a sign of hope.
It's definitely been a challenging year but it's also demonstrated the strength in the community and truly our ability to be tested and I think to rise to that call, Sierra said. I think in the end, honest to goodness, it's about the purity and the goodness of the community."
Joe Difazio can be reached at jdifazio@patriotledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @jldifazio.
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The coronavirus pandemic upended the lives of everyone on the South Shore one year ago. From those in day care to those in nursing homes, no life looks the same today as it did in March2020. Dozens of local businesses have closed, hundreds of South Shore residents have died, thousands of students remain out of school and tens of thousands face unemployment. March 10 markedthe one-year anniversary of Gov. Charlie Baker's state of emergency order in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and we arelooking back on a year of chaos and confusion with this five-part series.
COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to end the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen the economy.
Vaccines are going to people in phases.See groups vaccinating now. You can get a vaccine at no cost to you.
Submitted to California Department of Public Health on December 8, 2020.
COVID-19 vaccine safety: Trust the facts These Phase 1 and Phase 2 groups can now get the vaccine: People age 75 and older People age 65-74 People with 2+ certain medical conditions Low income and affordable senior housing residents & staff Health care workers Long term care settings First responders Congregate care settings Effective 3/11/21 ...
We'll show you how to find out about vaccinations in your state.
Registering to get theCOVID-19 vaccinehas become a new chore for millions of Americans hoping to get inoculated against the deadly coronavirus that's gripped the world for a year. (So far, the US has vaccinatedmore than 92 million people.) Although production and vaccinations are ramping up,available spots can be hard to come by, especially in heavily hit cities and states.
If you're not in one of the immediate priority groups eligible for a vaccine in your area, you can add yourself to a standby list for "leftover"coronavirus vaccinesat a given site. Note, this is unused supply that would otherwise be disposed of at the end of the day.
Here's how to find and get spare COVID-19 vaccine doses in your state. Also, here are medical charges you may encounter if you get the vaccine, and what to do about them.
Read more: COVID-19 immunity: How long does it last and what is 'natural' protection?
Dr. B is a new service that will help match spare vaccines to people in your area. If you can't seem to get an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine, visit the Dr. B site. From there, click the button that says I want the COVID vaccine and enter your phone number. Go to the next step and enter the verification code sent to your phone. For the next step, you'll need to enter your full name, ZIP code, date of birth and email address.
Once that step is complete, you'll check off any health conditions you have -- for example, asthma, kidney disease or pregnancy. If none of those apply to you, tap the Next Step button. Next, the website will ask you to select your occupation, followed by if you live in a group home or long-term facility. Once all the questions are answered, tap Submit Registration and you're all set. If you're chosen, you'll be informed of where to go to get your vaccination, and what time to be there.
Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.
To track the number of COVID-19 vaccines distributed in your state, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID data tracker webpage (it works best if you use a desktop browser). Here, you'll see a map of the US -- move your cursor over each state to see total doses administered, doses distributed, people who have received one or more doses and people who have received both doses.
Now playing: Watch this: Will a COVID-19 vaccine be a triumph of science or soul-searching?
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Currently, there are three vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the US: Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Currently, Pfizer has been more widely administered, with more than 46.8 million shots given. Moderna, which was approved after Pfizer, is at more than 44.9 million doses administered. Johnson & Johnson is just over 208,000. Over 120,000 doses administered haven't yet been identified.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, here's why you should continue to wear a mask, even after getting the vaccine. Also, your employer can require you to get the COVID-19 vaccine and here's the priority order for who gets the vaccine first.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Community health centers are a national network of safety net primary care providers and are a primary source of care for many low-income populations and people of color. This analysis examines the extent to which early vaccination efforts through community health centers are reaching people of color using data from the federal governments weekly Health Center COVID-19 Survey. Additionally, this analysis may shed light on the Biden administrations recent partnership with health centers to advance equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations by directly supplying health centers with vaccines. We include data from the survey weeks of January 8 through February 26, 2021, largely before the start of the partnership with the Biden administration.Key findings include:
These early data show that health centers appear to be reaching people of color at a higher rate than overall vaccination efforts. While vaccinations at health centers represent a relatively small share of total vaccinations administered nationally to date, further ramping up health centers involvement in vaccination efforts at the federal, state, and local levels will likely be a meaningful step in reaching people of color and advancing equity on a larger scale.
