King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a $7 million allocation toward creating high volume COVID-19 vaccination sites as well as mobile vaccination units.
Public Health officials in Seattle and King County estimate that it will be necessary to vaccinate at least 70 percent of all adults, or approximately 1.26 million people, to effectively control the virus and its spread.
To get this pandemic under control, 16,000 adults must be vaccinated every day for six months, said Constantine. Thats why we need everyone behind this effort.
Constantine said the county is moving to roll out the vaccination efforts despite a solid vaccine supply chain or federal funding due to the time sensitive nature of the pandemic. He said he expects the county to be reimbursed by either the state or federal government.
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski emphasized the need to make the countywide vaccination process equitable, efficient and accessible. He explained that the goal was for people to not require appointments or documentation.
Dembowski encouraged cooperation and support for this vaccination effort from the private sector, explaining that vaccine infrastructure in the county has increasingly relied on private partners.
Patty Hayes, director of Public Health for Seattle and King County, said uninsured residents should be able to get the vaccine for free.
She said there will first be two high volume vaccination sites in South King County where the need for the vaccine is the greatest. It is currently unclear exactly where those sites will be and when they will be there, she said.
Hayes said the county is waiting on the expanded supply of the vaccine before ramping up efforts to vaccinate the population.
We see that light at the end of the tunnel, she said.
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As states try to broaden the reach of their coronavirus vaccination campaigns and navigate uncertain supply chains, many of the first people to receive their shots are just now completing the final act of immunity, the second dose, which boosts the efficacy of both available US vaccines to about 95 percent.
Many health care workers and others at high risk who had the Pfizer shots in mid December lined up for their booster shot this week, due to be given 21 days after the initial dose.
The second shot carries many of the same logistical challenges as the first one, from cold chain requirements to administering the dose safely, plus the added challenge of ensuring the second dose is actually available to the correct people according to the drugmakers dosing timeline.
In the United States, we are still struggling in many ways with our ability to simply get the vaccine into peoples arms, so the second dose adds further difficulties, says Dr. Glenn Morris, director of Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida.
The availability of the doses, and the progress in reaching everyone in the 1A phase, still varies considerably across the U.S.
The issue is really the unpredictable nature of the shipments, says Maryellen Guinan of Americas Essential Hospitals, a group that represents more than 300 public hospitals around the U.S.
So far, there dont appear to be widespread problems with people missing their second dose, but experts say its still early and the feasibility of a two-shot mass vaccine effort will be tested in the coming weeks, especially as those who received the Moderna vaccine await their follow up shot, which comes 28 days after the first.
More than 6.6 million people have received their initial shot in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There isnt national data on the completion rate for the second shot.
If youre having trouble keeping up with the crowds anyway, then it starts getting tricky and that reduces your ability to give a first dose to more people simply because you dont have the logistics in place, says Morris.
Health care workers sigh of relief
In Bellingham, Wash., a second sore arm came as a relief to ICU nurse Kate Marn, who cares for COVID-19 patients at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, the major hospital serving this quiet corner of the U.S., the last stop before the international border.
Im just much more afraid of COVID than I am the vaccine, says Marn. Ive seen people die. Ive seen people very, very sick.
PeaceHealth runs clinics and hospitals throughout the Pacific Northwest, and has already given the vaccine to about 3,000 workers in Washington.
Dr. Megan Ellingsen did not need anyone to convince her to show up for her second shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
Right before the hospice doctor got her fist shot, she did a procedure on a dying cancer patient at his home.
A week later, we found out he had COVID, Ellingsen says. I was in the small bathroom with him for 45 minutes and you can imagine how frightening that was.
So far, PeaceHealth has not run into any major problems involving the second dose, according to hospital executive Charles Prosper.
We have had some limitations on the vaccine supply, but were seeing that increase with greater capacity, says Prosper.
Earlier this week, PeaceHealth did encounter a 2-day delay with the arrival of its second shots, but the health care system had already saved up enough doses as a buffer just in case.
To date, that has actually kept us in good shape with no risk of individuals missing their second dose, says Prosper.
