Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday accused the federal government of lying and acting out of gross incompetence after learning that an expected increase in COVID-19 vaccine doses wont be coming because the federal stockpile already had been used up.

We were ready to deploy it right away, and now we know it simply doesnt exist, he said at a news conference Friday afternoon.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced earlier this week that the federal government would stop holding back doses in reserve. The idea of a reserve was to ensure that every person who got a first dose could get the second one required to complete the vaccine sequence in three to four weeks.

Some raised concerns that eliminating the stockpile could leave recipients with only partial protection if logistical problems arose, but governors including Polis greeted the news warmly and planned to speed up distribution to older residents.

But the Trump administration had stopped holding back doses in December, meaning there was no stockpile to send out when Azar made the announcement, The Washington Post reported.

Polis said he learned the stockpile was gone Friday morning, during a call with Gen. Gustave Perna, who is in charge of federal vaccine distribution through Operation Warp Speed. He said he didnt blame Perna, and thought other officials in the outgoing Trump administration were acting out of gross incompetence rather than malice.

Im shocked we were lied to and there is no national reserve, Polis wrote on Twitter prior to Fridays news conference. Federal announcements that 2nd dose being held in reserve was going to be released led us to expect 210,000 doses next week, other Govs made similar plans. Now we find out well only get 79,000 next week.

Vaccinations should continue at their current pace, with second shots available for everyone, as long as manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna dont run into a supply chain problem. But the news blows up governors plans to dramatically ramp up the pace of distribution.

On Wednesday, Polis told The Denver Post that the states share of available doses could increase from about 70,000 per week to 140,000 for the next three to four weeks, or the state could receive more than 200,000 in a single week before returning to normal levels.

As is, the state is expected to receive 77,950 doses next week, and probably will get a similar amount in the last week of January, Polis said. The supply might increase in February, he said, but states dont get hard numbers until the week before a shipment arrives.

Colorado is still on track to vaccinate 70% of those who are 70 or older by the end of February, Polis said, but wont be able to accelerate that timeline without the extra doses.

The state reports 239,615 people had received their first dose as of midnight Thursday, and 48,008 had received both doses. According to the Associated Press, at least 4.7% of Colorados population has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The clash over the pace of the governments COVID-19 vaccine allotments threatens to escalate tensions between the Trump administration and some states over who is responsible for the relatively slow start to the vaccination drive against the scourge that has killed over 390,000 Americans.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said he was among several governors deceived by federal officials about availability of a strategic supply of doses.

This one is so far beyond the pale to be almost unimaginable, he said. Whos going to be prosecuted for this? What are the states to do when theyve been lied to and made all their plans around this?

Alena Yarmosky, a spokeswoman for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, said governors were told explicitly on Tuesday that they would be provided additional doses. Northam, a Democrat and a doctor, had moved quickly as a result to announce that the state would expand vaccine eligibility.

But Michael Pratt, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said that states may have been confused in their expectations but that there has been no reduction in doses shipped to them.

Pratt said doses that were being held in reserve to provide second shots were released last week. Its unclear, however, if they all shipped prior to the Trump administrations announcement early this week that states should open up vaccination to more people. He said states are getting the required second doses they need and the number of first doses is stable.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Polis shocked we were lied to following report that promised COVID-19 vaccine stockpile doesnt exist - The Denver Post

The state is expecting to receive 20,950 doses each week for the foreseeable future.

BOISE, Idaho The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare (IDHW) learned Friday that Idaho will not see an increase in COVID-19 vaccine doses from the previously announced release of second doses.

However, Idaho will receive 2-5% more doses of the vaccine each week, totaling about 950 extra doses each week. The state is expecting to receive 20,950 doses each week for the foreseeable future.

The announcement comes after multiple state governments, including Oregon, were informed that they would not be receiving an increased amount of COVID-19 vaccines from the alleged "vaccine stockpile" since the mentioned stock does not exist.

Idaho is requesting a more accurate and timely estimate of vaccine doses it will receive from the federal government, according to Niki Forbing-Orr with IDHW.

Dr. David Pate, member of Idaho Gov. Brad Little's coronavirus task force and retired CEO of St. Luke's Health System, said states like Idaho not getting the expected surge in vaccine shipments creates a challenging problem with the Pfizer vaccine that requires a second dose three to four weeks after the first.

