This Is What Life Looks Like After Vaccination. Public-health officials underplayed this optimism for too long, apparently out of fear that vaccinated people would throw all caution to the wind as soon as we were jabbed. The CDC now says that vaccinated people can gather indoors with a handful of other people, either those who are also vaccinated or those who—and this was the most transformative part for me—are from the same household and unvaccinated but at low risk of serious illness from COVID-19. (The Atlantic, 3/29/31)

Biden Administration Announces Ad Campaign to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy. The campaign, with ads in English and Spanish, will air throughout April on network TV and cable channels nationwide, as well as online. It comes as the administration and the states are rapidly expanding access to coronavirus vaccines but with some communities continuing to express skepticism about safety and the need to get the shots. (New York Times, 4/1/21)

Vaccine infertility claims on YouTube sweep across fringe platforms. False claims on YouTube asserting vaccines are abortion drugs and cause infertility are being used as evidence to support conspiracy theories on fringe platforms. (First Draft News, 3/24/21)

See also: Through Understanding and Empathy, We Can Convince Women to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine (Think Global Health, 4/1/21)

Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19. This notice solicits applications for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of local government implementation of evidence-based health literacy strategies that are culturally appropriate to enhance COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and/or other mitigation measures (e.g., public health prevention practices and vaccination) in racial and ethnic minority populations and

other socially vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minority rural communities. (Grants.gov, 3/16/21)

A vaccine for my shame. Vaccines and medicines not only provide a clinical benefit by preventing illness and death, but they also help break the cycle of fear that stymies public health. They give people hope, a reason to come forward and learn their HIV status, and a way to protect themselves and their communities. (STAT, 3/26/21)

Far-Right Extremists Move From ‘Stop the Steal’ to Stop the Vaccine. If the so-called Stop the Steal movement appeared to be chasing a lost cause once President Biden was inaugurated, its supporters among extremist organizations are now adopting a new agenda from the anti-vaccination campaign to try to undermine the government. Bashing of the safety and efficacy of vaccines is occurring in chatrooms frequented by all manner of right-wing groups including the Proud Boys; the Boogaloo movement, a loose affiliation known for wanting to spark a second Civil War; and various paramilitary organizations.. (New York Times, 3/26/21)

Banned sites and pro-Russian networks are driving anti-Pfizer vaccine disinformation. Two deplatformed disinformation websites and key players within Russia’s “disinformation and propaganda ecosystem” are largely behind the false narrative on fringe platforms that the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is “experimental” and its recipients are “guinea pigs.” Collectively, they facilitated the spread of the “experimental” narrative across multiple languages and larger social networks. (First Draft News, 3/31/21)

Joining the herd? U.S. public opinion and vaccination requirements across educational settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers administered a large national survey to assess American’s attitudes towards vaccination requirements across three educational settings (daycare, K-12 schools, and universities) in general and for COVID-19 specifically. While Americans generally support vaccination mandates across all three settings for both types of requirements, support is consistently and significantly lower for COVID19 requirements. (Vaccine, 3/23/21)

A user’s guide: How to talk to those hesitant about the Covid-19 vaccine. Experts say the best way to tackle vaccine hesitancy is for people to have conversations with those they trust, whether a doctor, pastor, family member, or friend. So STAT spoke with a number of experts on the frontlines — global vaccine scholars, physicians tackling low vaccination rates in Black communities, and multilingual doctors who are taking matters in their own hands to get out the word — to create this guide on how best to handle these sometimes difficult conversations. Their suggestions may surprise you. (STAT, 3/26/21)

Covid Vaccine Hesitancy Drops Among All Americans, New Survey Shows. About 55% of Black adults said they had been vaccinated or plan to be soon, up 14 percentage points from February, according to a poll released Tuesday by KFF. The rate now approaches that of Hispanics, at 61%, and whites at 64%. (KHN, 3/30/21)

Gen Z Interest in COVID-19 Vaccine Plummets as Country Reopens, New Poll Finds. The March 2021 poll found Gen Z and Millennial adults between 18 and 34 are now the most likely generations to say they will either not get vaccinated (23%) or they don’t yet know (21%), with Gen Z adults (18-23 years old) particularly disinterested. (LX News, 3/24/21)

