INDIANAPOLIS Two proposals are making their way through the state legislature to protect businesses from lawsuits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a third reading on the House floor on Wednesday, SB 1 passed out of the House. It now heads back to the Senate for approval again after the House made changes to it.
Critics fear the bills go too far and would create obstacles to legal claims unrelated to COVID-19.
Kenneth Butch Burgin was a resident at a nursing home in Owen County until he died unrelated to COVID-19 in November 2020. His family filed a lawsuit against the facility claiming Burgin suffered from poor care, including malnutrition, a fractured nose and pressure sores while he was a patient.
The complaint says Burgin was a resident at the facility for just over two months. It calls his care and treatment at the facility substandard.
Food, water, turning and repositioning. They failed to give those things to Butch and it caused Butchs premature death, said Ashley Hadler, trial attorney for the Burgin family.
Hadler fears the language in these proposals will prevent the family from getting any justice. She is urging lawmakers to change the language in these bills, after several amendments have already failed.
Without having civil litigation to hold somebody accountable for following the rules for healthcare centers, things will continue to fall through the cracks. People who have already been harmed will not be able to get justice, she said.
State Representative Jerry Torr, R-Carmel, authored HB 1002. He does not have the same interpretation of his bill as Hadler. He believes this will not keep anyone out of the courtroom.
The bill is very clear that is has to arise out of COVID-19, he said.
He hopes the proposal will encourage businesses to reopen without fear of being sued because someone is claiming he or she contracted COVID-19 at their facility.
Business owners had no way of preventing it, he said. That is what we are focusing on.
A nursing home trade group is also supporting the two proposals. Zach Cattell, president of the Indiana Health Care Association, argues the proposals being considered are specifically tailored to address actions that are in response to the pandemic.
Any alleged acts of negligence that are not in response to the pandemic or for COVID-19 will not be provided the heightened standard being considered under the proposals. Further, neither proposal will prevent cases from being filed, allowing them to be considered based on the facts of each circumstance, said Cattell.
Opponents are not convinced and believe the two bills will make a devastating impact on nursing home patients in Indiana who suffered harm during the pandemic.
While it is being sold as a bill that addresses only COVID19 concerns, here the net effect is going to be that nursing homes are going to be exempt for liability for all injuries they caused by their negligence, Attorney Jeff Powless said. By not doing what a reasonable nursing home would do under the circumstance.
Powless said his office has not filed a single case related to somebody contracting COVID-19. His office is not aware of any office that has filed a lawsuit alleging someone contracted COVID-19 due to negligence.
What these bills attempt to do is change the standard, he said. The nursing homes would no longer be responsible due to their negligence and avoiding the rules they are supposed to follow. It would be an elevated standard such as gross negligence and willful and wanton misconduct.
After a third reading in the House, SB 1 passed with 72-21 vote. HB 1002 was referred to the Senate earlier this month.
LONDONThe U.K. economy recorded its biggest contraction in more than three centuries in 2020, according to official estimates, highlighting the Covid-19 pandemics economic toll on a country that has also suffered one of the worlds deadliest outbreaks.
Though the U.K. is grappling with a new, highly contagious variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hopeful that a rapid vaccination drive will permit a gradual reopening of the economy in the coming months, paving the way for a consumer-driven rebound later in the year.
Gross domestic product shrank 9.9% over the year as a whole, the Office for National Statistics said Friday, the largest annual decline among the Group of Seven advanced economies. Frances economy shrank 8.3% and Italys contracted 8.8%, according to provisional estimates. German GDP declined 5%. The U.S. shrank 3.5%.
However, the data showed the U.K. economy grew at an annualized rate of 4% in the final quarter of the year, aided by government spending and a small uptick in business investment.
The decline in U.K. GDP in 2020 was the largest in more than 300 years, according to Bank of England data, though the preliminary estimate is likely to be revised. BOE data shows the economy last recorded a comparable drop in 1921, when it shrank 9.7% during the depression that followed World War I. The economy last recorded a bigger contraction in 1709, when it tumbled 13% during an unusually cold winter known as the Great Frost.