"With what vaccine we have, do we keep just pushing it out knowing that we may or may not have that second dose, or does the state need to hold back some of the vaccine or tell providers to hold on to that vaccine so that we can ensure that we have the second dose?" Pate said. "If we do the first choice you get more vaccine out but we risk that people may not get the second shot on time."

In Oregon, changes are already being made. Gov. Kate Brown addressed the timeline for seniors getting their vaccine during a news conference Friday afternoon.

"While the Trump administration pulled the rug out from under us like a cruel joke let me assure you that Oregon's priorities and my priorities have not changed," Brown said. "I remain dedicated to vaccinating our seniors quickly but this failure by the Trump administration will unfortunately cause a two week delay in beginning vaccinations for seniors."

Having to push back vaccinations comes with major implications, according to Pate.

"The longer it takes us to get vaccinated the more likely we are going to have more people get sick. Unfortunately we have already heard some of the stories that people who have died were just weeks away from when they could have gotten vaccinated and we will have more of those," he said. "Of course we have a new variant headed our way and so we are not going to be prepared for that and now it just means it will be a lot longer until we can get a sufficient number of people vaccinated so that we can hit that desired herd immunity level."

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Among the multiple vaccine candidates around the globe, next up in the arsenal against COVID-19 is likely the single-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in development from Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, infectious disease experts predict.

And it got closer this week with promising interim phase 1/2a trial results, published online January 13 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

A single Ad26.COV2.S dose was associated with S-binding and neutralizing antibodies in more than 90% of the participants. The finding was observed in both adults age 18-55 years and participants 65 and older, as well as for participants given low-dose or high-dose vaccinations.

The results also suggest a durable vaccine response. "The take-home message [includes] a high neutralizing antibody responder rate to a single dose of our Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine candidate. In addition, we see that these responses and antibody titers are stable for at least 71 days," senior study author Hanneke Schuitemaker, PhD, global head of viral vaccine discovery and translational medicine at Johnson & Johnson in Leiden, the Netherlands, told Medscape Medical News.

If the single-dose Johnson & Johnson product gains FDA emergency use authorization (EUA), it could significantly boost the number of overall immunizations available. Less stringent storage requirements only regular refrigeration vs a need to freeze the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines is another potential advantage. The Ad26.COV2.S vaccine can be refrigerated for up to 3 months at 36-46 F (2-8 C).

"Phase 1-2 trial data on the J&J vaccine. If it works as well as the mRNA options, it will have substantial advantages," Jeremy Faust, MD, an emergency room physician affiliated with Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, tweeted on January 13.

Unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna messenger RNA vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson product is a recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) vector encoding a full-length and stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein.

Under normal circumstances, phase 3 trial results would not be anticipated within weeks of phase 1/2a trial findings. However, the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the vaccine development process, so preclinical trials were conducted simultaneously and not sequentially. For this reason, phase 3 interim results for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are expected within weeks, and a company executive told Reuters that the rollout is on track for March.

"We hope to report data from our first phase 3 study, ENSEMBLE, in which we are testing the protective efficacy of a single dose of Ad26.COV2.S, by the end of this month or early February," Schuitemaker said.

In the meantime, the phase 1/2a ongoing, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial interim results have drawn positive reactions.

"Data is highly encouraging and supports the single inoculation approach that makes this vaccine unique," Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean for Emory University at Grady in Atlanta, Georgia, wrote in a tweet on January 13.

"Encouraging COVID vaccine data from J&J published today. Solid antibody, CD4 T cell, and CD8 T cell responses a nice trifecta of vaccine immune responses to see! And safe!" tweeted Shane Crotty, PhD, vaccine scientist and professor at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in La Jolla, California.

At baseline for the phase 1/2a trial, 2% of the younger group and 1% of the 65+ group were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 S-specific antibodies.

A total of 402 people in the younger age cohort and 403 in the 65 and older group received a first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Many participants also received a second dose 56 days later for a separate trial, ENSEMBLE2, designed to compare safety and efficacy between single- and double-dose regimens. Results of that trial are still pending.

A single dose was associated with a higher incidence of solicited systemic adverse events in the higher vaccine dose group. They also found that grade 3 adverse events decreased with increasing age.

