The Oregon Health Authority says as of Jan. 29, 314,000 Oregonians have received at least the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
PORTLAND, Ore. Oregon is most of the way through giving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to the 300,000-400,000 people eligible in Phase 1a, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Patrick Allen said in a press conference Friday morning. But he acknowledged that vaccination percentages still vary dramatically county by county.
Allen said Oregon is on track to "vaccinate a critical mass of Phase 1A".
"At a statewide level, were past a 70% threshold for Phase 1a, though we know theres variation," he said. "Counties that received higher allocations or that believe theyve vaccinated their eligible populations will get less vaccine next week, while others will get additional vaccine to accelerate their progress through Phase 1A."
OHA's vaccine dashboard shows as of Friday, almost 315,000 Oregonians have received at least the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Allen said in general when about 70% of people in an eligible group have been vaccinated, the state can move on to the next group. And he said educators, school staff and child care workers were on track to meet that number by the time Oregon opens up vaccinations to seniors.
"Starting February 8, more than 800,000 older adults will become eligible over a 4-week period," Allen said. "Without any new doses, we expect to reach a critical mass of seniors by late April or early May."
Statewide, about 6.8% of the population has received at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Allen said. When compared to other states in the national vaccine rollout, Oregon ranks 15th.
Only 56% of the available doses in the state have been administered, which puts Oregon at number 23 nationally.
"Oregon has the infrastructure in place to vaccinate more people who are eligible to get immunized at a faster rate than our limited supply allows," Allen said. "If we receive more vaccines, we can vaccinate more people sooner."
He said at current levels, it will take more than 14 weeks to vaccinate the roughly 1.2 million Oregonians eligible or will become eligible for immunization.
But he added that starting next week Oregon will begin receiving 35,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine per week, up from 25,000 per week. OHA expects next week to allocate 38,400 first doses and 21,200 second doses, prioritizing 15 counties that have asked for additional doses.
"In turn, 18 counties have told us they have substantially completed Phase 1A; some have told us theyre already through their K-12 eligibles," he said. "They will receive fewer doses next week and will continue to work through their doses on hand."
On Thursday, Oregon's Vaccine Advisory Committee announced its recommendations for who should become eligible for vaccination after seniors:
The above groups total more than 1 million Oregonians, but overlap within the groups should mean fewer people needing vaccinations.
"People who live in multi-generational households would be next in line behind these groups, followed by the general population," Allen said Friday. "As a next step, OHA will review the operational and legal dimensions of the Committees recommendations before we refer them to Gov. Brown."
Several things have changed on your 2020 tax return.
There are more reasons than ever to get started now on your taxes. The IRS will start processing 2020 returns on Feb. 12 -- while still slogging through last year's paperwork in an effort to work through stimulus payments. But stimulus checks aren't the only thing that may shake up your return this year. The IRS has adjusted individual income tax brackets for inflation and, with last year's CARES Act, changed many rules concerning charitable deductions, IRA and 401(k) plans and student loans. You're going to have to navigate them all to hit that April 15 tax return deadline.
"This year's tax season will be unusually busy for both taxpayers and the IRS, as many aspects of the coronavirus relief measures passed in 2020 will affect our tax returns," says Garrett Watson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation.
The upside: The earlier you file your taxes, the sooner you could get a new stimulus check and speed up the delivery of any missing money you're owed. "The IRS is encouraging taxpayers to file electronically to avoid delays in processing paper returns, as the agency is still digging out from a large paper correspondence backlog from last year," according to Watson.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the major tax changes for 2020. And if you need help navigating the process and filing electronically, make sure you check out our picks for the best tax software.
Read more: How to estimate your tax refund: Tips, calculators and more
First, some good news. If you received a stimulus check from the March CARES Act or the December stimulus bill, that does not count as taxable income, and will not impact your return. Nor will those payments count as income for determining whether you're eligible for federal government assistance or benefit programs. (Learn more.)
If you were eligible to collect all or some of the first stimulus check of up to $1,200 per person or the second stimulus check of up to $600 per person, but it never arrived (or didn't accurately reflect your child dependents), you can claim your missing money on your 2020 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit. This credit will either increase the size of your total tax refund or lower the amount of taxes you owe.
You'll file for the Recovery Rebate Credit on the 2020 Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR to claim a catch-up stimulus payment. The IRS's Recovery Rebate Credit Worksheet can help you determine whether you're missing a payment and, if so, for how much. We've got full instructions on how to file for a Recovery Rebate Credit on your taxes here.