The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project tracking the publics attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, this project tracks the dynamic nature of public opinion as vaccine development and distribution unfold, including vaccine confidence and hesitancy, trusted messengers and messages, as well as the publics experiences with vaccination.
The latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor reports that 31% of the public say that when an FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19 is available to them for free, they will wait until it has been available for a while to see how it is working for other people before getting vaccinated themselves. This wait and see group is an important target for outreach and messaging, since they express some hesitancy about getting vaccinated, but will likely be much easier to convert from vaccine-hesitant to vaccine-acceptant than those who say they will definitely not get the vaccine or will get it only if required to do so. As reported in January, those in the wait and see category express high levels of concern about the safety and long-term effects of COVID-19 vaccines as well as a desire for more information about vaccine side effects and effectiveness. Most adults in this group (60%) do not yet know someone whos been vaccinated for COVID-19, presenting an opportunity for them to learn more as more of their friends and family members get vaccinated.
This analysis examines the wait and see group in more detail, with a focus on their concerns about being vaccinated, the messages that resonate most, and the messengers they are likely to turn to for more information about COVID-19 vaccination. In particular, it looks at how attitudes within this group differ by partisanship and race/ethnicity, which should be helpful for those looking to target vaccine outreach and communication to groups like Republicans, Black adults, and Hispanic adults.
Key Takeaways: Overall
Key Takeaways: Republicans
Not sure there is anything that could be said. If it is proven effective and no side effects after a year or 2 of use I would no longer have concerns.
In their own words: From Republican respondents asked If there is any person who would make you more likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19 if you found out that person got vaccinated, who is that person?
A best friend or very close family member.
No not any celebrity could change my mind. The only person that might be able to is my doctor who I trust if I can be told what is in the vaccine and how it works.
Key Takeaways: Black and Hispanic adults
In their own words: From Black and Hispanic respondents asked What is the biggest concern you have, if any, about getting a COVID-19 vaccine?
That I have allergic reactions or severe secondary reactions that prevent me from continuing with my life.
Being infected after taking it.
Knowing COVID is so devastating to human organs, I am concerned not only about the effectiveness of the vaccine but not so the long-term effects over years in the body especially if it is needed on an ongoing basis.
In their own words: From Black and Hispanic respondents asked If there is one message or piece of information you could hear that would make you more likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19, what would it be?
That it is destroying the virus and not negatively affecting over 1% of those who have taken the shot.
Have a website or doctors explaining how exactly the vaccine is made and how it works in our body.
I am going to get the vaccine, I just will not be anywhere near the front of the line!
In their own words: From Black and Hispanic respondents asked If there is any person who would make you more likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19 if you found out that person got vaccinated, who is that person?
My wife. She took the vaccine yesterday and she seems fine. If she continues doing well, I would seriously considering getting the vaccine earlier.
It would have to be my closest family and friends. I would take it if they took the vaccine.
Demographically, those who want to wait and see are younger than other groups (29% are under age 30 and just 15% are ages 65 and over). They are a racially diverse group, with half (51%) identifying as White, 16% Black, and 19% Hispanic. They are also a politically diverse group; 42% identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents, 36% identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, and 14% are independents who dont lean either way.
This group also holds a range of attitudes and beliefs when it comes to COVID-19 and vaccinations. About two-thirds (64%) say they are very or somewhat worried that they or a family member will get sick from the coronavirus (about the same share as among the public overall, but lower than the 79% among those who want the vaccine as soon as possible). Over half (54%) of those who want to wait and see say that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a personal choice, higher than the 21% who say so among the most vaccine-eager group, and compared to 44% who say so among the public overall.
Previous Vaccine Monitor reports have shown that Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to say they will definitely not get vaccinated for COVID-19. This new analysis reveals that even among those who want to wait and see, there are differences between Republicans and Democrats in their attitudes and concerns related to the vaccines, as well as the messages they say are likely to motivate them and the messengers theyre likely to turn to. (For this analysis, those who identify as political independents but say the lean toward either the Democratic or Republican party are included with partisans.)