Injection site pain on the day of immunization or the next day was the most common local reaction. The pain generally resolved within 24 hours. Fever was reported by 15% of the low-dose vaccine group and 39% of the high-dose cohort. Fatigue, headache, and myalgia were the most common grade 1 or 2 solicited systemic adverse events reported.

Five serious adverse events were reported, includingfour that investigators deemed unrelated to vaccination: hypotension, bilateral nephrolithiasis, legionella pneumonia, and one case of worsening of multiple sclerosis. The vaccine-related serious adverse event was a fever that resulted in hospitalization because of suspicion of COVID-19. The patient recovered within 12 hours.

"These data confirm our previous experience with vaccine candidates based on our Ad26 viral vector platform in the younger age group. The almost similar performance in older adults is promising," Schuitemaker said.

A potential limitation of the phase 1/2a trial is "the lack of representation of minority groups," the researchers note. Johnson & Johnson is working on improving the diversity of study participants "with respect to groups that seem to be affected most by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The AstraZeneca/Oxford AZD1222 vaccine in development received approval for use in the United Kingdom on December 30. The approval came afterPublic Health England said the country was facing "unprecedented" levels of infections, the BBC reported. AstraZeneca applied for European Medical Agency approval earlier this week, which could lead to more widespread use across Europe.

The status of the vaccine remains uncertain in the United States. A phase 3 trial in the US that started in August was paused for about 6 weeks in September and October after an adverse event in a British volunteer halted studies worldwide. On October 23, the FDA permitted researchers to continue the trial with approximately 40,000 participants.

There was some suggestion in the clinical trials that a half dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine was more effective than a full dose, 90% vs 62%, but some irregularities in the research require further investigation.

Although the AstraZeneca vaccine is delivered to cells by an adenovirus similar to the Johnson & Johnson product it is designed to be delivered in two doses 28 days apart, similar to the administration schedule of the Moderna mRNA vaccine.

Regardless of which vaccine product is next to gain an EUA in the United States, many experts agree the COVID-19 vaccine rollouts so far have been problematic, at a time when cases are climbing to record-breaking levels, and likely more related to logistics overadministration of the vaccine than production of the doses.

"Lots of doses being manufactured. In December 20 million, January 40 million, February 80 million and J&J hopefully soon to add to the count. The shortage is the number arms not getting vaccinated. Freezers do not get COVID. They do not need all those vaccines," Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, an infectious disease expert in Port Washington, New York, tweeted on January 12.

"Unfortunately, the rollout has not gone smoothly, partly due to a lack of resources for this distribution phase we're in," said Andrew T. Pavia, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases of University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, during amedia briefing today sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

"We're concerned about the mismatch between the number of people who are being told they are eligible and the amount of vaccine that is being distributed," he said.

Complicating the rollout is a directive from US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that states should start vaccinating everyone 65 and older as well as those with underlying conditions.

Expanding distribution to the 15% of Americans in just this age group is a big challenge, Pavia said. "We have enough vaccine maybe to vaccinate 40 million by the end of this month. There is a huge disconnect, and that creates a lot of problems."

"One of the biggest problems is we are trying to do this mass vaccination program in the middle of the biggest surge we've ever seen," Julie Vaishampayan, MD, MPH, chair of the IDSA Public Health Committee, said during the briefing. Without sufficient time for public health officials to plan for vaccinating a larger population, "people will come and stand in extremely long lines."

Trying to expand immunization access without a proportionate increase in available doses prompted Vaishampayan to share an analogy from a colleague: "We are trying to fill a lake with a garden hose. Rather than making the lake bigger, what we really need is more water."

Pavia emphasized that infectious disease experts "know the measures that work." Not using masks, physical distancing and hand hygiene, he said, "is a bit like knowing that really good shark repellents will be available in summer, so I'm going to jump into the ocean covered in blood while the great whites are swimming around."

An official at the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed. "Vaccines are coming online and I do believe vaccines will make a huge difference. But they are not here yet in enough quantities and in enough people to make that difference," said Michael Ryan, WHO executive director of health emergencies during an online media briefing January 13, held in conjunction with Emory University.

Ryan predicted that "we've got weeks if not months ahead of us in which our weapon is our knowledgewhat we know about this virus, its transmission, and stopping that transmission."