Supply chain angst for some hospitals
But supplies are less certain in some parts of the country.
Florida has directed hospitals not to save up any doses, which puts more pressure on manufacturers to deliver the second doses according to schedule.
Certainly it creates some angst, says Mary Mayhew, president of the Florida Hospital Association.
Everybody wants to have the staff scheduled to administer the shots, the appointments ready, and it is just simply challenging to manage all of that without having the certainty of when that will arrive.
So far, the Pfizer second doses have arrived automatically according to the schedule and Mayhew says she is confident the Moderna shipment will also come as planned, although Florida hospitals have not yet received them.
With so many people already eligible to receive the shot in Florida, more than 4 million seniors, Mayhew says the state is quickly running through their supplies.
We have a lot of hospitals that are either out of the vaccine or will be running out of vaccine in a handful of days, she says. The bottom line is demand is absolutely far exceeding supply.
Because the U.S. vaccine rollout is going slower than promised, some scientists and health care leaders have argued the second shot should be skipped for now.
The U.K. and other countries are pursuing a one shot approach given the skyrocketing case counts and the emergence of a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus.
But the Food and Drug Administration has rejected the suggestion that the dosing schedule be modified, calling it premature and not rooted solidly in the available evidence.
The agency authorized both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines based on a two dose course.
The University of Floridas Glenn Morris says there could be a compelling reason to delay the second dose, if the vaccine rollout is faltering in certain communities.
We have gone with the strategy of every state for itself and within many states, every county for itself, and so within those circumstances, there may be instances where delaying a dose may make sense, Morris says.
There is already a longstanding dilemma with vaccines that require multiple doses. Research shows that introducing one extra step leads to fewer people following through, says Dr. A Mark Fendrick, who directs the University of Michigans Center for Value-Based Insurance Design.
Since last summer, Ive been concerned about this two shot problem, he says. Fendrick says the good news it that one of the biggest barriers, money, has largely been removed since the vaccine is being given for free, but there are still many other hurdles, whether thats taking time off work, concerns about extra side effects or a sense of complacency that one is enough.
He recommends giving people personalized reminders about getting the shot and small financial rewards for completing the final dose. We cant let the last leg of this remarkable COVID vaccine journey, this so-called two dose problem, stop us from the quest to get our lives back, he says.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine finally provided some answers this week about how the next group of Ohioans would get the coronavirus vaccine. But questions remain.
Many questions, in fact. Like how, specifically, the state is working with doctors offices and who is handling vaccines for school workers, to name just a couple.
Readers have shared a lot of their questions with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, and they helped us come up with a hefty list. Answers to these queries will give the public a picture of what the vaccine effort will look like in coming weeks and months.
We sent a dozen of them to spokespeople for the Ohio Department of Health and DeWine on Friday afternoon. We hope to get them answered next week.
-Are county emergency management agencies adequately equipped and funded to do what they are being asked to do? If not, will that be up to the counties to remedy?
-How will the state work with doctors offices to ensure they have enough appointments lined up in advance, so that when they get a shipment theyll be able to use it within five days, since they wont have the freezers needed to keep the vaccine at required temperatures?
-What communication has been made to physicians, or groups representing physicians, to explain how they can participate? When did that communication go out?
-How will hospitals, doctors offices, health departments and others coordinate to make sure someone isnt getting vaccinated multiple times? Will there be some type of database?
-What is the role of hospitals that the state envisions for the vaccination program?
- How has information about vaccinating adult staffs in schools been communicated to school districts? And when?
- Who will handle the school vaccinations? Will vaccinations be provided to school districts to handle on their own? What are the logistics, given the temperature requirements for the vaccines?
-If someone receives one vaccine dose and contracts COVID, will they be disqualified from receiving the second dose? What if someone is still ill when theyre supposed to show up for their second dose?
-Since the vaccines have different rates of efficacy and some require two doses and others (such as the yet-to-be approved Johnson and Johnson vaccine) will only require one dose, can we pick which vaccine we get?
-Will you provide a list of conditions for people in the severe degenerative and developmental group that would make them eligible starting on Jan. 25? Also, how are they going to prove that they have these conditions?