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have vastly different attitudes toward the pandemic overall compared to Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, even within the wait and see group. For example, about half (51%) of Republican leaners in this group say the seriousness of coronavirus is generally exaggerated in the news, compared to just 17% of Democratic leaners. Republicans are also significantly less likely than Democrats in this category to say they are worried that they or someone in their family might get sick from the coronavirus (51% vs. 76%). Further, about two-thirds (67%) of Republican leaners in the wait and see category believe that getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is a personal choice, while most Democratic leaners in this category (52%) say its part of everyones responsibility to protect the health of others.
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Party ID
Within the wait and see group, levels of concern about the COVID-19 vaccines safety and effectiveness are similar across partisans. However, those who identify or lean Republican are much less likely than those who identify or lean Democrat to say that various messages and information would increase their likelihood of getting vaccinated for COVID-19. For example, among those who want to wait and see how the vaccine is working, half of Republicans say they would be more likely to get vaccinated if they heard that the vaccine will help protect them from getting sick from COVID-19, compared with three-quarters (76%) of Democrats. Similarly, Republicans in this category are half as likely as Democrats to say that hearing a health care provider they trust has gotten vaccinated would increase their likelihood of getting the vaccine (25% vs. 50%).
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Conversely, a smaller share of Republican leaners compared with Democratic leaners within the wait and see group say that hearing that some people experience short-term side effects like pain or fever from the COVID-19 vaccine would make them less likely to get vaccinated (38% vs. 56%).
Total
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Those who want to wait and see how the COVID-19 vaccine works for others also report a somewhat different set of trusted sources for vaccine information depending on their partisan leanings. While health care providers are the source that people across partisan affiliations say they are most likely to turn to when making decisions about whether to get vaccinated, significant differences exist when it comes to some other sources. Specifically, among the wait and see group, those who identify as Republicans or lean that way are much less likely than those who identify or lean Democrat to say they are likely to turn to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (52% vs. 79%) or their state or local health department (45% vs. 73%) when making vaccine-related decisions.
The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor has previously reported that Black and Hispanic adults are among those most likely to say they want to wait and see how the vaccine is working for others before getting vaccinated themselves. This analysis further reveals that Black and Hispanic adults who feel this way express somewhat different attitudes and concerns about COVID-19 vaccinations compared to their White counterparts in the wait and see group.
Previous KFF research has found that Black and Hispanic adults overall are less likely to trust doctors, hospitals, and the health care system compared to White adults, and that for Black adults, lower levels of trust are associated with lower levels of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. This new COVID-19 Monitor analysis finds that Black adults in the wait and see category are also less trusting of the health care system in general; a majority (57%) say they trust the health care system just some of the time or almost none of the time to do what is right for them and their community, compared to 43% of White adults in this category. Hispanic adults who want to wait and see are more divided, with about half saying they trust the health care system almost all or most of the time (51%) and the other half saying they trust it just some or almost none of the time (49%).
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Wait and See
Reflecting the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people of color in the United States, concern about getting sick from the virus is high among Black and Hispanic adults in the wait and see group, with about three-quarters saying they are very or somewhat worried that they or someone in their family will get sick from coronavirus. In fact, Hispanic adults are more than twice as likely as White adults in this group to say they are very worried about this possibility (43% vs. 19%).
In addition to this heightened level of personal concern, more than four in ten Black adults (43%) and Hispanic adults (45%) in the wait and see group view getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of everyones responsibility to protect the health of others, compared to a clear majority (61%) of White adults in this group who say getting vaccinated is a personal choice.
While Black and Hispanic adults in the wait and see group express higher levels of concern about getting sick from the coronavirus, they also express higher levels of concerns related to the vaccine. For example, vaccine-hesitant Black and Hispanic adults are more likely than hesitant White adults to say they are very concerned that they might experience serious side effects from the vaccine (55%, 47%, and 34%, respectively). Black and Hispanic adults in this group are also significantly more likely than their White counterparts to say theyre very concerned that the vaccines are not as safe or not as effective as they are said to be. Notably, about six in ten Hispanic adults (61%) and Black adults (59%) in the wait and see group say they are at least somewhat concerned that they may get COVID-19 from the vaccine (including about three in ten in each group who say they are very concerned), much higher than among their White counterparts.