Early data suggest significant racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations, with higher vaccination rates among White people compared to Hispanic and Black people as of early March, based on available state-reported data. The Biden administration has identified equity as a key priority in its national COVID-19 response strategy. One action the administration is pursuing to advance equity in vaccinations is to increase distribution through community health centers. Health centers are a primary source of care for low-income populations and people of color and served nearly 30 million patients in 2019. Given health centers focus on underserved communities and their long-standing role in encouraging and providing immunizations, health centers are generally seen as trusted providers in their communities, especially among people of color.
The Biden administrations initial plans will provide 1 million doses directly to 250 health centers and anticipates eventually opening up direct access to vaccine supply for all health centers nationwide (more than 1,350 health center organizations) as supply increases. Many states and local jurisdictions are also working with health centers to advance equitable access to the vaccine and speed up distribution.
This analysis examines the extent to which early vaccination efforts through community health centers are reaching people of color based on data from weekly surveys of health centers administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). We use cumulative weekly data starting January 8th, 2021 (when health centers began reporting vaccinations in the survey) and ending February 26th (the most recent data available). Most vaccinations reported here were prior to the Biden administration providing vaccines directly to health centers, which began with a limited number of health centers (approximately 25) as of February 15, 2021. This analysis also compares the community health center data to national vaccination data reported by the CDC, total population data, and total community health center patient population data. (See the methods section for more information about the data underlying this analysis).
Among people receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at health centers and for whom race/ethnicity was known, just over half (54%) were people of color, including 26% who were Hispanic and 12% who were Black (Figure 1). Additionally, 10% were Asian, 4% identified with more than one race, and AIAN and NHOPI people made up 2% and 1% of vaccinations, respectively. Race/ethnicity was unknown or not reported for about 20% of health center vaccinations, providing considerably more complete data on race/ethnicity than the national vaccination data reported by the CDC, which is missing race/ethnicity information for 47% of people receiving 1 or more vaccination, but still resulting in gaps in the data.
.The data suggest that people of color represent greater shares of vaccinations at health centers compared to their shares nationally based on data reported by the CDC (Figure 2). For example, Hispanic people accounted for 26% of those receiving their first dose through health centers, while they made up 9% of people who received 1 or more doses administered nationally. Similarly, 12% of people who received their first dose through health centers were Black, while Black people made up 7% of those who received 1 or more doses nationally. However, the ability to draw strong conclusions from these comparisons is limited by differences between the data as well as gaps in the CDC data, including the high share of vaccinations with unknown race/ethnicity and a high share of people reporting multiple or other race.
Health centers appear to be vaccinating people of color at similar or higher rates than their shares of the total population, but data suggest there remain opportunities for health centers to reach more of their patients of color. Health centers reached particularly large shares of Hispanic people relative to their share of the total population. One in four people vaccinated through health centers were Hispanic (26%), while Hispanic people make up 17% of the U.S. population. Both Black and Asian people made up similar shares of vaccinations compared to their share of the population. Black people made up 12% of health center vaccinations and 12% of the U.S. population, and Asian people made up 10% of vaccinations and 6% of the population. These vaccination patterns largely mirror health centers larger role serving patients of color, who made up 63% of patients in 2019. However, the shares of Black and Hispanic people vaccinated through health centers were slightly lower than their shares of the total community health center patient population. This could, in part, reflect that health centers are providing vaccinations to some people who were not existing patients, consistent with state vaccination plans, as well as varying demographic profiles of patients who fall into current priority groups eligible for the vaccine.
The shares of vaccinations going to people of color through health centers have been increasing in recent weeks (Figure 3). Health centers responding to the weekly surveys in January 2021 reported that, among people receiving the 1st dose of vaccinations and for whom race was known, 47% were people of color. In February, the share of 1st doses administered to people of color grew to 56%. Hispanic people experienced the largest growth from January to February (22% vs. 27%), followed by Asian people (7% vs. 11% growth) and Black people (10% vs. 13% growth).