-Many readers are interested in getting those vaccines that were not administered due to prioritized people declining or missing their scheduled appointment. Will there be a daily list of where people can go to ensure shots dont spoil and we continue vaccinating the population?
- Can nurses, other medical professionals or other people volunteer to help with the vaccine distribution?
In Ohio, vaccinations are being completed for the 1A group, which is health care workers and nursing and other congregate home residents.
DeWine on Thursday announced some details about the next group, 1B, which will include 2.2 million older Ohioans, K-12 school staff and people with severe congenital, developmental, other disorders. That group will begin the week of Jan. 19, starting with the oldest people. They will receive their shots from physicians, local health departments, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, retail pharmacies and in-home health service providers.
Some of these providers will require pre-registration for people to get the shot. Others will offer drive-through vaccine clinics. Local emergency management agencies are expected to have press conferences next week to provide more details to residents in each Ohio county.
Meanwhile, there are still more questions to answer. Here are some that were researching:
- How much will vaccinations cost the average person with and without insurance, as well as people on government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid? How much will co-pays cost?
-Can employers mandate workers be vaccinated? And what proof will be required will there be some sort of database, a wallet card or a smartphone app that people can show to confirm theyve received both doses?
-Whats in each vaccine? Where can people go to learn about potential allergies? If someone is allergic to the ingredients in one of the vaccines, can they request to get the other? Has anyone been hospitalized as a result of a COVID-19 allergy?
- How long will it take before the states population is vaccinated? Whats the estimated timeframe until general public can get it?
- Weve seen different percentages from experts of the population that needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity from 70% to 94%. What is the percent Ohio is aiming for? And when this is achieved, can we finally quit wearing masks, socially distancing and other measures?
-As the vaccine is opened up to more and more groups, were hearing from some people under age 65 who say they have medical conditions such as diabetes or are dialysis patients that they think should allow them to be placed at the front of the line. Will this be possible?
-Can people in the younger age groups of 1B such as people age 65 with co-morbidities get the vaccine before others in their age group?
-What if you live in Ohio but arent a resident? What sort of documentation do you need? Were thinking of college students, anyone who has recently moved, etc.
-One reader writes: When will college students going out on clinical rotations be able to get the vaccine? Were not a priority demographic age wise, nor are we health care workers, but we will be in health care settings very soon.
- How long is the vaccine expected to be effective for? Will we need to be revaccinated at some time?
-When are home health aides going to get vaccinated?
-Are the manufacturers, doctors, nurses and their respective facilities responsible for any harm, injury or death to anyone?
Well post answers to these questions when we get them.
NEWBURYPORT More than 200 first responders in eight Greater Newburyport communities will have the opportunity to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine against the coronavirus next week as the cityhosts a clinicinside the Community Center.
Newburyport Health Agent FrankGiacalone said the first doses will be administeredThursday, Jan. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m. The second dose then will be givenSaturday, Jan. 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
The clinic covers first responders in Amesbury, Salisbury, Newburyport, Merrimac, West Newbury, Newbury, Georgetown and Rowley.
"I am very excited to be in a collaborativeto do this for our first responders. They're out there and just to beable to administer it to them (is great news),"Giacalone said. He added that it was heartening to see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of putting the coronavirus virus behind the nation and the world.
Giacalone stressed the clinic is not for the general public but for firefighters, police officers, ambulance and EMT workers, and harbormasters.
First responders are part of the first phase of a three-phase rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. Healthcare workers directly working with COVID-19 patients were the first group to have access to the vaccine followed by those living or working in nursing homes andassisted living facilities.
The second phase includes anyone over 65 years of age, those who have preexisting health conditions,educators, grocery store workers, sanitation workers and others.
The vaccine will be made available to the general public in phase three, according to state health officials.
As part of those guidelines, the state required at least 200 first responders be at each clinic, promptingGiacaloneand other health agents toagree on a central location and date.According toGiacalone, the decision to hold the clinic in Newburyport was finalized Thursday.