Among those in the wait and see category, Black adults are somewhat more responsive than White adults to certain pro-vaccine messages and information including messages that vaccination is the best way for things to return to normal, to get the economy back open, and that millions have already safely been vaccinated. However, Black adults are also more likely than White adults to say that hearing about side effects would make them less likely to get vaccinated.
Similarly, Hispanic adults are more responsive than White adults in the wait and see category towards messaging that encourage vaccinations. However, they are also more likely than their White counterparts to say that hearing about side effects and needing to get two doses of the vaccine would make them less likely to get vaccinated.
Despite these differences, its worth noting that the messages that resonate most with Black and Hispanic adults who are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine are the same ones that appear to be most effective with the public overall messages that emphasize that the vaccine is highly effective, offers protection from illness, and provides the quickest way for life to return to normal.
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Across racial and ethnic groups, those in the wait and see category are most likely to say they will turn to a doctor, nurse or other health care provider for information when deciding whether to get vaccinated for COVID-19. In fact, one-third of Black adults in this group say they have already asked a doctor or other health care professional for information about the vaccine, somewhat higher than among vaccine-hesitant White adults (18%). Hispanic adults in this group (13%) are significantly less likely than their Black counterparts to say theyve reached out to a health care provider for more information about the vaccine. This may reflect the fact that Hispanics in the U.S. overall have lower rates of health insurance coverage and face greater barriers to accessing health care compared to other groups.
Looking at potential sources of information beyond health care providers, both Black and Hispanic adults are more likely than White adults in the wait and see group to say they are at least somewhat likely to turn to the CDC, their state or local public health department, or a religious leader for vaccine information. While health care workers will undoubtedly be a key source of information for those who express some hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC, public health departments, and religious leaders are also positioned to be effective messengers in promoting vaccination among Black and Hispanic communities.
TotalWait and See
Caring for the Caregivers Covid-19 Vaccination for Essential Members of the Health Care Team | NEJM nejm.org
Researchers at Stanford University were the first to discover a more infectious variant of COVID-19 in the Bay Area, with a new test they developed just about three weeks ago to look for it.
With the advances in technology, its easy now to develop this test as soon as you can know the sequence of the variant that is circulating, said Stanford Doctor Obadia Kenji. You are able to develop this test.
Kenji is the operations manager of infectious disease testing at Stanford and he says the teams work shows that the California variant of COVID-19 is the most widespread at the moment.
Theyve also identified the variants first found in the U.K. and in South Africa in the samples theyve tested and theres one specific issue researchers worry about the most right now.
There is concern that the current vaccine may not be effective against the South African variant, said Kenji. Most specifically, the Oxford astrazeneca vaccine.
That variants now been found in adults in both Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
On Thursday, Alameda County health officials wouldnt share any information about the infected person there, but Santa Clara health officials say the sick person in their county quarantined after an international trip so exposure to others may be low.
They still want to warn people not to let their guard down.
In some ways we have to assume that it is circulating in the community, we just dont know to what extent but we need to double down and wear masks, said Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody.
EDITORS NOTE: The daily numbers that we report do not line up with the numbers the state is reporting for each day. Every day at 10 a.m. we take the previous days numbers from 10 a.m. and subtract them with the current numbers from the state at 10 a.m. Rather than reporting a day behind, we wish to give you the most updated information.For Black Hawk and Linn Counties,we are reporting numbers from their county COVID-19 websites. For Johnson and Dubuque counties,we are reporting numbers from the states website.
IOWA
(KWWL) There were 738 new, confirmed cases from 10 a.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday,according to the states dashboard,which brings the states total number of cases to 327,993.
The states website says that of the 327,993 people who have tested positive, 300,365 have recovered. This is 1,243 more recoveries than what the state reported Thursday.
The states death toll is 5,223, which is 27 more reported than yesterday.
Subtracting the number of recoveries (299,122) and the number of deaths (5,223) from the total number of cases (327,993) shows there are currently 23,648 active positive cases in the state.
As of Friday morning, there were 41 patients hospitalized in Iowa within the last 24 hours and the total number of hospitalizations is 249, a drop from 273 hospitalized the day before. Of those, 59 are in the ICU (down from 64), and 33 are on ventilators (up from 26).