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy in BIPOC Communities — Toward Trustworthiness, Partnership, and Reciprocity. Drs. Sandra Crouse Quinn and Michele P. Andrasik discuss the need to shift the focus from a sole emphasis on changing hearts and minds among members of BIPOC communities to ensuring that institutions are trustworthy, transparent, and engaged with communities during the vaccine rollout. (New England Journal of Medicine, 3/31/21)

See also: Audio Interview: Delivering Covid-19 Vaccines to Minority Communities (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/1/21)

Few Facts, Millions Of Clicks: Fearmongering Vaccine Stories Go Viral Online. A new NPR analysis finds that articles connecting vaccines and death have been among the most highly engaged with content online this year, going viral in a way that could hinder people's ability to judge the true risk in getting a shot. (NPR, 3/25/21)

See also: False COVID-19 vaccine claims persist on Facebook, despite a ban. Here’s why. (Poynter, 3/31/21)

Got Breast Milk? With Antibodies? Without a shot for children, parents hunt for what they think is the next best thing. The fear of COVID appears to have stimulated a market for breast milk that all but stopped during the pandemic and caused a spike in demand for extra COVID-fighting milk in order to slip into older kids’ smoothies, cereal, and even scrambled eggs. The sudden demand has also called attention to the Cuomo administration’s uneven vaccine rollout, which never carved out a discrete category for postpartum women. (Intelligencer, 3/31/21)

Months into Federal Vaccine Program, Many Long-Term Care Workers Still Refusing Shots. Though they represent a tiny fraction of the American population, long-term-care residents made up 34% of the nation’s COVID-19 deaths as of March 4, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Low vaccination rates among staff at these facilities mean that workers continue to have greater risk of contracting COVID-19 themselves or passing the virus to their patients, including residents who can’t be inoculated for medical reasons. Low staff uptake can also complicate nursing homes’ attempt to reopen their doors to visitors like Caldwell, who are striving for some sense of normalcy. (Center for Public Integrity, 3/31/21)

Social Science Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccine Equity. In the rush to rapidly build a vaccine production facility as part of Operation Warp Speed, lax safety protocols led to a coronavirus outbreak among workers. In this Epicast featuring Drs. Emily Brunson, Salla Sariola, and Megan Schmidt-Sane, we explore social science perspectives on COVID-19 vaccine equity, from policy and social science questions around vaccine nationalism and COVAX, to issues of social justice. (Sonar Global, 3/21)

Catching COVID-19 at a COVID-19 Vaccine Production Facility. In the rush to rapidly build a vaccine production facility as part of Operation Warp Speed, lax safety protocols led to a coronavirus outbreak among workers. (The Intercept, 3/29/21)

The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Said to Be Powerfully Protective in Adolescents. A clinical trial found no symptomatic infections among vaccinated children ages 12 to 15, the companies said, and there were no serious side effects. The data have not yet been reviewed by independent experts. (New York Times, 3/31/21)

Pfizer, Moderna vaccines are 90% effective after two doses in study of real-life conditions, CDC confirms. In a study of about 4,000 health-care personnel, police, firefighters and other essential workers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the vaccines reduced the risk of infection by 80 percent after one shot. Protection increased to 90 percent following the second dose. (Washington Post, 3/29/21)

See also: Interim Estimates of Vaccine Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Health Care Personnel, First Responders, and Other Essential and Frontline Workers — Eight U.S. Locations, December 2020–March 2021 (CDC, 3/29/21)

NIH clinical trial evaluating Moderna COVID-19 variant vaccine begins. The variant vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, mRNA-1273.351, differs from the currently-authorized Moderna vaccine in that it delivers instructions for making the SARS-CoV-2 spike that incorporates key mutations in the B.1.351 virus variant. In addition to the Phase 1 clinical trial, investigators at NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center are collaborating with Moderna to evaluate mRNA-1273.351 in animal models. (NIH, 3/31/21)

See also: Pfizer, Biontech say trials suggest Covid vaccine works against South African variant, is effective after 6 months (NBC, 4/1/21)

Can Vaccinated People Spread the Virus? We Don’t Know, Scientists Say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday walked back controversial comments made by its director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, suggesting that people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus never become infected or transmit the virus to others. (New York Times, 4/1/21)

The Urgent Need to Better Monitor Vaccine Safety in the Real World. Even as policymakers and experts communicate the benefits of the vaccines to win over the hesitant, we must monitor for unwelcome side effects. If these adverse events are not documented and publicly addressed, they can further undermine public confidence in the vaccines, and scientific medicine more generally. And right now, there are big blind spots in our global ability to do this. (Think Global Health, 3/24/21)

