'); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append('"+val.ihtml+""); $("#expandable-weather-block .weather-index-alerts").show(); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body h2").css({"font-family":"'Fira Sans', sans-serif", "font-weight":"500", "padding-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body p").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body span.wxalertnum").css({"float":"left", "width":"40px", "height":"40px", "color":"#ffffff", "line-height":"40px", "background-color":"#888888", "border-radius":"40px", "text-align":"center", "margin-right":"12px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body b").css("font-size", "18px"); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body li").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"18px", "margin-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body ul").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body pre").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body img").css({"width":"100%", "margin-bottom":"20px", "borderWidth":"1px", "border-style":"solid", "border-color":"#aaaaaa"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).css({"borderWidth":"0", "border-bottom-width":"1px", "border-style":"dashed", "border-color":"#aaaaaa", "padding-bottom":"10px", "margin-bottom":"40px"}); }); } function parseAlertJSON(json) { console.log(json); alertCount = 0; if (Object.keys(json.alerts).length > 0) { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").empty(); } $.each(json.alerts, function(key, val) { alertCount++; $("#mrd-wx-alerts .alert_count").text(alertCount); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").append(''); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } else if (val.fips != "" && val.fipsimg != "") { // $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } // } //val.instr = val.instr.replace(/[W_]+/g," "); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(val.dhtml+"
Instruction
Updated throughout at 8 p.m. with new developments.
Dallas County commissioners, under duress from the state, on Wednesday reversed a decision to focus COVID-19 vaccinations efforts on residents from 11 vulnerable ZIP codes.
The five-member body backtracked hours after Texas health officials threatened to reduce the supply of vaccines to the states second-largest county if it moved forward with the plan. The warning, in an email to the countys health director, Dr. Philip Huang, said the decision to focus only on residents of those ZIP codes violated the terms of being a state-approved vaccine hub.
While we ask hub providers to ensure the vaccine reaches the hardest-hit areas and populations, solely vaccinating people who live in those areas is not in line with the agreement to be a hub provider, wrote Imelda Garcia, an associate commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. If Dallas County is unable to meet these expectations, we will be forced to reduce the weekly vaccine allocation and no longer consider it a hub provider.
As part of rescinding the ordinance, the commissioners visibly incensed with one another and the state during an emergency meeting Wednesday agreed to revisit by weeks end how they would prioritize people for shots at the Fair Park site.
I dont like having my arm twisted, said Commissioner John Wiley Price, a Democrat who represents southern Dallas. He abstained from the vote that undid Tuesdays order.
Wednesdays events were yet another twist in Dallas Countys effort to vaccinate the most at-risk residents as the global health crisis rages on. While more than 12,000 people were inoculated during the megasites first week, limited county data showed that a large proportion of shots went to people in mostly white and affluent neighborhoods. Officials had hoped a large-scale vaccine site below Interstate 30 would yield a more diverse group.
We need to focus on the core African American and Latino communities that had been hit the hardest by the pandemic, but not to the exclusion of every Dallas County resident that doesnt live in those ZIP codes, Commissioner Elba Garcia, a Democrat who represents western Dallas, said in a statement after the meeting. We want to be sure that all vulnerable communities have an opportunity to get vaccinated.
The states letter was prompted by County Judge Clay Jenkins, who alerted the state to the commissioners policy change. Jenkins had openly questioned the legality of the commissioners decision during their meeting Tuesday.
Commissioner J.J. Koch had sponsored the proposal to focus on the 11 ZIP codes to hold Jenkins accountable for the bungled vaccination rollout. As county judge, Jenkins is responsible for emergency management.
Dallas Countys health department is currently receiving 6,000 to 9,000 doses a week from the state. Officials have been hoping to see a sharp increase, as the demand far exceeds the supply.
More than 300,000 people have registered with Dallas County to get the shots. The county is also coordinating with other hubs in North Texas, including UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health & Hospital System. Texas launched the vaccine hub model earlier this month. Before the hub model, the state was sending smaller quantities of vaccines to hundreds of providers.
While the state said it moved to the hub model to make it easier for residents to get the vaccine, North Texans say theyre just as confused as they sign up with multiple providers.