Patterns of vaccinations in health centers by race/ethnicity varied widely by state (Figure 4). For example, Black peoples share of health center vaccinations exceeded their share of the population in 27 states (out of 51 with DC) but was lower than their share of the population in 18 states (6 states had equal shares). Similarly, Hispanic peoples share of health center vaccinations exceeded their share of the state population in 30 states but was lower than their share of the population in 19 states (2 states had equal shares). In most states, the share of vaccinations among Asian people at health centers was lower than their share of the total population. Consistent with the national health center data, the share of health center vaccinations among Black and Hispanic people was smaller than their share of the total health center patients in most states. Conversely, Asian people accounted for a higher share of vaccinations than their share of the patient population in most states. Comparisons to overall vaccinations by race/ethnicity at the state level are limited due to gaps and limitations in overall state-level vaccination data. However, where overall state-level data are available, Black and Hispanic people generally account for smaller share of vaccinations compared to their share of the total population. As such, it is likely that vaccinations through health centers are reaching larger shares of Black and Hispanic people compared to overall vaccinations in many states.
Reflecting their larger role serving and building trusted relationships with communities of color, health centers have been an important place for people, particularly Hispanic people, to receive immunizations in the past. As such, providing COVID-19 vaccines through community health centers may be particularly helpful for vaccinating people of color going forward and could help address some of the racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination that are emerging. These early data show that health centers appear to be vaccinating people of color at a faster pace than overall vaccination efforts and reaching larger shares of people of color than their share of the state population in the majority of states. In addition, recent growth in the shares of people of color vaccinated in health centers likely reflects more targeted community outreach and efforts to address logistical challenges people of color may face as well as the changing priority groups eligible for the vaccine in accordance with state vaccination plans. However, even among people receiving vaccines at community health centers, there are some disparities in vaccinations, suggesting that there are opportunities for health centers to reach even more people of color.
Although health centers appear to be advancing equitable access to vaccinations, the number of vaccinations administered by health centers remains relatively small. As of February 26, 2021, health centers have reported a cumulative 1.4 million 1st doses and 560,000 2nd doses administered in weekly surveys. However, this is likely an undercount, as between 56% and 72% of health centers have responded to weekly surveys, and those that do not respond are not included in the total vaccination counts for the week. The Biden administrations initial plan to directly supply 250 health centers with 1 million doses of vaccine in the initial phase of the partnership will significantly increase the number of vaccines health centers can administer, but still represents a small fraction of the 90 million doses administered nationally to date and in comparison to the nearly 30 million health center patients in 2019. Further ramping up health centers involvement in vaccination efforts at the federal, state, and local levels will likely be a meaningful step in reaching people of color in greater numbers and advancing equity on a larger scale.
Health center vaccinations are based on 1st dose vaccinations for this analysis. Each week, health centers are asked, By race and ethnicity, how many patients have initiated (1st of 2 doses received) their COVID-19 immunization series in the last week? In separate guidance, HRSA specified that health centers should include vaccinations at the health center, as well as among established patients receiving the vaccination elsewhere, if the health center has records of the immunization.
All findings reported are based on known race/ethnicity. For our calculations, both the Unreported/Refused to Report Race and Ethnicity as well as Non-Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity Patients (Unreported/Refused to Report Race) were defined as unknown race/ethnicity. Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity Patients (Unreported/Refused to Report Race) were categorized as Hispanic individuals for our analysis.
The Health Center COVID-19 Survey reports race/ethnicity differently from most other data sources. White and Black categories only include non-Hispanic individuals, while Asian, AIAN, NHOPI, and more than one race include Hispanic and non-Hispanic individuals. When comparing to population estimates from the 2019 American Community Survey and the Uniform Data System, we adjusted race categories to match the Health Center COVID-19 Surveys race/ethnicity categories. We did not adjust national vaccination tabulations by race/ethnicity from the CDCs COVID Data Tracker.