See also: If You Don’t Have COVID Vaccine Side Effects, Are You Still Protected? (Scientific American, 4/1/21)

Stanford Scientists Post Entire mRNA Sequence for Moderna Vaccine on Github. The documents the Stanford team published on Github include two pages of explanation and two pages containing the entire mRNA sequence for Moderna’s vaccine. Researchers wrote in the report that although Moderna’s mRNA has ended up in a large swathe of the population, scientists and medical personnel don’t have access to the actual genetic sequences involved. (Gizmodo, 3/29/21)

How The Coronavirus Vaccines Affect Long-Haul COVID-19 Patients. The vaccines now being widely deployed have been tested and assessed to be highly effective. What about for people who've already contracted coronavirus, have COVID-19 and are still experiencing symptoms like coughing, fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pains for weeks and sometimes months? (NPR, 3/28/21)

Keeping covid vaccines cold isn’t easy. These ideas could help. The cold chain has always been an issue for the distribution of vaccines, and it’s only magnified in a pandemic where it’s so crucial to vaccinate all corners of the globe as quickly as possible. (MIT Technology Review, 3/29/21)

Getting One Vaccine Is Good. How About Mix-and-Match? As growing numbers of vaccines are being authorized, researchers are testing other combinations. A few are in clinical trials, while others are being tested in animals for now. Mixing vaccines might do more than just help overcome supply bottlenecks. Some researchers suspect that a pair of different vaccines might work better than two doses of the same one. (New York Times, 3/30/21)

For Biden, a New Virus Dilemma: How to Handle a Looming Glut of Vaccine. Biden administration officials are anticipating the supply of coronavirus vaccine to outstrip U.S. demand by mid-May if not sooner, and are grappling with what to do with looming surpluses when vaccine scarcity turns to glut. (New York Times, 3/30/21)

White House weighs temporarily lifting intellectual property shield on Covid-19 vaccines. Concerns have grown about the U.S. and a handful of other wealthy countries owning the rights to a disproportionate amount of the global vaccine supply, while other nations struggle to inoculate their people. (COVID, 3/26/21)

Compensation Programs for Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries. This report reviews and compares the compensation regimes available for vaccine-related injuries under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and describe the procedures for injured individuals to obtain compensation under each program. (Congressional Research Service, 3/22/21)

Biden admin remakes vaccine strategy after mass vaccination sites fizzle. The Biden administration is rethinking a costly system of government-run mass vaccination sites after data revealed the program is lagging well behind a much cheaper federal effort to distribute doses via retail pharmacies. The federal government has found that Americans prefer vaccination at pharmacies over expensive mega-sites. (POLITICO, 3/29/21)

We Need to Talk About the AstraZeneca Vaccine. The risk of a dangerous vaccine reaction could be very real, if also very rare—and major European vaccine authorities have not, in fact, been overcautious, political, or innumerate in responding to this possibility. Rather, they’ve been faced with something of a nightmare scenario for vaccine communication. (The Atlantic, 3/30/21)

‘Vaccine passports’ are on the way, but developing them won’t be easy. The administration’s initiative has been driven largely by arms of the Department of Health and Human Services, including an office devoted to health information technology, said five officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. (Washington Post, 3/28/21)

See also:

False Barriers: These Things Should Not Prevent You From Getting a COVID Vaccine. The all-volunteer group — dubbed the Covid-19 Community Corps — would amplify the government’s vaccine messaging within their own communities, and lead on-the-ground efforts to combat skepticism and misinformation. (ProPublica, 4/1/21)

See also: Barreras falsas: estas cosas no deberían impedirle vacunarse contra COVID-19 (ProPublica, 4/1/21)

Biden administration builds volunteer network to boost vaccine confidence. The all-volunteer group — dubbed the Covid-19 Community Corps — would amplify the government’s vaccine messaging within their own communities, and lead on-the-ground efforts to combat skepticism and misinformation. (POLITICO, 3/30/21)

See also: Medical Reserve Corps volunteers aid COVID-19 vaccination efforts

Webinar Series: COVID-19 Vaccination and Reaching People with Disabilities. AUCD, ASTHO and NACCHO invite you to attend a series of webinars: COVID-19 Vaccination and Reaching People with Disabilities (PWD) on March 30, March 31, April 7, and April 8 from 1:00 to 2:00pm ET. Join our organizations, state-level jurisdictions, and CDC guests to hear about promising practices on how states are reaching people with disabilities. All sessions will take place from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET. (NACCHO, 3/21)