Dallas County and other providers are allowed even encouraged to prioritize residents who are especially vulnerable, a spokesman for the state health department said in a follow-up email to The Dallas Morning News. However, the spokesman said, no provider can exclude entire swaths of the population who are eligible for the vaccine under state guidelines. Those include any health care worker working with COVID-19 patients, residents over 65 and those with serious medical conditions.
During Wednesdays emergency meeting, commissioners grappled with understanding why the state had come out against their decision.
Koch, a Republican who represents northern Dallas County, said his policy did not exclude anyone. He said Jenkins had mischaracterized the policy change in his correspondence with the state.
Its particularly disgusting, Koch said in an interview before Wednesdays emergency meeting.
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) Hillsborough County health officials announced Thursday that residents who have already received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be receiving more information in the coming days about getting their second dose.
According to the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center, people vaccinated January 6 through 9 or January 13 through 15 will be contacted to confirm their second appointment.
People who received their first injection at any of Hillsborough Countys public vaccination sites (ie. Ed Radice Sports Complex, Strawberry Festival grounds, University Mall, or Vance Vogel Sports Complex) during those time frames will be able to return to those sites for their second dose.
People returning for second doses must bring a valid photo ID with their name and date of birth and the COVID-19 Vaccine Record Card that was issued to them during their first injection.
Appointments are mandatory to receive a receive. No walk-ups will be accepted.
For more information regarding second doses, go to HCFLGov.net/Vaccine and click on the I Have an Appointment, Now What? button.
If you are 65 years of age or older and/or are a frontline health care worker and have yet to receive an initial dose of the vaccine, you can call 866-200-3896 or TTY: 833-476-1029 to request an appointment. Health officials will call you back when appointments are available.
Introduction
Across states, health and long-term care workers and residents have been the first groups offered COVID-19 vaccines, consistent with federal recommendations. Previous KFF analysis estimated that, nationwide, 19.7 million adults work in health and long-term care settings, of which roughly 15.5 million are estimated to have direct patient contact and be included in the initial priority group for vaccination. Media reports suggest that the initial vaccination efforts have been slower than expected and that some health care workers who have been offered the vaccine have chosen not to get vaccinated, particularly among staff in long-term care facilities. More information is needed to understand why some health care workers are declining the vaccine, although there are anecdotal reports of concerns about safety and/or side effects. KFF survey data show that roughly three in ten health care workers (29%) express hesitancy about getting the COVID-19 vaccine and that, among all adults, levels of vaccine hesitancy and reasons for hesitancy vary across demographic groups.
This analysis provides an overview of demographic characteristics and health insurance coverage of health care workers with direct patient contact, including those working in hospital and long-term care settings, who may be most at risk of patient contact with someone with coronavirus due to the concentration of cases in these facilities. Increased understanding of who these health care workers are can help inform vaccination efforts and prevent disparities in vaccination among this group.
Table 1 presents data on race/ethnicity, citizenship status, sex, age, education, poverty status and health insurance coverage for the 15.5 million health and long-term care workers who are estimated to have direct patient contact. It also includes separate data for those working in hospitals and long-term care facilities, who account for 37% and 25% of health care workers with direct patient contact, respectively.
Overall, the data show that, although most of these health care workers are White (59%) and citizens (95%), 41% are people of color and 5% are noncitizens. The majority are women (77%), and nearly one in four (23%) are age 55 or older. Most have completed at least some college (80%), and, reflecting that they are all employed, few are low-income (17%) and nearly all have health insurance coverage (93%). Hospital workers largely mirror these overall patterns, although they have higher levels of education, income, and health coverage. Workers in long-term care settings include higher shares of people of color (52%), non-citizens (8%), women (84%), and workers age 55 or above (27%) and have lower levels of educational attainment, lower incomes, and higher uninsured rates compared to the overall population of health care workers with direct patient contact. More detailed findings include:
Race/ethnicity. Roughly six in ten health care workers with direct patient contact are White (59%), while the remaining 41% are people of color, including 17% who are Black, 14% who are Hispanic, and 8% who are Asian (Figure 1). Among those working in long-term care settings, over half (52%) are people of color, including over one in four (28%) who are Black.
Citizenship Status. The large majority of health care workers with direct patient contact are citizens (95%), while 5% are noncitizens (Figure 1). However, the share who are noncitizens is higher, at 8%, among those working in long-term care settings.
Sex. Over three-quarters (77%) of health care workers with direct patient contact are women, and this share rises to 84% among those working in long-term care settings.