"And as the vaccines roll in, we can hopefully end this horrific pandemic."

Schuitemaker reports grants from BARDAduring the conduct of the study; personal fees and other from Janssen Vaccines and Prevention, a J&J company, outside the submitted work. Johnson & Johnson and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services funded the phase 1/2a study.

N Engl J Med. Published online January 13, 2021. Full text

Damian McNamarais astaffjournalist based in Miami. He covers a wide range of medical specialties, including infectious diseases, gastroenterology and critical care.Follow Damian on Twitter: @MedReporter.

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HONOLULU (KHON2) Hawaii residents over the age of 75 are now qualified to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 1B of the states tiered COVID-19 distribution plan. Several healthcare providers have already announced plans to begin administering the vaccine to these individuals. Heres everything you need to know about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

[Hawaii news on the goLISTEN to KHON 2GO weekday mornings at 7:30 a.m.]

According to the Hawaii Department of Health and government officials, vaccines are currently being distributed in tiers. The distribution layout is as follows:

The state is now in Phase 1B of the vaccine distribution plan.

Current qualifications for a COVID-19 vaccine:

The following Phase 1B essential workers are currently qualified for the vaccine:

Workers whose duties must be performed on-site and require being in close proximity to the public or coworkers, are at substantially higher risk of exposure and are essential to the functioning of society with special attention to life and safety first.

City and County of Honolulu

Kaiser Permanente:

Koolau Medical Office (First floor)

Moanalua Medical Center (Fourth floor Diamond Head Rooms 404 and 406)

Honolulu Medical Office (First floor)

Waipio Medical Office (First floor)

For further questions about Kaisers COVID-19 vaccine efforts, call 1-855-550-0951.

Hawaii Pacific Health:

Queens Health Systems/ Queens Medical Center:

Maui County

Maui Health:

Hawaii County (Big Island)

Kona Community Hospital:

Kauai County

Kauai Medical Clinic at Wilcox Medical Center:

What to bring with you to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment:

For all other questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine, call the states COVID-19 vaccine call center at 586-8332.

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LIST: How and where to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the state of Hawaii - KHON2

DENVER (KDVR) In a Tweet on Friday morning, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that, We were lied to and there is no national reserve, when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Tweet was in response to a Washington Post article posted Friday morning with the headline Vaccine reserve exhausted when Trump administration vowed to release it.

Gov. Polis full tweet:

Im shocked we were lied to and there is no national reserve. Federal announcements that 2nd dose being held in reserve was going to be released led us to expect 210,000 doses next week, other Govs made similar plans. Now we find out well only get 79,000 next week.

Gov. Polis is expected to provide an update on COVID-19 at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

This is a breaking news story. We will update it as soon as we learn more.

Link:

We were lied to; Gov. Polis says Colorado expected 210,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, only getting 79,000 - FOX 31 Denver

Dr. Richard Vetter, the chief medical officer of Essentia Health in Fargo, said the best thing to do if you want to take the vaccine, but are sick with COVID-19 or any other disease, is wait until you've fully recovered.

"As long as you're asymptomatic, we would still proceed with vaccination, because the recommendation is that we try to get as close to 100% of the population vaccinated (as we can)," he said.

Vetter also said if you've gotten another vaccine, like for the flu or shingles, to wait for two weeks to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A full recovery from the virus could mean a person has antibodies in their system to protect against future exposures, but some doctors, like Dr. Doug Griffin, the chief medical officer at Sanford Health, said they may not be enough to protect you.

"What we don't know about the antibodies is what level of antibodies can give you immunity and for how long they'll last," he said.

Even with that level of uncertainty, Griffin said, both doses of the vaccine would provide an extra line of help, especially if for those who had the virus.

"Some people have said their side effects (after getting the shot) were more severe, but many others have been no different," he said.

While most are still in line to get the jab in the arm, Vetter and other experts believe it'll be worth the wait, whether someone has caught the virus or not.

"When you do get a potential exposure in the future, your body has that natural ability to respond in a way to protect yourself," Vetter said.

Even though experts are encouraging getting the COVID-19 vaccine, Vetter said, the only people who shouldn't get it are those who have a history of allergic reactions to any kind of shot.