If you don't usually file taxes -- perhaps you're retired, on SSI or SSDI or don't meet the required income threshold -- but believe you're owed stimulus money, you'll need to file a 2020 return. Our step-by-step guide explains exactly how "nonfilers" can claim stimulus money. Note that nonfilers are often eligible for the IRS' Free File program, and shouldn't have to pay to file a federal return.
Missing stimulus money? You may be able to claim it on your tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit.
For tax year 2020, the standard deduction is $12,400 for single filers (an increase of $200) and $24,800 for married couples filing jointly (an increase of $400). For heads of households, the standard deduction is $18,650 (an increase of $300). These increases are due to inflation adjustments. (Learn more.)
This year, you can deduct up to $300 in donations to qualifying charities -- even if you don't itemize. A temporary provision of the CARES Act designed to encourage giving, this deduction can't be carried forward into subsequent years. You can search for eligible organizations with the Tax Exempt Organization Search tool on IRS.gov. (Learn more.)
Employers can now contribute up to $5,250 per year toward an employee's student loan debt -- and it's tax-free for both employer and employee, as long as it's for payments made from March 27, 2002 through Dec. 31, 2020. (Learn more.)
Now playing: Watch this: Do this first if you've been laid off or furloughed
15:52
The CARES Act waived required minimum distributionsfor IRAs and retirement plans for 2020. Since those RMDs count as taxable income, if you didn't take the distribution, it's like getting a tax break. (Learn more.)
Designed to benefit people with lower incomes, this tax credit can reduce your taxable income and wages. Under the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, part of the December coronavirus relief package, you can use your 2019 or 2020 amount of earned income to calculate your tax credit for 2020 -- a potentially important provision for people who lost their jobs amid the pandemic. (The higher the income, the larger the tax credit.)
One thing to note: If you claim this credit, the IRS may request additional information, which could result in your refund being delayed.
Similar to the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit is designed to benefit working families by allowing them to claim up to $2,000 per qualifying child via a refundable credit. But this year, you can use your 2019 earnings instead of 2020 to determine your eligibility for the Child Tax Credit, increasing the total amount of refundable credits you can receive for qualified children under the age of 17.
You can use this IRS tool to determine if your child or dependent will qualify for the credit. As with the Earned Income Tax Credit, claiming this credit may trigger a request for additional information, which could delay your refund.
Changes to the Child Tax Credit could get your family more money in your refund this year.
If you have a health flexible spending plan, good news: the limit for tax-free contributions has increased to $2,750 -- up $50 from last year. (Learn more.)
Some medical expenses are tax deductible -- and Congress passed a more generous allowance for what you can deduct as part of the December stimulus bill. Instead of capping expenses that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income -- as was originally planned -- you can now deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your AGI. You're welcome! (Learn more.)
Nope --not unless you're self-employed. TheTax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended tax write-offs for home office deductions through 2025. Note that this could change next year if Congress opts to deliver more tax relief in future COVID-19 relief legislation.
You can find more details about all of these tax changes on the IRS website, and CNET's Personal Finance team has prepared a wealth of tax resources, including a series of articles covering the 2020 tax season from every angle.
Johnson & Johnson said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine was 66% effective at protecting people from moderate to severe disease in a large clinical trial, positive results that could pave the way for its deployment across the U.S. within weeks.
The shot didnt test as strongly as the two Covid-19 vaccines already in use in the U.S. Its effectiveness might have been impacted by new variants that the older shots didnt test against, however, and it will still provide strong protection, health experts said.
Its arrival could also make a big difference in vaccination efforts hobbled by limited supplies, providing a new, large source of doses. And many health authorities might find it easier to administer the J&J vaccine, which is easier to store and involves just one shot, while the other vaccines require two.
The availability of the J&J vaccine will be a terrific asset, said William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University who serves as a liaison to a federal vaccine advisory committee. That could help us get through the bottleneck that were in at the present time.
In its late-stage trial of 44,325 adults aged 18 and older, the J&J vaccine also appeared to be generally safe and well tolerated, the company said Friday, though some of the volunteers reported side effects like fever.