Age. Nearly a quarter (23%) of health care workers with direct patient contact are age 55 or older, while four in ten (41%) are age 35-54 and over one-third (35%) are below age 35. Those working in long-term care settings include a slightly higher share of workers age 55 or above (27%), while those working in hospital settings have a slightly lower share of workers age 55 and older (21%).
Education. Eight in ten of health care workers with direct patient contact have completed at least some college, including 45% who have a bachelors degree of higher (Figure 1). Education levels are higher among hospital workers, with nearly nine in ten (88%) completing at least some college, including over half (54%) who have a bachelors degree or higher. In contrast, among those working in long-term care, six in ten have completed some college, with only 20% having a bachelors degree or higher and 10% having less than a high school education.
Poverty Status. Overall, 17% of health care workers with direct patient contact are low-income (household income less than 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL)), with only 5% with household income below the poverty level (Figure 1). Over half (54%) have income at 400% FPL or higher. Those working in hospitals generally have higher incomes, with nearly two-thirds (64%) having household income at 400% FPL or higher. Household income is lower among those working in long-term care, where one-third (33%) are low-income, including 11% who have household income below poverty.
Health Insurance Coverage. Less than one in ten (7%) health care workers with direct patient contact are uninsured (Figure 1). Nearly eight in ten (79%) have private health insurance coverage, 10% are covered by Medicaid, and 4% have Medicare coverage. Coverage rates are higher among those working in hospitals, with only 3% uninsured and 90% having private coverage. In contrast, coverage rates among those working in long-term care are lower, with 14% uninsured. Moreover, they have higher rates of Medicaid coverage (21%) and lower rates of private insurance (60%).
Increased understanding of who health care workers with direct patient contact are can help inform vaccination efforts and prevent disparities in vaccination among this group. In sum, these findings show that the roughly 15.5 million health care workers with direct patient contact are a racially diverse workforce. They are predominantly female, with most between ages 35-54. Most have completed at least some college and, reflecting their employment, few are low-income, and the large majority have health insurance. However, those working in long-term care settings are more likely to be Black and have lower levels of education, income, and insurance coverage, which may have implications for access to the COVID-19 vaccine and willingness to get vaccinated.
KFF survey data show, as of December 2020, roughly one in three adult health care workers (29%) said they probably or definitely would not get vaccinated, similar to the share among adults overall (27%). Data also show that levels of vaccine hesitancy vary across demographic groups. For example, adults age 30-49 and Black adults have relatively high levels of hesitancy, while adults ages 65 and older report greater willingness to get the vaccine. Hesitancy varies among health care workers in similar ways. For example, an earlier KFF/The Undefeated survey found that, among adults who are health care workers or who live in a household with a healthcare worker, Black adults were much less likely to say they would definitely get vaccinated compared to White adults (24% vs. 46%). Moreover, different groups have different reasons for vaccine hesitancy. For example, among adults overall who say they probably or definitely wont get vaccinated, Black adults are more likely than White adults to cite concerns about side effects and the newness of the vaccine, and about half of Black adults in this group cite worries they may get COVID-19 from the vaccine or that they dont trust vaccines in general as major reasons.
People living in immigrant families and people who are uninsured may also have specific concerns which could make them less likely to seek vaccination. For example, people living in immigrant families may have concerns about potential negative effects on their or a family members immigration status. People who are uninsured are less likely to have an established relationship with a health care provider and generally have greater concerns about potential costs of health care.
Addressing concerns and potential access barriers to vaccination among health care workers will be particularly important since, as one of the first groups offered the vaccination and a top trusted messenger for information on the COVID-19 vaccine, their experiences and take-up may help inform the general publics attitudes and willingness to get the vaccine. Together these data suggest that providing information to respond to concerns about potential side effects and safety of the vaccine is key, particularly among Black health care workers. Clearly communicating that personal information collected for vaccination cannot be used for immigration-related purposes may help reduce fears among noncitizen workers. Moreover, ensuring people know that they will not face any costs associated with the vaccine may reduce concerns among people who are uninsured. Beyond providing education and information, making the vaccine easily accessible is key. While many health care workers are able to access the vaccine directly through their employment site, ensuring it is available in ways that accommodate workers varied schedules, caregiving responsibilities, and transportation options can help reduce potential access barriers among those who need to obtain it through pharmacies or community sites.
