Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

We have to ensure that the experience, particularly for our elders, including frail elders, is as easy as possible, Dr. Chokshi said.

For now, many older adults are getting help from friends and relatives, but even that is no guarantee of success. In Riverdale, in the Bronx, Annette Gaudino, who works as policy director for a health advocacy organization, had been trying to register her 95-year-old mother for two days, checking multiple locations. She was not sure if she would be allowed to accompany her to the appointment.

My mom is increasingly confused, needs a walker and has a part-time home care aide who also needs vaccination, she said. Theres got to be a better way.

Joan Jeffri, 76, who lives in Midwood, Brooklyn and who was frustrated after being confirmed for an urgent care appointment only to be told later that they had no vaccine sent a letter to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo alerting him to the problems.

The lightest moment in her last few days, she said, was when she clicked on the link to her local Rite Aid through the citys website, only to be told there were 11,624 people waiting to enter the website in front of her.

I burst out laughing, she said.

Her daughter-in-law finally got her an appointment at a city site after two hours of effort, and she goes for her shot in two weeks.

Everyone I speak to is insanely and completely frustrated, Ms. Jeffri said, and has spent between two and eight hours or more trying to get through.

Sean Piccoli contributed reporting.

Excerpt from:

The Red Tape Facing Older People Who Want the Covid-19 Vaccine - The New York Times

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Those working to get eligible people vaccinated against COVID-19 have discovered some are taking advantage of the multiple-provider system by setting up multiple appointments, thus slowing down an already difficult rollout process with last-minute cancellations or no-shows.

"We are seeing some people who are registering to get vaccinated on multiple sites for multiple appointments and this is a real issue because when you make your registration, a set of things goes into motion," Kent County Health Department spokesman Steve Kelso told News 8 Friday.

Read more here:

Calvin University to become COVID-19 vaccination site - WOODTV.com

During Miami County Public Healths news conference Thursday morning, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted asked people to remain patient as the state works to distribute a limited supply. Ohio expects to receive about 100,000 doses next week. Ohio has roughly 420,000 people 80 and older.

The state is working on building a central scheduling system, said Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday. In the meantime, the state is launching an online statewide vaccine provider search tool Friday morning at vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Heres how to get vaccinated in Montgomery, Warren, Greene, Miami and Preble counties:

Regional Providers

Kettering Health Network has nearly 2,000 doses available for distribution in Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Butler counties. To schedule an appointment at one of Ketterings vaccine clinics, visit ketteringhealth.org/coronavirus.

Premier Health has received 1,100 doses earmarked for the public. The hospital network will distribute the vaccine at four locations: Atrium Medical Center, Miami Valley Hospital South, Upper Valley Medical Center and a clinic across the street from Miami Valley Hospital. Area residents who are 80 years and older can call the hospital systems central hotline at 937-276-4141 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to book an appointment.

Some Kroger pharmacies in the area will be administering a limited allotment of vaccines, spokeswoman Erin Rolfes said. Starting Saturday, people can sign up for an appointment at kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine or by calling 866-211-5620.

Montgomery County

Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County has roughly 600 doses to distribute and will administer the vaccine at the Dayton Convention Center starting Wednesday. Registration began at 8:30 a.m. Friday for Montgomery County residents who are 80 years and older and filled up before noon. For future information about vaccine clinics visit phdmc.org/coronavirus-updates or call 937-225-6217.

Kettering Health will distribute the vaccine by appointment at a clinic at 2050 E. Dorothy Lane in Dayton (the former Elder Beerman store at Kettering Town Center). To schedule an appointment, visit ketteringhealth.org/coronavirus. The hospital system has been allocated 1,575 doses for Montgomery County residents.

Premier Health will be administering vaccines at a clinic across the street from Miami Valley Hospital at 25 E. Foraker St. Area residents who are 80 years and older can call the hospital systems central hotline at 937-276-4141 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment.

Five Rivers Health Centers has been allotted 600 doses. It will only distribute the vaccine at this time at its Family Health Center location at 2261 Philadelphia Dr. Beginning Sunday morning, patients can sign up for an appointment at fiverivershealthcenter.org.

Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton has been allotted 900 doses. Residents can call central scheduling at 937-461-6869 to make an appointment at one of its six locations.