COMMUNITIES TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE VACCINE. >> IM 75 YEARS OLD AND I -- >> YOU DONT THINK YOU NEEDED? REPORTER: BENJAMIN WAS TYPICAL OF PEOPLE WE SPOKE WITH TODAY, AWARE OF THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINATION CAMPAIGN, BUT UNINTERESTED, OR AFRAID OF SIGNING UP. >> I DONT THINK THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN INFORMED ENOUGH ABOUT THE VACCINE. AND I AM JUST LEERY ABOUT THE LONG TERM EFFECT IT MAY HAVE LATER ON. >> THEY DONT TELL YOU WHATS IN IT. THEY SAY TAKE A NEEDLE. TELL ME WHAT THE NEEDLE IS CONSISTING OF. I KNOW IT IS CONSISTING FOR THE CORONA BUT WHAT IS IN IT. REPORTER: WHILE VACCINE SUPPLY IS LIMITED, THE STATES VACCINATION CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN NOW BEEN GOING ON FOR A FULL MONTH. TO DATE, 406,000 PEOPLE IN MARYLAND HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF THE VACCINE. BUT JUST 14.8% OF RECIPIENTS ARE BLACK. BLACK PEOPLE REPRESENT 31% OF THE STATES POPULATION. AT THE SAME TIME, BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY COVID DEATHS. 6900 PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM THE VIRUS IN MARYLAND. 35% WERE BLACK PEOPLE. WHILE THE GOVERNOR KICKED OFF A STATEWIDE MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE THE VACCINE, BALTIMORES MAYOR SAID THE CITY IS ALSO IS PLANNING ITS OWN OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. COMMUNITY BASED. >> WE KNOW WE HAVE TO HAVE COMMUNITY MESSENGERS TOO. FOLKS, BARBERS, BEAUTICIANS THOSE KIND OF FOLKS. PEOPLE WHO ARE RUNNING DAY CARES. REPORTER: ROBERT TYLER TOLD US SEEING A LEADER LIKE THE PRESIDENT GET VACCINATED GAVE HIM CONFIDENCE. >> YOU NOW A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE THE PRESIDENT AND THEM. IF THEY CAN TAKE IT AND THEY ARE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH IT, IM GOING ALONG WITH WHAT THEY DO. MY LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT. REPORTER: THE LIMITATIONS ON THIS VACCINATION CAMPAIGN AT THIS POINT, THIS WEEK, THE CITY ADMINISTERED 2260 DOSES OF THE COVID VACCINE AT THE BALTIMORE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THE ONLY PUBLIC SITE IN THE CIT
'They don't tell you what's in it': Racial gap linked to vaccine hesitancy
Updated: 6:14 PM EST Jan 29, 2021
Closing Maryland's racial gap in COVID-19 vaccinations poses a steep challenge as mistrust in the vaccine lingers.|| Coronavirus updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||Vaccine hesitancy is a big reason the rate of vaccination in communities of color is disproportionately low. The 11 News I-Team spoke with shoppers Friday at Mondawmin Mall, some of which said they are not going to get vaccinated because they're scared. One after another, the I-Team heard people express fear of the vaccine and concern about unanswered questions.Simon Benjamin, like many of the people the I-Team spoke with, is aware of the coronavirus vaccination campaign but uninterested or afraid of signing up."I'm 75 years old. I have confidence myself," Benjamin said.Asked whether he'll get the vaccine, Benjamin said: "Not at the moment.""I don't know nothing about it, I really don't. They don't tell you what's in it. They say, 'Take a needle.' Tell me what the needle is consisting of. I know it is consisting for the (coronavirus), but what is in it?" Beryl James said."I don't think the public has been informed enough about the vaccine, and I am just leery about the long-term effect it may have later on," Sheryl Hicks said.Maryland online vaccination site locatorVaccine Data DashboardMaryland vaccination plan FAQsWhile vaccine supply is limited, the state's vaccination campaign has been going on now for a full month. To date, 406,168 Marylanders have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but just 14.8% of recipients are Black, despite representing 31% of Maryland's population.Black people have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 deaths. As of Friday, 6,900 Marylanders have died from the virus, 35% of which were Black people.While the governor on Friday kicked off a statewide media campaign to promote the vaccine, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city is planning its own community-based outreach campaign."We know we have to have community messengers, too -- barbers, beauticians, those kind of folks, people who are running day cares," Scott said.The mayor said he will get vaccinated. He is eligible now as a government official but is waiting due to his age."When we have more vaccine and we are in the phase where a normal 36-year-old would get it, I will get it," Scott said. "I feel very hesitant about jumping the line over a 75-, 76- or 80-year-old in Baltimore City because of the lack of vaccine."Back at the mall, Robert Tyler told 11 News that seeing a leader like the president get vaccinated gave him confidence."You know, a lot of people like the president and them, if they can take it and they are more comfortable with it, I'm going along with what they do," Tyler said. "My life is more important."This week, Baltimore City administered 2,260 doses of vaccine at the Baltimore City Community College site, which is currently the city's main vaccination public site.