How One State’s Public Health Defunding Led to Vaccination Chaos. Missouri’s rocky vaccine rollout places it among the bottom states nationwide, with 23.7% of the population vaccinated with at least one dose as of Thursday, compared with the national average of 26.3%. State officials largely outsourced the work to hospitals, consultants and federal programs. Meanwhile, local health departments and federally qualified health centers, which typically reach the most vulnerable populations not connected to traditional health systems, were each initially left to divvy up about 8% of the state’s vaccine supply. (Kaiser Health News, 3/26/21)

See also: Mayors Want Vaccines Distributed Directly to Cities (Route Fifty, 3/29/21)

What’s Behind the Hispanic Vaccination Gap? Barriers to vaccine access faced in many Hispanic communities — alongside the structural limitations communities of color generally face — stand in the way of higher vaccination rates, even as the vaccine becomes more widely available, according to public health experts and community health organizers. (New York Times, 3/29/21)

OPINION: 5 Ways To Make The Vaccine Rollout More Equitable. Over the past year, the two of us — a public health ethicist (Faith E. Fletcher) and a physician trained in public health (Dr. Aletha Maybank) have regularly been asked by leaders in health care, politics, faith-based institutions and health advocacy groups to help guide discussions of social equity as it relates to COVID-19 testing, treatment and the vaccine rollout. Based on our experience, we have a few ideas about how this rollout process can be made more equitable throughout the country. In every case, it starts with respecting and deeply listening to the people most affected. (NPR, 3/25/21)

People From DC Are Driving to Rural Towns and Red States to Get Covid Vaccinations. A lot of DC residents appear tired of waiting around. Unconvinced that their turn for the shot will arrive any time soon, they’re seeking the jab in other, often redder, parts of the country—places where looser rules prevail, and where ambient anti-vaccination thinking might make some locals hesitant to claim their shot. (The Washingtonian, 3/30/21)

See also: Why D.C. Is Failing at the Vaccination Game (The Atlantic, 3/31/21)

Drugstores Can’t Wait for Scheduling Covid Shots to Get Simpler. People still need to make appointments online or over the phone to get vaccinated at drugstores, a policy designed to prevent crowds from forming and help pharmacists manage scarce supplies. The system isn’t working optimally and is unlikely to change anytime soon, said Rina Shah, Walgreens vice president of pharmacy operations. (Bloomberg, 3/30/21)

Dialysis Centers An Efficient Option To Vaccinate Quickly And Reach Minority Groups. About half of dialysis patients nationally are Black or Latino and vulnerable to severe Covid-19 or death. Many get dialysis three times a week, so vaccinating at those centers would be efficient. (NPR, 3/26/21)

See also: How To Get Vaccines To People Who Aren’t Going Out Of Their Way To Get Them (FiveThirtyEight, 3/22/21)

Grass-roots groups are helping the homebound get vaccines. They’re racing against the clock. Contrasted with the thousands that can be vaccinated daily at mass sites, it’s a snail’s pace. Even with providers delivering at-home shots, it will likely take several months to approach vaccinating the majority of the homebound population. (Los Angeles Times, 3/30/21)

Push To Vaccinate Indigenous Americans Leaves Some Urban Indians 'Out Of The Loop.' "For urban Indians living in cities that don't have urban Indian health programs that have accessible vaccines, they're going to the same hospital systems, same clinics, same grocery store pharmacies that other people are going to to try to get the vaccine, and they're not getting it. Even though they are the most at risk," said Abigail Echo-Hawk of the Urban Indian Health Institute. (KUNM, 3/29/21)

New York Must Offer Vaccine to All Prisoners Immediately, Judge Rules. A judge in the Bronx ruled that people incarcerated in the state’s prisons and jails had been arbitrarily excluded from the coronavirus vaccine rollout. (New York Times, 3/29/21)

How embassies are tackling COVID-19 vaccinations. Countries are taking different approaches as to whether or not to supply their employees abroad with vaccines and whether to prioritize high-risk groups or blanketly vaccinate. Some countries are shipping vaccines to their embassies, while others are working with host countries to integrate their citizens into national vaccination plans. (Devex, 3/31/21)