Warren County

According to the Warren County Health Districts website, all vaccines it has received or will be receiving over the next week have been scheduled for distribution by appointment. The earliest additional vaccine may be available through the department is Jan. 25. As the department receives more information about shipments, announcements will be posted at warrenchd.com/c19-vaccine.

Phase 1B eligible residents can schedule an appointment (subject to availability) by calling the dedicated scheduling line at 513-695-7468.

The health departments website states: The Warren County Health District only receives 300 400 doses per week for the entire county. There will be very limited vaccine availability for the first few months.

Greene County

Greene County Public Health announced on Wednesday that all Phase 1B eligible residents should register at healthalert.gcph.info/COVID19/signup or by calling 937-374-5600 to receive information about clinics. The health department will not share information publicly to avoid non-eligible people showing up.

Kettering Health announced Thursday that it will provide most of its doses allotted for Greene County through the health department but will also distribute 40 doses by appointment through a clinic at Jamestown Health Center. To schedule an appointment at one of Ketterings vaccine clinics, visit ketteringhealth.org/coronavirus.

Residents can go to premierhealth.com/vaccine to get more information as it becomes available on making an appointment to receive the vaccine at Premier Health locations.

Miami County

Premier Health is receiving 400 doses for Miami County next week. Residents can go to premierhealth.com/vaccine to get more information as it becomes available on making an appointment at Upper Valley Medical Center.

The Kroger pharmacies in Troy and Piqua are also receiving an allotment to distribute next week, said Miami County Health Commissioner Dennis Propes, but he had no details to provide. According to Krogers website, its pharmacies will be scheduling appointments at kroger.com/ohiocovidvaccine.

After opening registration Thursday morning, Miami County Public Healths vaccine clinic was booked by Thursday afternoon through next week. It stopped scheduling appointments, but registration will reopen once Public Health receives details on its next allocation. At that time, eligible residents can make an appointment at miamicountyhealth.net/vaccine-registration or 937-573-3461.

Clinics are being held at Public Health at 51 W. Water St. in Troy.

Public Health is scheduled to receive 600 doses for next week, 100 doses of which are from Kettering Health.

Preble County

Vaccinations through Preble County Public Health will be by appointment only. Starting today, people 80 years of age and older may register to be vaccinated at a clinic on Jan. 19 or two clinics on Jan. 21 through vaccinatepreble.com. If you have issues registering or need to cancel, call 937-336-8402.

Preble County Public Health is still seeking medical and nonmedical volunteers to help with the distribution. Volunteers will work through their Medical Reserve Corps program. If interested in volunteering, please call 937-472-0087, extension 207, or email suzy@preblecountyhealth.org.

Ohioans younger than 65 with the following severe congenital, developmental, or early-onset medical disorders are eligible for the vaccine beginning Jan. 25 as part of Phase 1B:

- cerebral palsy

- spina bifida

- congenital heart disease

- type 1 diabetes

- inherited metabolic disorders

- severe neurologic disorders including epilepsy

- severe genetic disorders including Down Syndrome, Fragile X, Prader Willi Syndrome, Turner Syndrome

- severe lung disease including cystic fibrosis and severe asthma

- sickle cell anemia

- alpha- and beta-thalassemia

Children with these medical conditions cannot yet get the coronavirus vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is authorized for use in people 18 years and older and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for use in people 16 years and older.

Community Conversations: Where do we stand with the coronavirus vaccine?

As part of our commitment to keeping readers informed about the COVID-19 vaccine and evolving plans to distribute it, the Dayton Daily News will host its second hour-long virtual discussion on the vaccine streamed live on our Facebook page at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan 19. After Tuesday, the video will be available for playback on our Facebook page and our website.

The free event includes a panel of local experts and is hosted by Dayton Daily News Community Impact Editor Amelia Robinson, with assistance from Editor Jim Bebbington and reporter Jordan Laird.

Excerpt from:

Coronavirus vaccine available to elderly by appointment next week. Heres how to sign up. - Dayton Daily News

WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) The big topic of conversations right now is when youll get the coronavirus vaccine. While the state doesnt have a clear plan, Washington County is putting the information in one place.

We regularly meet with the commissioners and the hospitals in the county, said Washington County Public Safety Director Jeff Yates.