Closing Maryland's racial gap in COVID-19 vaccinations poses a steep challenge as mistrust in the vaccine lingers.
|| Coronavirus updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||
Vaccine hesitancy is a big reason the rate of vaccination in communities of color is disproportionately low.
The 11 News I-Team spoke with shoppers Friday at Mondawmin Mall, some of which said they are not going to get vaccinated because they're scared. One after another, the I-Team heard people express fear of the vaccine and concern about unanswered questions.
Simon Benjamin, like many of the people the I-Team spoke with, is aware of the coronavirus vaccination campaign but uninterested or afraid of signing up.
"I'm 75 years old. I have confidence myself," Benjamin said.
Asked whether he'll get the vaccine, Benjamin said: "Not at the moment."
"I don't know nothing about it, I really don't. They don't tell you what's in it. They say, 'Take a needle.' Tell me what the needle is consisting of. I know it is consisting for the (coronavirus), but what is in it?" Beryl James said.
"I don't think the public has been informed enough about the vaccine, and I am just leery about the long-term effect it may have later on," Sheryl Hicks said.
While vaccine supply is limited, the state's vaccination campaign has been going on now for a full month. To date, 406,168 Marylanders have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but just 14.8% of recipients are Black, despite representing 31% of Maryland's population.
Black people have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 deaths. As of Friday, 6,900 Marylanders have died from the virus, 35% of which were Black people.
While the governor on Friday kicked off a statewide media campaign to promote the vaccine, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city is planning its own community-based outreach campaign.
"We know we have to have community messengers, too -- barbers, beauticians, those kind of folks, people who are running day cares," Scott said.
The mayor said he will get vaccinated. He is eligible now as a government official but is waiting due to his age.
"When we have more vaccine and we are in the phase where a normal 36-year-old would get it, I will get it," Scott said. "I feel very hesitant about jumping the line over a 75-, 76- or 80-year-old in Baltimore City because of the lack of vaccine."
Back at the mall, Robert Tyler told 11 News that seeing a leader like the president get vaccinated gave him confidence.
"You know, a lot of people like the president and them, if they can take it and they are more comfortable with it, I'm going along with what they do," Tyler said. "My life is more important."
This week, Baltimore City administered 2,260 doses of vaccine at the Baltimore City Community College site, which is currently the city's main vaccination public site.
The process for getting a COVID-19 vaccine varies county to county. Were sorting out the steps you need to take to sign up for your first dose and ensure you get your second.
First, find out if youre eligible at myturn.ca.gov or check your countys public health website. You can also consult the states table that outlines eligibility.
In general, theres a difference between sites run by city or county public health officials and vaccine clinics at nursing homes, hospitals, medical centers and pharmacies. If you live or work in a facility that provides vaccinations, it may be easiest to get your shot that way. Contact your employer if youre eligible for a vaccine because of your occupation.
But some people may find that the only way to get a shot is to navigate a public health department appointment system. See below for details by county (so far, weve covered L.A., Orange and Riverside counties, with more to come).
MOREThe latest vaccine newsTracking vaccine distribution in CaliforniaYour questions about vaccines answeredWhat you need to know about pregnancy and vaccinesSide effects are very rare. What you need to know: Pfizer, Moderna
By Meagan CantwellJan. 29, 2021 , 12:15 PM
Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.
As countries like the United States and United Kingdom inoculate their residents with never-before-used vaccine technology, others, including Russia, China, and India, are investing in more traditional approaches, like inactivated coronavirus vaccines. But no matter the technique, together they have the potential to create multiple lines of defense against SARS-CoV-2. Science Senior Correspondent Jon Cohen explains how each of these vaccines can protect us from severe illnessand what understanding the details of our immune responses could mean for the future of human trials.
WATCH: Full interview with Matt Bieber, communications director for New Mexico Department of Health
by: Allison Keys
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) As time continues to pass, more and more people are getting the COVID-19 vaccine. However, some still have concerns when it comes to getting it.
Communications director for the New Mexico Department of Health Matt Bieber discusses how the vaccines are going and provides answers to questions some may have. Currently, NMDOH states following groups are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in New Mexico:
Bieber explains that these individuals represent about 700,000 to 800,000 New Mexicans. Were currently receiving enough vaccine in the state to introduce 25 or 30,000 new people into this system each week, said Bieber. So at this pace, its going to take us a couple of months at a minimum to get through the folks who are currently eligible which means that at this pace, frontline essential workers would be eligible later this spring.
He states that there are some variables. There is a possibility that there could be one to two new vaccines approved and introduced into the distribution system which would speed up the pace at which residents are vaccinated.
