Older adults and first responders wait in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine late last month at the Lakes Regional Library in Fort Myers, Fla. Octavio Jones/Getty Images hide caption
Older adults and first responders wait in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine late last month at the Lakes Regional Library in Fort Myers, Fla.
Only a vaccine will save America from the COVID -19 pandemic. At least that's the opinion of nearly all public health officials.
Obviously, vaccine manufacturers are critical to any vaccine campaign. But there's another group that plays a less obvious but still crucial role in making sure vaccines do what they're intended: mathematicians.
Even if the Biden administration releases all available doses of the two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, for a while at least, supplies will remain limited. How best to use that limited supply is a question mathematicians can help answer.
"Mathematical models are very, very useful to guide policy," says Laura Matrajt, a builder of mathematical models at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. They can help with decisions about who gets the vaccine first when supplies are limited.
"There are a few factors that really shift how the prioritization would go in a strong way," says Daniel Larremore, a computer scientist at the University of Colorado BioFrontiers Institute. "One of those is how much is the virus spreading as the vaccine is being rolled out? And another factor is. How fast is the vaccine being rolled out?"
It's also important to know how effective a vaccine is at preventing disease, how long protection lasts, and whether it not only prevents someone from getting sick but also from transmitting COVID-19. Unfortunately, only the efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is known, not the other two variables.
Even in the face of missing information, modelers can provide some guidance. Larremore says to end a pandemic, it generally makes sense to vaccinate those most capable of spreading disease.
"However," he says, "if the vaccine is rolled out slowly, which is currently the case, and if community transmission is high, which is also currently the case, then it becomes better to prioritize adults over 60 to minimize mortality."
This is close to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently recommending, although the CDC guidelines also call for vaccinating people likely to be exposed to the virus, such as front-line health care workers.
But even if a mathematical model suggests the most effective path, it doesn't provide all the answers public health officials need.
"You still have to make some difficult value decisions," says Mark Jit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "Like how many lives in older people are you going to save, how many lives in younger people are you going to save, how many lives in different people, richer, poorer people. So there are some tricky value decisions, but those are inherent in the fact that we have limited supplies of the vaccine, so we have to make hard decisions about who to give it to first."
Right now, modelers are trying to help public health officials decide if it makes sense to use a single dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine to extend the limited supply, even though the vaccine has only really been tested using a two-dose regimen.
Matrajt of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has a model that allows her to test various "what if scenarios."
"If the first dose is highly efficacious, and we have stringent social distancing interventions in place, then vaccinating with a single dose is optimal," Matrajt says, but the strategy only works if a single dose is efficacious.
"We should do whatever it takes to know what the efficacy of a single dose is," she says.
What's clear from all the models is that rolling out the vaccine as quickly as possible is essential.
"If you don't roll out the vaccine fast enough, the effect of the vaccine will be very, very limited," Matrajt says.
Gerardo Chowell, a mathematical epidemiologist at Georgia State University, puts it even more bluntly. "Delays in vaccination, delays in testing, are costing us lives."
HONOLULU (KHON2) A bigger rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine could begin for kupuna as soon as next week. Lieutenant Governor Josh Green says based on capacity, officials will start doing mass vaccinations beginning next Monday. Green says it looks like Hawaii Pacific Heath is ready to start at Pier 2 hopefully next week. The Queens Medical Center will be vaccinating kupuna at the Blaisdell Center starting on the Jan. 25.
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This way we will have tens of thousands of people go through it, maybe as many as 5,000 a day once we are reaching our peak in each site. And that means we can get through the 109,000 kupuna who are 75 and older quite quickly, said Lt. Gov. Green.
Queens says the state will have a website where people can sign up as soon as Friday. Appointments are needed in order to be vaccinated.
Well have employees set up to help you get your paperwork done on the front end and then walk you through, get you vaccinated and then well have the 15 to 30 minute period that we want to observe you and make sure that youre healthy, said Jason Chang, President of the Queens Medical Center.
Adventist Health Castle on Oahus windward side and Maui Health are also offering kupuna who are 75 and older the COVID-19 vaccine. Wilcox Medical Center, which is located on Kauai, recently announced it will begin administering the vaccine to kupuna in that age group starting this Friday.
So (for) neighbor islands at Molokai General Hospital, we will have the general vaccination clinic which will be at the hospital and North Hawaii Community Hospital has expanded its clinic and will be offering its Phase 1B, actually, theyre starting this week, Chang said.
When people go in to get their first dose, they will also be scheduled for an appointment to get their second shot.
Colorado lawmakers will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine for the 2021 lawmaking term that begins Wednesday, likely moving them ahead of hundreds of thousands of others in the states second inoculation phase.