As a public service, weve opened this article to everyone regardless of subscription status. If this coverage is important to you, please consider supporting local journalism by clicking on the subscribe button in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.

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Should you get the COVID-19 vaccine if you've already had the virus? Health experts weigh in - INFORUM

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced that people 65 years of age and older are the next priority group for COVID-19 vaccination, and the County is planning to make the vaccine available to them as soon as possible.

The region is currently vaccinating the 620,000 health care professionals and other priority groups in Phase 1A. Vaccinations to the more than 600,000 people in Phase 1B will begin to be available later this month, provided there are COVID-19 vaccination doses available.

However, some San Diegans in this age group might be able to get vaccinated if their health care providers have doses available. The County has asked local providers to give priority to people 65 and older with underlying medical conditions.

It would be ideal if we could vaccinate everyone who wants to be immunized at the moment, but unfortunately we dont have enough COVID-19 vaccine to do so, said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. We understand people are anxious to get vaccinated and they will get to do it when more vaccine arrives in the region.

When County sites begin vaccinating San Diegans 65 years and older, the public will be informed in a number of ways, including on coronavirus-sd.com.

The region is expecting the arrival of more COVID-19 vaccine doses, but a figure and a date have not been released by the California Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Starting in February, the County will begin to open three more vaccination super stations in other parts of the region.

To date, about 242,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been shipped to the region an amount that does not include doses shipped to vaccinate people in long-term care facilities, multi-county entities and military and veterans hospitals.

Through Jan. 12, a total of 92,305 COVID-19 doses have been administered to San Diegans; 79,607 to people who have received their first dose and 12,698 to people who have received both doses of the vaccine. The totals only include vaccine doses that have been recorded in the San Diego Immunization Registry and it is likely the number of those vaccinated is higher. The California Department of Public Health has asked vaccine providers to enter vaccinations administered into the registry within 24 hours.

The number of COVID-19 cases reported in the region has surpassed more than 200,000 infections.

An additional 3,261 were reported Jan. 12 and the regions total is now 201,580.

Furthermore, an additional 54 COVID-19 deaths were reported in San Diego County for a total of 1,952, one of the highest daily totals recorded since the pandemic began.

The high number of cases and deaths we are seeing shows that the virus is everywhere, Wooten said. People should be taking every precaution necessary, including getting vaccinated if theyre in a priority group that is currently being immunized.

Wooten continues to urge San Diegans to do the following:

For more information about COVID-19, testing locations and vaccine distribution, visitwww.coronavirus-sd.com.

The more detailed data summaries found on theCountys coronavirus-sd.com websiteare updated around 5 p.m. daily.

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County Plans to Offer COVID-19 Vaccine to People 65 Years and Older - countynewscenter.com

COVID-19 vaccines: The effectiveness of the second dose and why it is required  WEAR

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COVID-19 vaccines: The effectiveness of the second dose and why it is required - WEAR

COVID-19 vaccine: Bay Area counties roll out different plans, not all able to give shots to individuals over 65 yet  KGO-TV

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COVID-19 vaccine: Bay Area counties roll out different plans, not all able to give shots to individuals over 65 yet - KGO-TV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) The retailer known for its 10 for $10 grocery deals is lending a helping hand to get Michiganders vaccinated against COVID-19.

Meijer and its 120 pharmacies throughout the state will become involved in the rollout process beginning Jan. 18 in Wayne County.

The announcement came during Gov. Gretchen Whitmers press conference Wednesday afternoon, one day after the federal Operation Warp Speed gave the green light for pharmacies to get involved in vaccinating the public.

Even though appointments are not yet available in West Michigan, those interested in receiving their dose can register by texting COVID to 75049 or visiting the registration page online.

Be aware that high interest may mean the website works slowly or sees glitches. If you cant get through right away, you should be patient and check back later.

Once you get to the registration, you will have to answer three questions that allow Meijer pharmacies to properly determine which vaccine phase the patient is in.

The company says as COVID-19 vaccines are available, customers will be contacted with a date for their shot.They will also be able to decline the date offered while staying in the registration group for a future date, or opt out of the process if they change their mind or have already received the vaccine.

Its not yet clear when doses will be available in West Michigan, but the company is encouraging people to register ahead of time to reserve a spot.

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Meijer will be among pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccines - WOODTV.com