Regarding safety, Bieber explains that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been put through rigorous clinical trials with tens of thousands of participants. Those who received the vaccine have reported only minor effects such as fever, or pain at the injection site.
Registering to receive the vaccine is easy. Just visit cvvaccine.nmhealth.org and enter basic contact information and health conditions. If you are in one of the phases that are currently eligible for the vaccine, you may be contacted fairly quickly.
Its hard to give more precise estimates than that because were randomizing invitations within the eligible groups. The reason were doing that is to be as fair as possible, said Bieber.
NMDOH has recently started providing additional communication via email and text to New Mexicans that are currently registered letting them know that they are in the system and the department will be reaching out in the future when the vaccine is available to them.
The vaccine is free to everyone. You may see a copay but your insurance company must reimburse that just as with testing. All vaccinations in New Mexico are free and insurance companies arent allowed to charge you anything for them, said Bieber.
NMDOH also provides a COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard that displays cumulative doses administered in the state, total registrants, and a breakdown of vaccinations per county.
While a few have already hit the market, there are still dozens of coronavirus vaccines in development around the globe.
Some use tried-and-true technologies, other use novel approaches. The shots were all tested differently, and some were allowed to go into use even before they were rigorously tested. How well they work varies, with preliminary study results ranging from 50% effective to over 90%.
So far, regulators in different countries have allowed use of about a half dozen, mostly under emergency use provisions. A few more are getting close. The ones available now all require two doses, given weeks apart.
Among those furthest along:
Pfizer: Developed with BioNTech; authorized by the U.S., U.K, European Union, the World Health Organization and elsewhere.
Moderna: Developed with the U.S. National Institutes of Health; authorized by the U.S., U.K., European Union, the World Health Organization and elsewhere.
AstraZeneca: Developed with Oxford University; authorized by more than 40 countries, including Britain, India, Argentina, Mexico and the European Union.
Sputnik V: Developed by Russias Gamaleya Research Institute; authorized in Russia and about 10 other countries.
Sinopharm: Authorized in China and several countries including Hungary, Serbia, and Morocco.
Sinovac: Authorized in China as well as Turkey, Brazil and Indonesia.
Bharat Biotech: Authorized in India.
Johnson & Johnson: In development; one dose; expected to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization soon.
Novavax: In development.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) The Tennessee Department of Health on Thursday released a list of 100 community pharmacies and clinics that will soon be able to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.
The list includes 24 clinics, 20 chain pharmacies, and 64 local, hometown pharmacies. The state said vaccines are expected to arrive at these locations this week.
The state is allowing the business to decide how and when the vaccinations are given a drive-thru or walk-in clinic, sign-ups or first-come-first-serve style, for example. Each location will offer whatever method works best for their community.
Here are the COVID-19 community vaccination locations:
ANDERSON COUNTY
BLEDSOE COUNTY
BRADLEY COUNTY
CAMPBELL COUNTY
CARTER COUNTY
CLAIBORNE COUNTY
COCKE COUNTY
GRAINGER COUNTY
GREENE COUNTY
HAMBLEN COUNTY
HAMILTON COUNTY
LOUDON COUNTY
MCMINN COUNTY
MONROE COUNTY
MORGAN COUNTY
POLK COUNTY
RHEA COUNTY
SEVIER COUNTY
UNICOI COUNTY
UNION COUNTY
AUSTIN North Texas is set to receive a major influx of COVID-19 vaccine next week, driven by large one-time allocations to providers in Collin and Denton counties, state officials announced Friday.
The boost comes as the state receives an increase in Moderna-manufactured vaccine from the federal government. Theres also a one-time supply of about 127,000 shots that were not used during the statewide effort to inoculate nursing home residents and staff.
Those leftover doses are driving the one-time bump for Collin and Denton counties, where vaccine allocations have been significantly less than their share of the population, state officials said.
Denton Countys public health department will be shipped nearly 32,500 shots next week in what is the states largest single allotment to date. In past weeks, the countys health department has received fewer than 10,000 doses. Similarly, five providers in Collin County will together receive about 42,900 doses next week. Thats four times more than what county providers were sent this week.
We have a one-time big allocation of vaccines we can push out. We are using that to catch up some of the counties that were behind, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Dallas County providers will receive 48,000 shots next week, with most going to hubs run by Parkland Hospital, UT Southwestern, the countys public health department and the city.
Texans are eligible for a shot if they are front-line health care workers, nursing home residents, age 65 and older or have a chronic health condition.
Over 1.7 million Texans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to date.