Yates told KDKA there was no real way to keep track of who was and wasnt vaccinated, so a solution was born.

Its designed for the groups, not an individual registration, but the 1A, the 1B and the 1C, although we are focusing on 1A right now, Yates said.

On the county website, youll find a Google document form for vaccine registration. That can also be found at here.

Essential workers from Washington, Fayette and Greene counties can use it to register an organization. The goal is to vaccinate a group of people at one time like a police department or a school district.

On that form, you fill in the number of people needing vaccinated, a contact person, the contact persons information and finally pick a site where theyd like to be vaccinated, Yates said.

While the obvious choice for sites are the two hospitals in the county, Yates said a number of independent pharmacies have stepped up to be added to the list.

If there is a certain entity that has surplus vaccine, they can go to the list and see who in the 1A list still needs done and they can contact them to see if they are interested. It makes it more efficient in getting the 1A group done and not waste vaccines, Yates said.

The site is live for any group in Phase 1 to register. Now when it comes time to vaccinate the public individually, Yates said the process may need to be reevaluated.

Our vaccinators are really the ones looking at it and using it. It really functions as a gateway to get these groups into the system, Yates said.

The registration form is a partnership between the county, Mon Valley Hospital, Washington Health System, Centerville Clinics and Cornerstone Clinics.

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COVID-19 In Washington County: Online Registration Form Connects Organizations With Vaccinators - CBS Pittsburgh

A COVID-19 vaccine made partly by Texas scientists with research from a Texas university may soon be ready for global distribution, but it's not allowed in the U.S.

HOUSTON, Texas Inside the halls of Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Dr. Peter Hotez and his team rush tofinalize work they startedin 2011.

We adopted a coronavirus vaccine program about a decade ago because it was in dire straits. Nobody cared about coronavirus, Dr. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine Baylor College of Medicine Houston, said.

The program looked to create SARS and MERS vaccines. Dr. Hotez said his team was in a good position to focus on the vaccine for SARS-coV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.

We use a technology that's around 40 years old. The same one used to make the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, Dr. Hotez said.

The vaccine is in trial in India.

We're not part of Operation Warp Speed because we're not a pharma company ... you have to have financial support, Dr. Hotez said.

The Baylor vaccine is cheaper to make and sell.

The great thing about India is Indias got this tradition of making vaccines for the world. Serum Institute of India in Poona (now Pune) near Mumbai, is the world's largest producer of vaccines ... We think ours could come in as a low-cost global health vaccine for the world, which is going to be important because those mRNA vaccines probably are not going to filter to low- and middle-income countries anytime soon, Dr. Hotez said.

The vaccine must be used globally.

It feels really good to be able to make such a global contribution. At the same time, Im frustrated that we can't bring that back into the U.S. easily because if we can make it, we can make a billion doses. It could solve a lot of problems here in the U.S. as a low-cost vaccine, Dr. Hotez said.

Most of the vaccines will go toCOVAX, a global initiative 190 countries joined but the U.S. decided to not take part.

We'd love to be able to bring it back into the U.S., maybe as a pediatric vaccine for parents who may not be so eager to vaccinate their kids with the new-technology vaccines, Dr. Hotez said.

We're trying to knock on doors and that sort of thing. You would think, right, with all the demand, people wringing their hands, 'Are we going to have enough vaccine?' It wouldn't be so tough. But, you know, because we're not a pharmaceutical company, that kind of thing falls through the cracks in that way, Dr. Hotez said.

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Texas researchers will soon have a COVID-19 vaccine in 190 countries, but not the US - KHOU.com

Oregon will not receive an increased shipment of COVID-19 vaccines, Gov. Brown said Friday. As a result, the state is delaying vaccinating seniors.

PORTLAND, Ore Oregon and other states will not receive increased shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from the national stockpile next week because no such stockpile exists, Gov. Kate Brown said Friday.