House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver, confirmed that members of the General Assembly are being prioritized. Legislators are expected to receive two doses of a vaccine by Feb. 16, when the lawmaking term is expected to begin in earnest, about two weeks before when the state is hoping to have vaccinated a majority of Coloradans who are 70 and older.
I dont think we are jumping the line, Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, said Monday. By no means are we taking vaccines taking away from others that absolutely need it more than us. But I think its important for the continuity of our state government that the legislature is able to meet as the constitution requires.
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Not all support the plan. Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, said he will refuse to get the vaccine ahead of others. Instead, he will wait for when he would have received the inoculation if he werent a lawmaker.
Im not going to cut in line in front of other people who are more at risk, the 61-year-old said.
In late December, Gov. Jared Polis shuffled Colorados vaccine distribution plan to move state legislators and other essential government workers into Phase 1b, putting them behind front-line health care workers who interact with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis, as well as nursing home residents and staff.
The second phase now also includes Coloradans older than 70, teachers, health care workers with less direct contact with coronavirus patients, first responders, essential workers and some journalists. But state health officials have recommended that people over 70, first responders and health care workers get vaccinated before others in the 1b group. More than 1.3 million people, or nearly a quarter of the states population, are part of this phase.
MORE: Colorado reshuffles its coronavirus vaccination plan, moves essential workers and people 70 and older up in line
There are 100 legislators. There are a whole lot of people in Colorado that are over 70, so I think its just simply its going to take a while to get through that population, Fenberg said.
Colorado lawmakers plan to start the session this week but only meet for three days to handle a handful of bills before taking a prolonged recess to Feb. 16 when the bulk of the lawmaking is expected to resume. The hope is that coronavirus cases in Colorado will have decreased by then. The decision to take the recess was made before lawmakers were moved up in line to receive the vaccine.
Rep. Daneya Esgar, the House majority leader, said the schedule is based on advice from public health officials who are worried about rising case counts from New Years Eve celebrations and the holidays. It was to give us that space and time to make sure our COVID numbers go down, said Esgar, D-Pueblo.
House Republican leader Hugh McKean said he contacted his doctor to ask whether he should get the vaccine ahead of the session, given the potential for exposure in the Capitol. If its necessary, McKean said he would rather the people who need it more than me take it.
My advice to my members has been that they need to consult with their physician and determine what their risk level is, the Loveland lawmaker said Monday. And if they want to take advantage of the vaccine or not, its really up to them.
Sage Naumann, a spokesman for Republicans in the Colorado Senate, said the caucus was not consulted about making the vaccine available to lawmakers.
The decision to be offered the vaccine was not our caucus choice, nor were we asked of our opinion before the decision was made, he said in a written statement. Our members have been encouraged to speak to their doctors and come to their own, private medical decision.
The vaccine also is being offered early to credentialed journalists who regularly cover the Colorado legislature, including two Colorado Sun reporters.
Even if Colorado lawmakers are vaccinated this week, they likely wont be able to fully benefit from the vaccine when they return Feb. 16.
Thats because the vaccines must be given in two doses several weeks apart. For the Pfizer vaccine, there is supposed to be a 21-day break between when someone receives their first and second doses. For the Moderna vaccine, 28 days is recommended between the two doses.
After the two doses are administered, it then takes several more weeks for the full power of the vaccine to kick in.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website. That means its possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Fenberg said the session schedule is flexible, but Democratic leadership is unlikely to delay lawmaking even further to allow more time for lawmakers to build immunity against COVID-19. This is about mitigating risk, he said. Its not about eliminating risk.
Even with the vaccine rollout, Fenberg added that there will continue to be public health protocols in place for the sessions start, including rapid testing, social-distancing and mask-wearing requirements at the Capitol. The requirements are expected to persist to help protect members of the public and staff in the building even after lawmakers are vaccinated.
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Press Releases
01/11/2021
(HARTFORD, CT) Governor Ned Lamont and other state officials today are warning Connecticut residents that as the COVID-19 vaccine continues to become available to more people, they should be aware of potential scams related to the vaccine and be on the lookout for certain warning signs that can help them avoid being scammed.
Residents are reminded that:
If anyone becomes aware of a vaccine-related scam or believes they may be the victim of a scam, they should file a complaint with state and local authorities:
This is a crucial time for Connecticuts response efforts and I am happy that we are among the states leading the nation in our vaccination efforts, Governor Lamont said. But I know where there is success, scams can follow, and we cant let bad actors interfere with our efforts to ensure our residents are healthy, and we bounce back from this pandemic strong. I encourage anyone who see suspicious behavior or signs of a scam to report it.
As Connecticut continues to serve as a model for states across the nation for its vaccination efforts, its critical that we dont let bad actors disrupt our monumental progress, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. Its important for our residents to help us be our watchdogs by reporting suspicious behavior, such as individuals asking for your Social Security number or bank account information, or promising early access to the vaccine.