Allen ISD has collaborated with the city and fire department to create a drive-through vaccine location at the Eagle Stadium parking lot.
The stadium is centrally located within the city and can accommodate a large appointment-only clinic, according to a release from the district.
Allen residents qualified in priority groups 1A and 1B can sign up for Allen Fire Departments COVID-19 vaccine appointment alerts online. The fire department is expected to receive a shipment of 2,000 vaccines this week to serve those who have already signed up.
Since COVID-19 first appeared, the leaders in the City of Allen and Allen ISD have worked together to help reduce the impact of the pandemic throughout the community and school district as much as possible, Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said in the release. This partnership is a continuation of our efforts to keep our citizens safe. We are thankful to have a strong partnership with AISD that allows us to work with Collin County to increase vaccine availability and get vaccinations administered as quickly as possible.
Qualified individuals in phase 1A includes:
Qualified individuals in phase 1B includes:
Collin County Healthcare Services also offers a waiting list for future vaccine appointments.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines recommend the second dose within 21 and 28 days of the first dose, respectively. Are you still fully vaccinated if you miss that window?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. With both COVID-19 vaccines currently on the market, two doses are needed before health officials consider a person to have completed the vaccine series and be fully vaccinated.
Each vaccine also recommends a specific window of time to get that second dose.
Are you still fully vaccinated if you get that second COVID-19 vaccine shot but miss the recommended timeframe for it?
Yes. Health officials considered you to be fully vaccinated if you've had both doses, regardless of the timeframe in which you got the doses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, for the Pfizer vaccine, a second dose should be administered 21 days after the first. For the Moderna vaccine, that window is 28 days after the first dose.
There's even a little wiggle room for how soon you can have your second dose, according to Dr. Brannon Traxler, Interim Public Health Director for South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control.
"You can get the second dose anywhere from four days before that recommended interval," Traxler said. "So, 17 days would be the minimum days that have passed since your Pfizer first dose. It would be 24 days for your Moderna first dose."
As for how late you can get your second dose, the CDC states: "There is no maximum interval between the first and second doses for either vaccine."
The agency reports, if you go longer than the recommended timeframe, "there is no need to restart the series."
So you don't need to start again, but are you still immunized?
"Yes, you would be fully vaccinated, as long as you got that second dose," Traxler said.
However, Traxler reminds us that vaccine supply is limited. So, it is still important to get that second dose when it is available to you. That way, you can guarantee a complete vaccine series.
Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford will soon be used as a COVID-19 vaccination site, according to Mayor Luke Bronin's Office.
The mayor was joined by Yard Goats president Tim Restall to make the announcement.
"The coronavirus continues to be at levels that are far too high," Bronin said.
He said the city saw the highest levels of virus transmission after Thanksgiving and the last week had some of the lowest rates they've seen in a while. There were around 500 new cases, which is still far too many, he said.
Bronin said the small city of Hartford has lost 242 lives to the pandemic.
He urged people to continue to wear masks, wash hands, to socially distance and to avoid social gatherings.
Bronin is urging anyone who is eligible to get a vaccine to make an appointment to get one.
Residents who are 75 and older are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine and Bronin said the city has partnered with senior centers so people looking for a vaccine can contact them by phone or email.
Residents can also reach out to the state online or by phone at 877-918-2224 to schedule a vaccine, Bronin said. Learn more here.
Beginning as soon as February 6, the venue will likely be used for specific, by-appointment testing events and those events will depend on the availability of vaccines on a weekly basis, according to the mayor's office.
Bronin said the city is also offering a mobile vaccination site at a senior living facility.
As many Americans scramble to arrange appointments for their first doses of theCOVID-19 vaccine, some health care workers are declining to be inoculated.
A significant percentage of doctors, nurses, EMS workers, support staff and other health care employees said they turned down the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines over concerns they may not be safe or effective, according to a recentsurvey by Surgo Ventures, a non-profit group focused on solving health and social problems. Others in the health field worried the development of the vaccine had been rushed.
"We have a lot more work to do to get health care workers to take the vaccine. Simply making it available is not enough we have to take a more precise, targeted approach to reach different segments of population to overcome hesitancy," Hannah Kemp, director of programs for Surgo Ventures, told CBS MoneyWatch.