Earlier this week, Brown announced that people over 65, teachers and child care providers would be eligible for the vaccine on Jan. 23. The announcement was based on the expectation that Oregon would receive more shipments of the vaccine.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Brown said Oregon will begin vaccinating educators and other school staff on Jan. 25, but the state will delay vaccinating seniors for two weeks. Oregonians 80 and older will be eligible for vaccines starting Feb. 8. Over the following three weeks, Oregon plans to vaccinate more seniors in waves:

In a series of tweets Friday morning, Brown said she learned there was no federal vaccine reserve Thursday night. The news was confirmed to her by General Gustave Perna, who is the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administrations effort to quickly develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.

I am demanding answers from the Trump administration, Brown said. I am shocked and appalled that they have set an expectation on which they could not deliver, with such grave consequences.

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director Patrick Allen wrote a letter to Human Services Secretary Alex Azar after learning about the lack of a national stockpile and demanded an explanation. If this information is accurate, we will be unable to begin vaccinating our vulnerable seniors on Jan. 23 as planned, Allen wrote.

At Friday's news conference, Allen said he has not received a response to his letter. Oregon was expecting to receive 200,000 doses from the federal reserve in order to expedite vaccinations for teachers and seniors, he said.

We intend to fulfill our commitment to educators and seniors, but well need to adjust our timeline, Allen said.

The Washington Post reports that Azar announced this week that the government would begin releasing vaccines it was holding for second doses. But there were no reserves to release from. Operation Warp Speed stopped stockpiling doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the end of 2020 and took second doses off the manufacturing line.

Brown called the news deception on a national scale and said the Trump administration's empty promises are "literally playing with people's lives."

Oregons seniors, teachers, all of us, were depending on the promise of Oregons share of the federal reserve of vaccines being released to us, Brown tweeted.

Also at Friday's news conference, Legacy Health chief operating officer Trent Green announced a joint plan by major area health systems, including Legacy, Oregon Health & Science University, Kaiser Permanente and Providence, to create a mass vaccination site at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, with a goal to be up and running by Jan. 20.

Green said depending on the supply Oregon receives, health leaders will start with a model to vaccinate 5,000 people per day and scale up with the goal of vaccinating up to 25,000 per day.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said governors were told repeatedly that there was a federal reserve of vaccines, and the Trump administration "must answer immediately for this deception."

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon) said without additional supplies of vaccine, more Oregonians may have to wait to be vaccinated.

"The Trump Administration promised Oregon and other states additional supplies of vaccine from Operation Warp Speed reserves," the congresswoman said in a statement. "Now we find out that there are no reserves, which means more Oregonians have to wait longer to be vaccinated. Thousands of people are dying every day from COVID and getting vaccines to the American people is a matter of life and death. New federal leadership can't come soon enough."

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) released the following statement:

General Perna and HHS Secretary Azar need to immediately answer for deceiving states AGAINthis time about the supply of vaccines in the strategic reserve, undermining Oregons vaccination efforts. This is completely unacceptable. I am demanding answers.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) also called the news "completely unacceptable."

U.S. Rep Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) said this was another "shameful and dangerous lie from the Trump administration.

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Oregon to begin vaccinating teachers Jan. 25, seniors 80 and older Feb. 8 - KGW.com

In early January, Nali Gillespie watched her social media feeds fill with vaccine selfies: Photo after photo of her peers at other medical schools around the country posed proudly next to a syringe with their dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

But Ms. Gillespie who is in her third year at Duke University School of Medicine and is focused on research rather than clinical training knew she wouldnt be able to join them yet.

Because she volunteers in an outpatient clinic just once a week, she has less direct exposure to Covid patients and is waiting in line behind classmates who are working in intensive care units and emergency rooms.

You hear that at some schools, students are already getting their second dose, and then theres some of us who havent even been scheduled for our first, Ms. Gillespie said.

When she goes in for her weekly clinic shifts, she knows she is still vulnerable to exposure to the coronavirus. Youre increasingly aware that an asymptomatic patient can come into the clinic and youre seeing them in a small exam room, she said. The risk is very real.

In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced guidelines establishing priorities of who should get the vaccines first as the rollout began. Although the guidelines were broad, medical students learned that they could be included among the first wave of health care workers, especially those involved with care of Covid patients. But the rollout has varied widely across the countrys 155 medical schools, which have each set priorities based on the availability of vaccine doses in their state.

This has caused stress for some medical students continuing their clinical rotations. Although some schools bar students from treating Covid patients, that rule can be difficult to enforce, especially with asymptomatic cases.