Getting vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do to stop COVID-19, Attorney General William Tong said. Scammers are out there looking to profit off our anticipation and anxiety. There is no miracle cure, and you cannot pay to jump the line. Make sure you are getting information directly from reputable sources, including your employer, your medical provider or the states ct.gov/covidvaccine site.
Getting vaccinated is an important step in stopping the spread of COVID-19, Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said. Unfortunately, scammers often follow the news cycle and may try to take advantage of people in a high stress time. So, the Department of Consumer Protection is reminding the public to be vigilant and to take steps to protect themselves from both scams and COVID-19.
To protect yourself and your family it is important to remain aware of the signs of a scam, Connecticut Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James C. Rovella said. If you believe you have fallen victim to a scam, notify state and local law enforcement and local public health officials as soon as possible.
For the most up-to-date information about where, when, and how to receive the vaccine in Connecticut, visit the states website at ct.gov/covidvaccine.
General information about the vaccine is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19.
The 2-1-1 information hotline is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions.
The former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Sunday warned that the U.S. strategy for administering the COVID-19 vaccine is not working and urged public health officials to develop a new strategy to speed up vaccinations across the country.
As the U.S. is experiencing a soaring number of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, efforts to quickly get the critical COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of patients has lagged.
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So far, 22.1 million doses have been distributed across the country, with nearly9 million people receiving the first shot of the two-dose vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Late last year, health officials had projected that 20 million people would receive the shot before the start of 2021.
The lack of a federal plan for getting the vaccines to millions of patients has left state and local officials in charge of the crucial final step, creating a patchwork of different strategies across the country.
We really need to get this vaccine out more quickly because this is really our only tool, our only backstop against the spread of these new variants. If we can get a lot of people vaccinated quickly, we might be able to get enough protective immunity into the population that this stops spreading at the rate that it is, Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the FDA, said during an interview with CBS Face the Nation Sunday.
So, we need to acknowledge that its not working. We need to hit the reset and adopt a new strategy in trying to get out to patients, he said.
Gottlieb has suggested releasing all available supply of the vaccine and to make the shots more widely available to those ages 65 and up. The Trump administration has been holding back half of the available doses to make sure there is enough supply for everyone who is getting a first dose to later get the second dose as well.
You have 40 million [doses] on the shelf. You have 50 million Americans above the age of 65. So, we have supply to push it out to that population more aggressively, he said.
President-elect Joe Biden last week announced he would release more COVID-19 vaccine doses immediately to administer as many shots as possible once he assumes office on Jan. 20. The Biden transition said it is confident Pfizer and Moderna can supply the government with additional doses as the ones in storage are released.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. Shelby County once again has the COVID vaccine and will resume vaccinations as soon as Tuesday.
The state is giving the health department 8,900 doses of vaccine per week through the end of January. Itll be available to first responders, health care workers and other priority groups and by appointment only.
With more doses of the COVID vaccine on the way to Shelby County and vaccinations to resume Tuesday, there are still questions about wholl get it and when?
Dr. Steve Threlkeld is an Infectious Disease Specialist at Baptist Hospital in Memphis says health officials have their work cut out for them.
Of course its extremely critical. We still have those two arms of jobs in front of us, Threlkeld said. The first job right now I think is to get the vaccine going. Its taken over as a number one job. We got to get as many people the vaccine as we can. its the ultimate way out of this mess.
The health department will use the Pipkin Building at the Mid-South Fairgrounds to vaccinate those in phase one-a-one, and you must have an appointment. That group now includes funeral home, mortuary workers and people 75 years old and older.
The health department also says all appointments for the month of January have been filled as of January 9th.
Its a point for Shelby County, and its a point of encouragement that our folks have gotten all of the vaccine distributed that they had available to them. Kudos thats what we have to do everywhere in this country. It is a point against us all that we dont have more, Threlkeld said.
Whats still unknown is whats the status of those health care workers, first responders and other priority groups who are supposed to receive a second dose of the vaccine.
Should they receive it, or should it be given to another priority group?
So far, we should be on pace to give people that second vaccine, but I think we have a duty to those people who we vaccinated first to give them in fact their second vaccine. Thats why theres no question thats why with the production line we need to find out where the holdup is because it seems to be a little different in every state, Threlkeld said.
To get vaccinated, those with an appointment only must present an ID and proof of eligibility, including age, professional license, or a letter from an employer.
For more information you should visit the health departments website.
UW Health technician Nikolas Gardner puts COVID-19 vaccines into cold storage.(Photo: UW Heath, Madison handout)
Police and firefighters will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine starting next week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Monday, marking the state's transition into the second phase of the vaccine rollout.
Wisconsin is in the midst of vaccinatingmore than half a million health care workers and long-term care residents as part of Phase 1A, with priority given to frontline hospital staff and skilled nursing facilities.