Vaccination data by race/ethnicity from the CDC are based on administrative data reported to the CDC. However, the health center data are based on vaccinations from weekly surveys beginning in January 2021 with varying response rates. In addition to different data collection methods, it is possible that the health center survey data may also exclude some vaccinations in December 2020. Additionally, the CDC reports data for 1 or more vaccinations administered, while the health center data shown here are based on a 1st dose administered in each week and does not include counts for a 2nd dose.
With thousands more eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, here's what to do when you are WWMT-TV
Northwell Health, which administered the vaccine, donated the vial from intensive care unit nurse Sandra Lindsay's Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination.
Along with Lindsay's vaccine vial, the Smithsonian received vials from other Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. It also received syringes, diluents, and vaccination records related to the administration process.
Northwell also gifted the Smithsonian artifacts involved in the shipping process of the vaccines and objects that helped maintain and monitor its temperature.
"Dec. 14 was a historic moment for all: the day the very first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the United States," said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, according to a Smithsonian news release.
"It was our first real sign of hope after so many dark months in the fight against the global pandemic. ... But when Sandra Lindsay rolled up her sleeve, we weren't just showing our team members the safety and efficacy of this groundbreaking vaccine -- we were telling the world that our country was beginning a new fight back to normalcy. It was an extraordinary moment, and I thank the Smithsonian for preserving this important milestone," Dowling said.
"The urgent need for effective vaccines in the U.S. was met with unprecedented speed and emergency review and approval," said Anthea M. Hartig, the museum's Elizabeth MacMillan director, according to the Smithsonian release.
"These now historic artifacts document not only this remarkable scientific progress but represent the hope offered to millions living through the cascading crises brought on by COVID-19."
A three-tiered approach to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Black community The Lancet
Drugmakers are crafting Covid-19 vaccines that would target more than one strain of the virus, hoping to strengthen the immunization campaign against the pathogen as it evolves.
Researchers at Moderna Inc., Novavax Inc. and the University of Oxford are designing the shots, known as multivalent vaccines, to protect not only against the form of the virus commonly circulating globally but also potentially contagious strains that have emerged or might in the future.
The work belongs to a range of efforts vaccine makers and drug researchers are undertaking to get ahead of variants like the one identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil.
Research indicates some vaccines currently in use generate weaker immune responses against the strain found in South Africa in particular, though there isnt evidence indicating that current vaccines dont protect against variants.
To be safe, companies are exploring strengthening the protection conferred by existing shots by adding doses, updating the shots or crafting a booster. A multivalent shot is another approach in the works.
While appointments the COVID-19 vaccine now seem to be plentiful, the state says that demand is still outstripping supply.
SEATTLE For those whove ever booked a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Washington state, it seemed like available slots were gone before you saw them or would vanish just before you could click on them.
Many people are still reporting frustration, but if you look around appointments seem to be more available. Booking vaccine appointments, at least some of the time, is now easier to do.
In Seattle, at vaccine sites in Rainier Beach and West Seattle, there were still hundreds of appointments available as of late Tuesday.
The city told KING 5 News that 500 out of 3,400 appointments are still available through March 13 at the Rainier Beach site, and 600 out of 1,800 appointments are available at the citys site in West Seattle.
At one of the states large mass vaccine sites in Wenatchees Town Toyota Center, more than 100 slots were still available at 4 p.m. on March 9. More than 230 were available mid-morning, and that was not counting the extra allotment of 180 slots set aside in case teachers and school staff wanted to come down. A special opening for teachers and staff is scheduled for Wednesday.
Demand is still outpacing supply, said Washington State Department of Health spokesperson Lisa Stromme Warren.
Warren added that the state Department of Health is trying to be nimble, and with more grocery store workers and others becoming eligible on March 22, it might become harder to book again.
Weve seen examples using covidwa.com, where hospitals and clinics took a day or more to fill up slots.
But many people arent wasting time when they spot an opening.
I dont think a lot of people know about it, so that might be the issue. But the minute I found out about it I was on it quick, fast and in a hurry, Chanel Flemings said outside the Rainier Beach site.
She left on Tuesday with her first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