While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary by state, most will likely put medical workers and residents of long-term care facilities first. If you want to understand how this decision is getting made, this article will help.

Life will return to normal only when society as a wholegains enough protection against the coronavirus. Once countries authorize a vaccine, theyll only be able to vaccinate a few percent of their citizens at most in the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will still remain vulnerable to getting infected. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines are showing robust protection against becoming sick. But its also possible for people to spread the virus without even knowing theyre infected because they experience only mild symptoms or none at all. Scientists dont yet know if the vaccines also block the transmission of the coronavirus. So for the time being, even vaccinated people will need to wear masks, avoid indoor crowds, and so on. Once enough people get vaccinated, it will become very difficult for the coronavirus to find vulnerable people to infect. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve that goal, life might start approaching something like normal by the fall 2021.

Yes, but not forever. The two vaccines that will potentially get authorized this month clearly protect people from getting sick with Covid-19. But the clinical trials that delivered these results were not designed to determine whether vaccinated people could still spread the coronavirus without developing symptoms. That remains a possibility. We know that people who are naturally infected by the coronavirus can spread it while theyre not experiencing any cough or other symptoms. Researcherswill be intensely studying this question as the vaccines roll out. In the meantime, even vaccinated people will need to think of themselves as possible spreaders.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot in the arm, like other typical vaccines. The injection wont be any different from ones youve gotten before. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported any serious health problems. But some of them have felt short-lived discomfort, including aches and flu-like symptoms that typically last a day. Its possible that people may need to plan to take a day off work or school after the second shot. While these experiences arent pleasant, they are a good sign: they are the result of your own immune system encountering the vaccine and mounting a potent response that will provide long-lasting immunity.

No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse to a cell, allowing the molecule to slip in. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which can stimulate the immune system. At any moment, each of our cells may contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules, which they produce in order to make proteins of their own. Once those proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with special enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can only survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell's enzymes a bit longer, so that the cells can make extra virus proteins and prompt a stronger immune response. But the mRNA can only last for a few days at most before they are destroyed.

At some institutions, like Duke School of Medicine, students working in intensive care units and emergency departments were placed in the highest level priority group, 1A, while all others were told they would be vaccinated under group 1B. At Yale School of Medicine, all medical students, regardless of their level of patient exposure, were told they would be vaccinated in reverse alphabetical order (by the first letter of their last name, starting at the end of the alphabet).

Those who were at the later stages of the alphabet were happy but a bit confused as to how arbitrary it was, said Sumun Khetpal, a fourth-year student.

Students at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth said that for weeks they had received no communication from the school about when they would receive their vaccines, so some drove hours across the state looking for private pharmacists who would give them shots. And at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, students said they also had to take matters into their own hands, and reach out to private pharmacies to inquire about getting vaccinated because until last weekend, they were not told how to receive vaccines from their school.

The C.D.C. guidelines did not have the level of granularity needed for hospitals and schools to make decisions, said Dr. Alison Whelan, chief academic officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Theres been a fair amount of variability because of the lack of a national plan.

Adding to the confusion, the vaccines were allocated to states according to their populations, which do not always reflect their populations of health care workers, added Dr. Janis Orlowski, chief health care officer of the association. There are 21,000 med students in the country.

For some of them, theres a sense of guilty relief as they receive the vaccine knowing some of their peers still have not.

One of my close friends is a dental student and is in peoples mouths on a regular basis, but she hasnt received the Covid vaccine, said Azan Virji, a second-year medical student at Harvard who got his first dose in late December. It feels like theres a disparity.

Still, Mr. Virji said he has treated Covid-19 patients many times and felt a weight lifted knowing he is now inoculated.

My parents in Tanzania may not have access to this vaccine until 2022, and now Im one of the first people to have access to it, he said. Its bittersweet, but essential for me to feel calmer in the hospital.

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Some Medical Students Wait in Line for Covid Vaccine, While Others Share Selfies of Shots - The New York Times

The confusion started when the phones lines opened up for the COVID-19 vaccine

by: Dave Sess

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The coronavirus virus vaccine will be available in Ohio beginning Monday for people 80 years old and older. Many want the shot, but some had major problems lining up a time to get it.