Shortly before the two clinics, those administratingthe vaccine,most likelyhealth department and school nurses will be vaccinated.
Salisbury police Chief Thomas Fowler said he held a meeting with his officers with the knowledge a clinic would be taking place last week and that a majority of his officers said they would be vaccinated.
"Although we are not mandating it, I am strongly recommending it," Fowler said.
Giacalone said the state has sent him 800 dosesof the vaccine which are stored at Anna Jaques Hospital.
"So thanks to them for helping it out," Giacalone said.
The original plan was to store the vaccine inside asuper cold freezer located within the Health Department. But the freezer failed before the vaccine ever reached the building, promptingGiacaloneto ask hospital officials to store the vaccine there.
"As soon as we received the shipment we sent it over to Anna Jaques,"he said.
In a written statement AJHPresident Mark Goldstein said serving the community was of "deep importance" to the hospital.
While we remain focused on rolling out the vaccine to our staff and providers, we are working closely with Mayor (Donna) Holaday to support the regional efforts to vaccinate first responders in the communities we serve, Goldstein said.
As for when the general public will be able to get vaccinated, Giacalone said he wished he had a "crystal ball," and warned it would be a complicated step-by-stependeavor.
"That's going to be a work in progress,"he said.
Staff writer Dave Rogers can be reached at drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter@drogers41008.
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Instead of waiting for state or federal funding, King County leadership wants to move forward with a $7 million plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.
KING COUNTY, Wash. King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a plan Friday to spend $7 million to set up high-volume COVID-19 community vaccination sites and mobile units as the next phase of vaccinations begin.
Constantine said he is working with King County Council to direct the funds.
The sites and mobile teams will serve those eligible for the vaccine under the state's plan.
Washington is currently in Phase 1A of the vaccine plan. This phase includes at-risk health care workers, first responders and long-term care facility residents and staff. Over half a million people are included in the first phase of Washington's plan.
Phase 1B will likely not go into effect until after January. There will be four tiers of prioritization of vaccinating Washingtonians, the first of which includespeople age 70 or older and people 50 or older living in multi-generational households.
The sites, according to King County Executive Dow Constantine, will be similar to the COVID-19 testing sites. They will be "vital" for people who do not have regular healthcare.
According to information from the county, two vaccination centers will be created, most likely in south King County. The south end of the county has higher incidence of COVID-19 along with other health disparities, according to the county.
The funding will come out of King County's budget. Constantine said they are "not waiting around" for the typical negotiations and contracts. However, he said the county expects to be reimbursed by the state and federal government.
As of Jan. 5, the Texas Department of State Health Services recorded COVID-19 hospitalizations in Trauma Service Area Qwhich includes Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend countiessurpassed the 15% total capacity threshold from Dec. 29-Jan. 4. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)
Read the most popular news from the past week from the Houston area.
Greater Houston
New restrictions on horizon for Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties as COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high
Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties could see public health restrictions tighten as a result of increasing COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to data by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Bay Area
League City to receive COVID-19 vaccinations from Galveston County
The Galveston County Health District Is offering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccineone of two available coronavirus vaccinesto county residents, including in League City, who meet certain criteria.
BREAKING: Former New Caney ISD Superintendent Kenn Franklin accused of stealing at least $30K from district, tampering with government record
New Caney ISD's former Superintendent Kenn Franklin, who suddenly left his position in mid-November, was arrested at 3:05 p.m. Jan. 7 and charged with alleged theft of at least $30,000 and tampering with a government record, according to arrest records from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Harris County
Bars closed, businesses back to 50% capacity in Harris County as COVID-19 hospitalizations remain above 15% threshold
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Trauma Service Area Qwhich includes Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and six other surrounding countiesexceeded 15% of total hospital capacity for the past seven consecutive days, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Montgomery County
UPDATED: Keough allows outdoor gatherings of 10 or more in Montgomery County
In the Jan. 6 video posted to social media, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough stated the county will allow outdoor gatherings of 10 people or more, in compliance with Gov. Greg Abbott's GA-32 executive order.