In Iowa, there were 3,368 new tests given in the last 24 hours, and a total of 1,508,873 people have been tested for COVID-19. The positivity rate from the last 24 hours (738 positive tests divided by 3,368 tests given) is 21.9 percent.
According to the statesCOVID-19 vaccine dashboard, 410,771 total doses have been administered to Iowa residents and 107,890 individuals have completed the series. As of Friday, 3,212 Black Hawk County residents, 7,672 Linn County residents, 10,187 Johnson County residents, and 3,925 Dubuque County residents have completed the vaccine series. View thedashboardfor more data. Iowa is inPhase 1B of the vaccine rollout. You can find more vaccine information and storieshere.
BLACK HAWK COUNTY
(The Black Hawk COVID-19 dashboard has not been updated since 10 a.m. of Wednesday.)
As of 10 a.m. Friday, theBlack Hawk COVID-19 dashboardis showing zero new cases since 10 a.m. Wednesday, leaving a total of 15,591 cases (14,635 PCR & Antigen positive cases and 956 Serology positive cases). There have been no additional recoveries, leaving a total of 13,432. There has been zero additional death, leaving a total of 271 deaths. The 14-day average positivity rate for the county is 6.7 percent.
LINN COUNTY
As of 10 a.m. Friday, theLinn County COVID-19 dashboardis showing 36 new cases since 10 a.m. Thursday, leaving a total of 19,043 cases. There have been 54 additional recoveries, leaving a total of 16,813 recoveries. There were four additional deaths, leaving a total of 316 deaths in the county. There are 25 patients currently hospitalized in the county. The 14-day average positivity rate for the county is 8 percent.
JOHNSON COUNTY
According to thestates dashboardat 10 a.m. Friday, there are 28 new positive cases reported in Johnson County since 10 a.m. Thursday. This brings the total to 12,783 reported cases. There have been a total of 11,881 recoveries, 63 more reported than yesterday. There was one additional death, leaving a total of 68 deaths. The 14-day average positivity rate for the county is 7 percent.
DUBUQUE COUNTY
According to thestates dashboardat 10 a.m. Friday, there have been 28 additional positive cases reported in Dubuque County since 10 a.m. Thursday. This brings the total to 12,091reported cases. There have been 35 additional recoveries reported, leaving a total of 11,126. There was one additional death reported, leaving a total of 187. The 14-day average positivity rate for the county is 7 percent.
View COVID-19 numbers from Thursday here.
The Biden administration is promising to finally solve the nation's chronic shortage of COVID-19 tests. But is the new administration doing enough, especially with the more contagious coronavirus variants now looming?
Many public health experts are encouraged by the new administration's commitment to the importance of testing. But some are concerned officials are moving too slowly.
"Testing is actually more important now then it was eight months ago because of the high contagiousness rate of these new variants," says Mara Aspinall, a professor of health practice at Arizona State University. "It is critical to stop these new strains right in their tracks. And the only way to do that is to test."
Spotting infected people through widespread rapid testing is crucial for slowing the spread of the virus. And this strategy can buy time to get enough people vaccinated to head off another surge and help prevent new variants from emerging, Aspinall and others say.
"The concern about the variants really underscores the urgency with which we need to act to stop the spread of this virus," says Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "The more people who get it, the more opportunities for the virus to mutate and to potentially gain attributes that we don't want to see, like increased severity or reduced susceptibility to vaccine."
And that means the U.S. can't let up on tried-and-true public health strategies, she adds. "Testing and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine reduce the number of people who get infected and reduces the opportunity for the virus to mutate," Nuzzo says.
An administration official told NPR they know more testing is needed they're doing what they can now.. But they've asked Congress for substantial new funding for testing as part of the COVID-19 relief package currently under negotiation, and they'll continue to look for ways to expand testing.
The administration recently announced plans to buy 8.5 million of the newly authorized, fully at-home rapid test. In addition, the administration last week announced plans to invest in six other companies to boost production of rapid at-home tests by 61 million tests by the end of the summer.
"Having 60 million more at-home tests over the course of the summer is exactly what the country needs. I think it will change things pretty significantly," said Andrew Slavitt, the White House Senior Advisor for the COVID Response Team, at a recent briefing.