That hesitancy can be surprisingly stubborn to overcome. Surgo polled more than 2,500 U.S. health care workers to assess their comfort in getting vaccinated. At the time of the survey, administered from December 17 to 30, 53% of respondents had been offered the vaccine. Of those workers, 15%, or almost 200 people polled, said they had refused to take the vaccine, with many claiming there is insufficient evidence the treatments are effective, despite assurances otherwise by federal and state health agencies and major pharmaceutical companies. Another 24% cited personal safety concerns, while 16% said they thought the approval process was too rushed.
With the death toll fromCOVID-19 approaching 400,000, the findings underline a key challenge as the incoming Biden administration and states around the country try to accelerate what has been a bumpy initial rollout of the vaccines.
"If health care workers are hesitant and we need to take specific efforts to overcome that, we are going to have a huge challenge in convincing the general population to take the vaccine in the U.S.," Kemp said.
Jessica Outten, a nurse practitioner specializing in pediatric neurosurgery at Children's Hospital Colorado in Denver, is one health care worker who is opting against getting vaccinated for now, saying that people who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 should have priority.
"It's our choice, and at this time I am going to let other people who are immunocompromised, elderly and who really want it go first," Outten, 38, told CBS MoneyWatch.
But Outten also admits being in no hurry to get her shots because of concerns about the safety of the vaccine, expressing confidence that her diligent use of personal protective equipment will keep her safe. The Food and Drug Administration authorized both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for emergency use in under a year. Developing vaccines typically takes a decade.
"So much is unknown about the vaccine's long-term effects and with the virus, and I'm pretty conservative. I make sure all my ducks are in a row before I do anything I'm not very adventurous," she said, noting that some of her co-workers have had modestly more severe reactions to their initial dose.
Black health care workers refused the vaccines at a significantly higher rate than average, Surgo's survey found: 35% turned down the opportunity to get their first dose. That compared with 12% to 14% for other racial groups. Women and Republicans were also less likely to accept the vaccine, according to the survey.
Researchers weren't surprised to find higher resistance among Black employees in health care, pointing to a historic distrust of the medical community by many African Americans. Such attitudes, while not universal, are rooted in past abuses includingexperimental operationson enslaved Black women in the 1840s as well as the infamousTuskegee Institute experimentsin the 1930s that examined the progression of syphilis in Black men.
"In the African American community, the Tuskegee experiment still resonates to this day," said Dr. Emmanuel Peprah, an assistant professor of global health at New York University.
Workers in health care support roles who deal with patients, such as phlebotomists who draw blood for tests, were also more hesitant to take the vaccine.
"Among some health care workers there is low understanding overall of how vaccines work, so it would be beneficial to couple conversations explaining the COVID-19 vaccine with overall conversations about how vaccines work in general," Kemp said.
Some facilities, including Houston Methodist, a leading hospital in Texas,is offering its 26,000 workers a $500 bonus if they take the vaccine, to persuade those who may be reluctant to sign up.
Other organizations aren't giving individuals a choice. Trinitas School of Nursing in New Jersey is ordering students in its program to get the COVID-19 vaccine or else withdraw, according to CBS New York.
Another worrisome finding: Aides and other workers at long-term care facilities including nursing homes where more than 100,000 residents and staff are believed to have died of COVID-19 said they were less likely to get the vaccine than hospital workers, according to the survey.
Forty-one percent of workers in these types of facilities believed only "some" or "a few" of their colleagues would get the vaccine, compared to 25% of hospital workers, Surgo found. Such numbers jibe with other reports indicating reluctance among long-term care workers. Roughly 60% of workers in Ohio nursing homes chose not to get vaccinated, according to state data released in December.
Kemp suggested that leaders in nursing homes, assisted living centers and other eldercare facilities could set an example by getting vaccinated and sharing their experiences.
That was the approach embraced by Rev. Dr. Derrick DeWitt, director and chief financial officer of the Maryland Baptist Aged Home in Baltimore, Maryland. Some of his staffers and residents didn't know much about the COVID-19 vaccine, so he got the shots to reassure them it was safe, he told CBS MoneyWatch.
"It was really challenging getting people to take the vaccine, but I took it first to try to encourage people to do it, and I assured them I had no residual effects from taking the vaccine," he said. "More people came around after that."