"Operationally, this is a seamless way to begin our movement into Phase 1B, since our police and fire departments are already working so closely with EMS and our local and tribal health departments across the state," DHS deputy directorJulie Willems Van Dijk said at a press briefing Monday.
Technically, the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee, which oversees Wisconsin's vaccine distribution effort,has not yet finalized which groups of people will be included in the second round of vaccinations.
That process, which must include a public comment period and a committee vote, could take a few more weeks. As of Friday, the committee was looking to includepolice and firefighters, people who are 70 years old and up, teachers, incarcerated people, corrections workers and those in congregate living.
Willems Van Dijk said DHS still plans to reviewthe committee's advice for Phase 1B as well as the public comments, but moved forward with firefighters and police because it was highly likely they would be included anyway.The committee's recommendations are not binding.
"It's a balancing act between this important process and keeping the vaccine moving," Willem Van Dijk said.
Last week, some firefighters and paramedics said they were frustrated that they had not yet been able to access the vaccine. According to health officials, EMS personnel are considered part of Phase 1A because theirprimary job is medical response, but the majority of firefighters and police are not licensed as EMS.
Josh Morby, spokesman for the Wisconsin EMS Association, called the announcement "great news."
"The fact that DHS announced theyre already putting together a plan to move onto Phase 1B is good news for us, because it means they have enough vaccinations or have a line on enough vaccinations to address those in Phase 1A," hesaid.
As of Monday, the state health department reported administering 151,518vaccine doses, including more than 11,000 second doses. That's roughly half of the doses that have been shipped to Wisconsin or provided to pharmacies for long-term care facilities.
TheJournal Sentinel is tracking the progress of the vaccine rollout on its COVID-19 data page here.
When asked why the state hasn't used up all of its available doses, Willem Van Dijk said about two-thirds of the availabledoses are technically still in the shipping process and the rest are set tobe used this week.
She estimated vaccines will become available to the general public aroundlate spring to early summer.
"Its something well know better week by week as we move along," she said.
The announcement that Wisconsin was moving to the next phase of the vaccination program comes as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths begin to rise again in the state.
The seven-day average for cases hit its lowest point in 3 months Dec. 26 after the fall spike, but has been rising since. The state reported 1,456 new cases Monday and five more deaths.
Gov. Tony Evers and state health officials have repeatedly said the state is limited by the supply of vaccine it is receiving from the federal government.
The state is currently administering around 70,000 doses per week, but needs 125,000 per week to reach President-elect Joe Biden's goal of 1 million doses per day, health officials said.
On Monday, Evers again calledon the federal government to increase the amount of doses in the states weekly allocations.For the first time since the rollout began, vaccinators in Wisconsinasked for more doses than the state had in supply, he said.
In a state where our statewide mitigation strategies have been struck down and challenged time and time again, it is absolutely critical that Wisconsin get additional doses of vaccine to meet demand and box in the virus," the governor said in a statement.
Evers was also part of a coalition of Midwest governors who sent a letter to the federal government asking for additional vaccine last week.
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Starting Monday, San Mateo County is offering a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic for eligible health care workers and vulnerable residents.
The clinic -- which uses the Moderna vaccine -- begins at 1 p.m. at the San Mateo County Event Center at 1346 Saratoga Drive in San Mateo.
Vaccinations will be available to workers and residents eligible under Phase 1A of the state's vaccine distribution guidelines. That phase includes the following groups: those at risk of COVID-19 through work at health care or long-term care settings (including non-clinical staff), and residents of nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and long-term care settings for older or vulnerable individuals.
San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors president David Canepa announced the mass vaccination clinic in a statement Monday.
"This is the best news I've heard in a long time and shows that the dark days of winter will be over soon," Canepa said.
People interested in being vaccinated at the drive-thru site must complete an online form to confirm eligibility. Registration and appointment information will be available once eligibility is confirmed.
The clinic will open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday then from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
There are approximately 38,000 health care workers and 12,000 long-term care residents in the county. Bill Silverfarb, policy advisor to Canepa, said approximately 12,000 people have been vaccinated from the county's vaccine allocation of 22,000 so far. That does not include workers within medical systems like Kaiser Permanente or Sutter Health, which have separate vaccine allocations.
Silverfarb said the clinic is expected to continue as long as there are vaccine doses available. The second vaccination dose will be available in four weeks via a similar clinic.
People in Phase 1A who have health plans through Kaiser Permanente may obtain the vaccine through their primary care provider at Kaiser.
For more information on Phase 1A vaccine eligibility, people can visit the San Mateo County health web page.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- Technology can sometimes get a bad rap when it comes to kids and too much screen time. But before unplugging, it's important to know about the benefits technology can offer.
Games, TV, social media. They can grab your child's attention in an instant, and it can oftentimes be hard to shut off.
Some teachers across Maryland question if the COVID-19 vaccine will be required Fox Baltimore