But several public health experts told NPR that 61 million tests is far from what's needed, arguing instead the country needs to be doing tens of millions of tests every day.
"The 61 million by the end of the summer is simply not going to cut it," says Dr. Michael Mina, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "The virus still has an impressive grip on us. We need to be scaling these [tests] up today."
Mina has advocated for the Food and Drug Administration to authorize more simple, rapid, inexpensive tests that could be produced in tens of millions every day, enabling people to repeatedly test themselves at home.
Flooding the market with at-home tests could make up for shortfalls in supplies and the sometimes long wait-times with traditional PCR testing. Testing rates are currently stagnated around the country. The U.S. currently conducts around 1.6 million a day.
"It just requires somebody, ideally now the Biden administration, to look at the landscape of what we have available and say, 'Yes we are going to use this as a path forward and keep a third wave of infections from hitting America,'" Mina says.
Others agree.
"Given where we are right now and given the fact that we have these variants circulating right I think it's really important that we have these tests now," says Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown School of Public Health. "We need these tests are quickly as it possible and get them out to people."
For example, Mina would like to see a test produced by Innova Medical Group in Pasadena, Calif. The company has been trying to get the FDA to authorize its test, which costs about $5.
"I don't really look at this from our business perspective because I'm selling every test that I can make around the world," Daniel Elliott, Innova's president and CEO, told NPR in an interview.
"What I look at it from is: People are dying. My kids can't go to school. When you can utilize a very simple, cost-effective, readily available test to break the chain of transmission and save lives it's very frustrating that our home team isn't using these," Elliott says.
From igloos to backyard expansions, new to-go windows and changing menu options, local businesses are doing what they can to overcome any problems.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, many businesses and restaurants had to change their game plan. With those pivots, many are still going strong into this Valentine's Day weekend.
Some restaurants had to get creative during the pandemic.
Both the Goodyear Houseand Davidson Ice House are two restaurants that had to get creative during the pandemic.
The Goodyear House opened in February 2020 in Charlotte's NoDa.
We were open for 48 days, and then had to close for 48 days due to the pandemic," Sean Potter, one of the partners from the Goodyear House, said.
But they overcame the challenges. The first thing they did was remodel the backyard to account for social distancing. Then, planning ahead to the colder temperatures in winter, they got igloos.
Outside the igloo, it may be 50 degrees, but inside, it can feel like 80 degrees.
Potter and the team didn't stop there. They recently added a pergola to their backyard setting.
"I think we are positioned really well and be one of those restaurants that made it through," Potter said.
The Davidson Ice House went through a ton of changes once the pandemic started, too.
"And I think that is what kept us going being able to pivot," Chef Jenny Brule, the Davidson Ice House owner, said.
Brule changed the menu several times, creating to-go menu items since people werent going out to dine in.
"We went from 40% to-go orders to about 85 to 90%," Brule revealed.
To adhere to COVID-19 health regulations, they also added a to-go window where you can ring the doorbell to pick up your food.
"Just trying to find different streams of revenue for my business so I just want to keep going," Brule shared.
Many vaccine sites across North Texas will resume operations Friday after some were closed due to wintry weather conditions the day before.
Following closures at some major vaccine sites on Thursday due to weather, many plan to operate on Friday.
Here's a look at what you need to know:
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Texas Motor Speedway is hosting vaccine clinics Tuesday, Friday
The vaccine clinic at Texas Motor Speedway will continue on Friday, from noon to 4:30 p.m.
DCPH will administer around 3,000-second doses of the Moderna vaccine, which had been planned for Thursday, and 4,500 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Appointments for Friday's clinic were sent Wednesday evening via email and text.
Last week, more than 27,000 doses were administered over three days through a 16-lane drive-thru program where residents remained in their vehicles to receive the vaccines.
The speedway also needs volunteers for future clinics. If interested, go here to join the Medical Reserve Corps.
Dallas County vaccine hub this weekend
Judge Clay Jenkins told residents to pay close attention to social media and news outlets for updates on when Dallas County vaccine operations will run in the coming days.
Jenkins said distribution this week has been hampered by logistical delay and weather. Early in the week, those with appointments faced long waits and confusion and the Fair Park hub tried to switch over to drive-thru operations.