Adriana Rezal, Jake Magee, Kelly Schafler and Danica Lloyd contributed to this report.
(WBNG) -- The plans for the first coronavirus vaccination clinic in Tioga County are underway.
County health officials say the clinic is available to all people who are in the phase 1A priority population as state mandated, including EMS personnel, those in the health and medical field, and those administering the COVID vaccine.
Health officials say the first 100 people who get to the site will be vaccinated.
The clinic will be held Wednesday, Jan. 13 at the Owego UHS Primary Care Clinic, located at 42 West Main Street in Owego.
The county says it has partnered with UHS to distribute the vaccines, saying UHS nurses will also be administering vaccinations.
Health officials point out it is not their decision as to who gets vaccinated first. Kylie Holochak, Senior Public Health Educator said, "I think that's a really important point to make because we do get a lot of phone calls from people who think their turn should be coming soon. Unfortunately, we do not set these guidelines; this is coming from the governor's office."
All 100 spots at this first clinic have already been claimed, but officials say they plan to hold more clinics like this one in the future.
Officials say Proof of eligibility will be required at the clinic and appointments will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Information will be released once plans for future clinics are finalized
To register for the next clinic, click here.
January 6, 2021
Wright County residents are being warned to be on the lookout for telephone and email scams dealing with the COVID-19 vaccine. Instances throughout the state and the country have been reported of emails or phone callers claiming to be able to get vaccines to residents for a price.
Many of these emails and calls purport to be representing health or government agencies and ask recipients for private information, including credit card numbers. No government or health agency contacts people requesting electronic payment for a COVID-19 vaccine.
If you receive such an email or call, you are urged to report the incident to the Minnesota Attorney General's Office at the following website address: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Complaint.asp.
The vaccine clinic at PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center has started giving health care workers and others in the community their second shot of the vaccine. The hospital has saved up some doses in case of supply chain issues that could interrupt the vaccine dosing timeline. Will Stone hide caption
The vaccine clinic at PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center has started giving health care workers and others in the community their second shot of the vaccine. The hospital has saved up some doses in case of supply chain issues that could interrupt the vaccine dosing timeline.
As states try to broaden the reach of their coronavirus vaccination campaigns and navigate uncertain supply chains, many of the first people to receive their shots are just now completing the final act of immunity, the second dose, which boosts the efficacy of both available U.S. vaccines to about 95%.
Many health care workers and others at high risk who had the Pfizer shots in mid December lined up for their "booster" shot this week, due to be given 21 days after the initial dose.
The second shot carries many of the same logistical challenges as the first one, from cold chain requirements to administering the dose safely, plus the added challenge of ensuring the second dose is actually available to the correct people according to the drugmaker's dosing timeline.
"In the United States, we are still struggling in many ways with our ability to simply get the vaccine into people's arms, so the second dose adds further difficulties," says Dr. Glenn Morris, director of Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida.
The availability of the doses, and the progress in reaching everyone in the 1A phase, still varies considerably across the U.S.
"The issue is really the unpredictable nature of the shipments," says Maryellen Guinan of America's Essential Hospitals, a group that represents more than 300 public hospitals around the U.S.
So far, there don't appear to be widespread problems with people missing their second dose, but experts say it's still early and the feasibility of a two-shot mass vaccine effort will be tested in the coming weeks, especially as those who received the Moderna vaccine await their follow up shot, which comes 28 days after the first.
More than 6.6 million people have received their initial shot in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There isn't national data on the completion rate for the second shot.
"If you're having trouble keeping up with the crowds anyway, then it starts getting tricky and that reduces your ability to give a first dose to more people simply because you don't have the logistics in place," says Morris.
Health care workers sigh of relief
In Bellingham, Wash., a second sore arm came as a relief to ICU nurse Kate Marn, who cares for COVID-19 patients at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, the major hospital serving this quiet corner of the U.S., the last stop before the international border.