The confusion started when the phones lines opened up for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Arless Dinger, 81, called Mercy Healths number four times and waited on hold until being disconnected each time.

I was on there 1 hour, 45 minutes trying to get that, Dinger said.

Mercy Health said it was excited to see the number of people seeking vaccinations, and they were experiencing a high number of calls and working quickly. There may be delays in reaching a scheduler.

It seems to be no one knows whats going on, what theyre doing, said Cheryl DiFabio of Boardman.

The Mahoning County Health Department was trying to establish a new phone line to take calls after the original line crashed Thursday night. The agency had a sign on the front door saying No Walk-In Registrations.

People started calling 27 First News to complain about what was happening.

This is very frustrating, especially someone in their 80s. My mom it totally with it, but shes in tears. Shes in tears. Its ridiculous, said Mary Kay, daughter of caller.

DiFabio feels the frustration, too.

I feel these people have it all wrong. Nobody knows thats going on and what theyre doing, she said.

Dinger finally got through to Southwoods but was told all of their appointments to receive the vaccine were booked.

I tried as hard as I could. I finally was ready to say a few words that nobody wanted to hear, Dinger said.

27 First News called the Trumbull County Health Department and reached a recording saying call volume was high. Calls go to voicemail and it calls back. It says people leaving multiple messages slows down the entire process.

Columbiana County is preparing for a drive-in clinic next Friday.

Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties all released information Thursday on how to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Callers frustrated with COVID-19 vaccine registration process - WKBN.com

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) With Virginia now in phase 1b of vaccine distribution in certain health districts, many are closer to making a decision about whether to get that shot in the arm.

It can be a tough decision, especially for those in the minority community. who are well aware of the nations racist past in medicine.

Verneeta Williams is a mother of two boys and has a challenging career that requires long and unpredictable hours.

Before getting the coronavirus vaccine she consulted with three very important people in her life.

I had to also ask my doctor whos really a good friend of mine; I had to talk to my mom and church community kind of figure out where are we as people in all of this, Williams said.

By the way, thats Dr. Verneeta Williams of Riverside Brentwood Medical Center in Newport News. She has been on the front line of the pandemic from the beginning, taking care of patients, many of them minorities, whove been infected with the potentially deadly virus.

Some survive and sadly, some dont. The pandemic has created multi-generational problems for many Black families.

I had a situation in the office where there were eight children in one household. The elderly mother became ill; she was admitted to the hospital and unfortunately, she didnt make it.We had to test all of the people in the family including the boyfriend who would come into the household., Williams said.

As the nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, Dr. Williams has this advice: When she shows you what the COVID-19 numbers are, believe them.

I have to consider in the Black community and in brown communities, COVID is rampant 3 to 4% chance of being hospitalized and 3 to 4 more chances of dying from COVID. Those are real numbers that are a reality, not just what I read about, but what I see Williams said.

Dr. Williams says the name of the Trump administrations vaccine program,Warp Speed, has negative connotations, suggesting the development of the vaccine was rushed.

However she encourages minorities to get the vaccine, saying it is safe and effective.

Phase 1b, which includes frontline workers and now those over 65 and those with co-morbidities, has only started in certain health districts in the state, but is expected to be across the board in Hampton Roads soon. More information on where and when to go to get your COVID-19 vaccine will be released by your local health district.

Continue reading here:

Local doctor: When I show you the COVID-19 numbers in the Black community, believe them - WAVY.com

Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. Sign up here.

More than 877,000 Texans have received a COVID-19 vaccine since they first began arriving in Texas nearly four weeks ago, and that number is expected to increase by at least 50,000 more per day, Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday.

Never before in the history of this state has Texas vaccinated so many people so quickly, Abbott said during remarks at the Esports Stadium Arlington & Expo Center, a newly-designated vaccination hub that local health officials said can vaccinate thousands per day. Its stunning to see what we've accomplished.

The Arlington center, home to the citys mass vaccination effort since December, is among 28 sites designed by the state as hubs.

Our goal is, by the end of the week, we have no vaccines left, said Tarrant County Judge B. Glen Whitley. The countys health district was allotted 9,000 doses in the most recent shipment this week.