The hub was closed on Thursday due to the weather. Fair Park will open Friday from 2 to 7 p.m., weather permitting.
The site will only be providing second doses to people who were scheduled to receive their second dose at Fair Park on Monday, Feb. 8 through Thursday, Feb. 11. Fair Park will be closed due to weather on Saturday, Feb. 13, and Monday, Feb. 15.
"We will not be able to run vaccine operations if it is not safe for our patients to travel to the vaccine site but will run vaccine operation when the weather permits," Jenkins said in a tweet.
Parkland sites closed through Monday due to weather
Parkland, which operates sites at Ellis Davis Field House and Eastfield Community College (Mesquite) will be closed through Monday, Feb. 15 due to the extremely cold weather.
Patients who have an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine, first or second dose, at Ellis Davis or Eastfield on these days, should instead go to Parkland Memorial Hospital at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas 75235 at their scheduled vaccine appointment time and date.
Need more information on who is eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in Texas and how the process works? Visit the Tribune's vaccination FAQ here.
Three federally-run mass vaccination sites aimed at underserved communities are expected to open before the end of the month in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.
The sites will be run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state emergency management officials, and are described as pilot sites in the national effort to speed up the nation's COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort.
The sites, which are currently being adapted for the effort, are NRG Stadium in Houston, AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Fair Park in Dallas. All three are expected to open on Feb. 24, with more details to be released later about how eligible Texans can register for the vaccine in those locations, Abbott said.
More sites in Texas could be added if the pilots are successful, FEMA officials said.
Combined, the three sites are expected to administer more than 10,000 shots per day, said Seth Christensen, spokesperson for the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
These mass community sites will allow us to expand access to COVID-19 vaccinations in underserved communities and help us mitigate the spread of the virus," Abbott said in a statement. "Thank you to our partners at FEMA for working with the state of Texas to establish these vaccination sites and help us protect our most vulnerable."
Communities of color are not only being disproportionately affected by the virus, but also receiving the vaccine in lower numbers than their white counterparts.
The sites are part of a national effort to achieve President Bidens goal of administering 1.5 million shots per day and make the vaccine widely available by spring.
Currently, Texas is offering vaccines to front-line health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, Texans who are 65 and older, and people who have a qualifying health condition and are of a certain age, depending on which vaccine they get. You can find a list of some of those conditions here.
Check with your local health care provider or public health department. The vaccine will be available at more than 80 vaccination hubs across the state and some pharmacies, clinics and hospitals. Most providers are also requiring Texans to register for appointments to get the vaccine to minimize traffic flow. The state has a map of providers that are offering the vaccine here.
Weve heard from many Texans who have had this experience. There are simply far more eligible Texans who want vaccine doses right now than there are doses available. It will be months until the vaccine is broadly available to everyone. Until then, its best to keep checking with providers, wait until you are eligible if you are not yet and continue to wear a mask when youre out in public and practice social distancing.
Yes. Although some Texans have expressed hesitancy toward the vaccine, health experts and public officials widely agree that the vaccine is safe. Pfizer and Moderna reported their vaccines are 95% and 94% effective, respectively, at protecting people from serious illness, and while no vaccine is without side effects, clinical trials for both Pfizer and Moderna show serious reactions are rare.
The short answer is yes. Health experts still dont know how long natural immunity lasts after someone gets COVID-19, but evidence suggests it does not last very long.
FEMA will bring its own supplies of the vaccine, Christensen said. FEMAs supply is separate from the states weekly allotment from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which this week was about 400,000 doses.
More than 2.5 million Texans have received the first dose of either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine, which requires two doses. Nearly 850,000 have gotten both doses, according to state health officials.
Some 39,000 Texans have died from the virus, which has infected more than 2 million in the state.
The sites are being set up in several states and will have an explicit focus on expanding the vaccination rate in an efficient, effective and equitable manner and making sure that high-risk communities are not left behind, the FEMA statement said.
Our state and local partners have made an extraordinary effort in the vaccine rollout, these sites are another opportunity to work together and assist in the vaccine administration, said Tony Robinson, FEMA's Region 6 administrator. We are making progress, but the job isnt complete until everyone who wants a vaccine receives a vaccine.
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