President Biden, joined by Vice President Harris and Dr. Anthony Fauci, signs executive actions as part of his administration's COVID-19 response on Thursday. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
President Biden, joined by Vice President Harris and Dr. Anthony Fauci, signs executive actions as part of his administration's COVID-19 response on Thursday.
Updated at 3:36 p.m. ET
President Biden signed a series of orders and directives on his second day in office to take charge of stopping the spread of the coronavirus steps that he and his advisers say will start to boost testing, vaccinations, supplies and treatments.
Accelerating the sluggish federal response to COVID-19 is Biden's top priority, and he has promised 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days.
"While the vaccine provides so much hope, the rollout has been a dismal failure thus far. So I understand the despair and frustration of so many Americans and how they're feeling," Biden said in remarks shortly before signing the stack of executive actions.
"We didn't get into this mess overnight, and it's going to take months for us to turn things around. But let me be equally clear: We will get through this. We will defeat this pandemic. And to a nation waiting for action, let me be clearest on this point: Help is on the way."
The president is also pushing Congress for another $1.9 trillion in relief, a package that would include direct payments to Americans, support for small businesses and a huge boost in funding for vaccines and testing.
The pandemic relief effort is a means to advance the strategy his team has developed, starting with the 10 executive orders and directives, his COVID-19 response coordinator, Jeff Zients, told reporters.
"Last week you heard the president lay out his vaccine strategy," Zients said, adding that on Thursday, Biden will advance "the road map to guide America out of this public health crisis."
One of the orders directs agencies to use the Defense Production Act to address critical shortfalls in 12 categories of items needed for testing, treating and vaccinating people for COVID-19 vaccines, N95 masks, gowns, gloves, test supplies and kits, lab analysis machines, therapeutic drugs and other supplies and will work to spur production of the items in the United States.
"This is a wartime undertaking," Biden said on Thursday.
"We're in a national emergency, and it's time we treated it like one."
Biden also signed a memo to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fully reimburse states for vaccination and testing supplies and for the costs of National Guard deployments associated with the pandemic. Biden plans to establish the COVID-19 Pandemic Testing Board to boost testing.
Other orders and directives are to:
Biden also plans to support the global response to the pandemic and will join the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility and other multilateral initiatives.
January 20, 2021Clinical Contributors to this Story
Thomas Bader, M.D. contributes to topics such as Medical Quality.
Are you one of the millions of Americans that have been sick with COVID-19 in the past year, or have you had a positive COVID-19 test result without experiencing symptoms? If so, you may be wondering whether or not you should get a COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available to you.
When youre eligible, you should get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to leading health experts, since it offers you protection from catching the virus again.
People shouldnt have a false sense of security that theyre immune to COVID-19 just because theyve recovered from the disease, says Thomas Bader, M.D., vice president of medical quality at Hackensack MeridianHealth.
Dr. Bader has answered common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine that you may have if youve already experienced illness:
Its unknown how long any COVID-19 antibodies that are in your system may protect you from the virus, or how high the levels in your system would need to be to offer you protection. There have been some reports of people that have been reinfected with COVID-19, which indicates that the natural immunity wears off over time. Also, its possible to get a false positive result on an antibody test, which may lead you to believe that you have COVID-19 antibodies when you actually dont.
Yes, to some extent. Both mRNA vaccines were found to be about 95% effective at protecting against COVID-19. The vaccines train your bodys immune system to identify a spike protein on the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and fight it off, should it enter your system. You should expect to experience the full effects of the vaccines immunity potential about two weeks after you receive the second dose of the vaccine. Even if you do get an infection after vaccination, the vaccine will likely prevent the more severe forms of Covid.
If youre actively sick with COVID-19, or if youve just recovered, hold off for a while before getting vaccinated. Experts recommend that you wait until you are fully recovered from your infection and are no longer in isolation before you receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Given the limited vaccine supply and your natural immunity following your COVID infection, you may wish to wait up to 90 days for the vaccine (so that others who have no immunity can receive their vaccine now). However, you are not required to wait 90 days.
Before and after you receive a COVID-19 vaccine, follow the recommended safety guidelines to lower your chances of contracting the virus. It may be possible to become ill if youre exposed to COVID-19 after any antibodies in your system wear off and before the vaccine takes full effect, about two weeks after your second injection. Be sure to:
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