The hubs are meant to streamline vaccinations at a time when the state is seeing an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations. Texas continues to prioritize vaccinating health care workers, people who are 65 and older, and those with medical conditions that increase their risk of hospitalization or death if they contract the virus.

The large sites will receive most of the state's next shipment of 158,825 COVID-19 vaccine doses this week. Just over 38,000 doses will go to 206 additional providers across the state, including several in rural counties that until recently had not received an allotment.

Officials promise bigger allotments in the weeks and months to come, but a patchwork local system of vaccine distribution, among other issues, has created a tumultuous rollout to the long-awaited vaccine.

On Monday, Abbott said Texas expects to see an additional 310,000 first doses per week for the rest of January and up to 500,000 second doses earmarked for those who have already received the injection in Texas. Continued increases are expected, Abbott said, depending on the federal government allotments.

"This structure [of hubs] that we now have created can be expanded and will be expanded very swiftly across the state," Abbott said. "The only limitation that we now face is the limitation of supply. Supply the vaccination is not something that the state of Texas is in control of. The supply of the vaccination comes only from the federal government, and for them it comes largely from the manufacturing capabilities" of the companies making the vaccine.

Two vaccines, by Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna, have been approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are being distributed nationally. A third company, Johnson & Johnson, could seek emergency approval of its vaccine from the FDA as early as February.

The number of doses that have been administered so far includes those given at hospitals and clinics and other providers, as well as those given through a federal program to inoculate residents of long-term care facilities and nursing homes, Abbott said.

The data on the number of doses administered has a reporting lag of at least two days, Abbott said, but added that Texans will start to see a significant uptick in those numbers as this weeks vaccinations are reported.

You are going to see those numbers increase, as it turns out, somewhere between 50,000 and 75,000 per day, Abbott said.

Texas Health Commissioner John Hellerstedt said the rate and scale of the states rollout has been a really amazing operation and said the creation of the hubs would ratchet up the rate of administration.

Through the kind of vaccination operation we see here, were very confident its going to accelerate here even more, Hellerstedt said. It is really the way forward.

Abbott and other health officials at the Arlington site on Monday urged Texas residents and providers to be patient while the state supply catches up with the demand among those eligible for the shot.

We will be getting more vaccine, and we will be discovering better ways to administer the vaccine in a timely way to everyone who is willing to get it, but we just dont have that supply yet, Hellerstedt said. I cant say that more emphatically. If we had more, thered be more going out.

Abbott on Monday said he and other governors were pushing Walgreens and CVS to speed up their programs to more swiftly get vaccines to nursing home and long-term care residents. That process, he said, is moving at a far slower pace than what the state of Texas is moving at.

Abbott said 487,500 doses have been allocated for long term care centers through CVS and Walgreens, but that only 75,312 of those doses have been administered, or about 15%.

"Which means the rest either havent been given out or havent been reported yet," Abbott said. There is no reason for that process to be moving as slowly as it is.

Officials from Walgreens and CVS could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.

Just over 2 million doses have been allocated to the state since mid-December, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Texas has administered the first dose of the two-dose regimen to more people than any other state in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but demand among the more than 8 million people who currently qualify still far outweigh the states vaccine supply.

More vaccination hubs will be announced as weekly shipments get bigger, health officials say. In announcing the plan last week, DSHS said the hubs will be required to set up registration phone numbers and websites and to focus on the most vulnerable communities in their regions. Contact information for the hubs can be found here.

The effort comes as production ramps up on various COVID-19 vaccine candidates in anticipation of federal approval, including two being produced in Texas.

On Monday, Texas A&M University officials announced that a biotech production facility in College Station has begun manufacturing two different COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are moving toward federal approval for emergency use as part of the federal governments Operation Warp Speed.

As part of a $265 million contract with the federal government, the Texas A&M University System Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing which is owned and operated by FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies was tapped last summer to mass-manufacture a vaccine being developed by Maryland-based Novavax.

The Novavax candidate began phase three testing in the U.S. and Mexico in December.

The College Station facility expanded and has added about 260 positions since April.

Our team has worked around the clock since July and were starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, said Dr. Gerry Farrell, chief operating officer at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. There is great pride and satisfaction on our team for being part of the solution to the pandemic.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says COVID-19 vaccine rollout will speed up - The Texas Tribune