Lina Castillo, who works in PeaceHealth's urgent care clinic, says she had no hesitation about getting her first or second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Castillo's hospital PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Wash., has just started giving its health care workers their final shot, which makes the vaccine about 95 percent effective against COVID-19. Will Stone hide caption
Lina Castillo, who works in PeaceHealth's urgent care clinic, says she had no hesitation about getting her first or second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Castillo's hospital PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Wash., has just started giving its health care workers their final shot, which makes the vaccine about 95 percent effective against COVID-19.
"I'm just much more afraid of COVID than I am the vaccine," says Marn. "I've seen people die. I've seen people very, very sick."
PeaceHealth runs clinics and hospitals throughout the Pacific Northwest, and has already given the vaccine to about 3,000 workers in Washington.
Dr. Megan Ellingsen did not need anyone to convince her to show up for her second shot of the Pfizer vaccine.
Right before the hospice doctor got her first shot, she did a procedure on a dying cancer patient at his home.
"A week later, we found out he had COVID," Ellingsen says. "I was in the small bathroom with him for 45 minutes and you can imagine how frightening that was."
So far, PeaceHealth has not run into any major problems involving the second dose, according to hospital executive Charles Prosper.
"We have had some limitations on the vaccine supply, but we're seeing that increase with greater capacity," says Prosper.
Earlier this week, PeaceHealth did encounter a 2-day delay with the arrival of its second shots, but the health care system had already saved up enough doses as a "buffer" just in case.
"To date, that has actually kept us in good shape with no risk of individuals missing their second dose," says Prosper.
Supply chain "angst" for some hospitals
But supplies are less certain in some parts of the country.
Before the vaccine arrived at her hospital in northwest Washington, ICU nurse Kate Marn wondered if the delays would affect her chance of getting the shot quickly. This week, Marn received her final shot, calling it a "huge relief." Will Stone hide caption
Before the vaccine arrived at her hospital in northwest Washington, ICU nurse Kate Marn wondered if the delays would affect her chance of getting the shot quickly. This week, Marn received her final shot, calling it a "huge relief."
Florida has directed hospitals not to save up any doses, which puts more pressure on manufacturers to deliver the second doses according to schedule.
"Certainly it creates some angst," says Mary Mayhew, president of the Florida Hospital Association.
"Everybody wants to have the staff scheduled to administer the shots, the appointments ready, and it is just simply challenging to manage all of that without having the certainty of when that will arrive."
So far, the Pfizer second doses have arrived automatically according to the schedule and Mayhew says she is confident the Moderna shipment will also come as planned, although Florida hospitals have not yet received them.
With so many people already eligible to receive the shot in Florida, more than 4 million seniors, Mayhew says the state is quickly running through their supplies.
"We have a lot of hospitals that are either out of the vaccine or will be running out of vaccine in a handful of days," she says. "The bottom line is demand is absolutely far exceeding supply."
Because the U.S. vaccine rollout is going slower than promised, some scientists and health care leaders have argued the second shot should be skipped for now.
The U.K. and other countries are pursuing a one shot approach given the skyrocketing case counts and the emergence of a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus.
But the Food and Drug Administration has rejected the suggestion that the dosing schedule be modified, calling it "premature and not rooted solidly in the available evidence."
The agency authorized both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines based on a two dose course.
The University of Florida's Glenn Morris says there could be a compelling reason to delay the second dose, if the vaccine rollout is faltering in certain communities.
"We have gone with the strategy of every state for itself and within many states, every county for itself, and so within those circumstances, there may be instances where delaying a dose may make sense," Morris says.
There is already a longstanding dilemma with vaccines that require multiple doses. Research shows that introducing one extra step leads to fewer people following through, says Dr. A Mark Fendrick, who directs the University of Michigan's Center for Value-Based Insurance Design.
"Since last summer, I've been concerned about this two shot problem," he says. Fendrick says the good news it that one of the biggest barriers, money, has largely been removed since the vaccine is being given for free, but there are still many other hurdles, whether that's taking time off work, concerns about extra side effects or a sense of "complacency that one is enough."
He recommends giving people personalized reminders about getting the shot and small financial rewards for completing the final dose. "We can't let the last leg of this remarkable COVID vaccine journey, this so-called two dose problem, stop us from the quest to get our lives back," he says.
