If you missed our most recent webinar, "Community-Centric Public Health Practice: COVID-19 Vaccination and Beyond," be sure to view it here! Other important resources are available at CommuniVax.org.

Rethinking vaccine hesitancy among minority groups. An evidence-based understanding of, and response to, the unique needs of communities with low vaccine uptake will allow policy makers to move beyond focusing on individual choices and help address the underlying causes of low vaccine uptake, including lack of confidence in vaccines and health-care services and governments services more broadly, as well as issues related to convenience of access. (The Lancet, 4/21/21)

Understanding and Communicating about COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Equity. Effective communication is needed to ensure shared understanding of how well COVID-19 vaccines work and whether they are being equitably distributed. Without clear, consistent, readily accessible communications, people may lose faith in the vaccines and in those providing them. State, tribal, local, and territorial officials can play a key role in conveying that information to community members or intermediaries in a timely, clear, authoritative way and in conveying community concerns to policy makers. (National Academies of Medicine, 4/20/21)

What Do Women Want? For Men to Get Covid Vaccines. The reasons for the U.S. gender gap are many, reflecting the role of women in specific occupations that received early vaccine priority, political and cultural differences and long standing patterns of women embracing preventive care more often generally than men. (New York Times, 4/22/21)

Everything Has Been Terrible — And That Deepens The Good, Transformative Moment Of Getting Vaccinated. The nature of the thing, though, is that it’s brief and anticlimactic to get a shot, and the joint protect-yourself, protect-others venture is invisible. Society remains limited in literal capacity by the pandemic, and celebration in practice might begin and end with that Instagram post. (BuzzFeed News, 4/16/21)

The Shock and Reality of Catching Covid After Being Vaccinated. These so-called breakthrough infections occurred among people of all ages. Just over 40% were in people age 60 or older, and 65% occurred in women. Twenty-nine percent of infected people reported no symptoms, but 7% were hospitalized and just over 1%, 74 people, died, according to the CDC. (KHN, 4/16/21)

Least Vaccinated U.S. Counties Have Something in Common: Trump Voters. The New York Times examined survey and vaccine administration data for nearly every U.S. county and found that both willingness to receive a vaccine and actual vaccination rates to date were lower, on average, in counties where a majority of residents voted to re-elect former President Donald J. Trump in 2020. The phenomenon has left some places with a shortage of supply and others with a glut. (New York Times, 4/17/21)

COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit for Faith and Community Leaders. The Clinton Foundation has put together this toolkit to help facilitate conversations with members of your community, give people the facts around COVID-19 vaccines, and dispel any myths that might be discouraging them from getting their shot.. (Clinton Foundation, 4/21)

Amy Klobuchar takes aim at 12 vaccine misinformation influencers. In particular, the senators urged the companies to take action against 12 anti-vaccine influencers — 11 individuals and one couple — who spread anti-vaccine content on the internet. These accounts include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pushed distrust in vaccines, and Joseph Mercola, an online alternative medicine proponent who was recently flagged by the Food and Drug Administration for promoting fake Covid-19 cures, including through his still-active Twitter account. (Vox, 4/19/21)

See also: Anti-Vaxxers and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Cottage Industry Gone Big Time (Impakter, 4/14/21)

Nation Faces ‘Hand-to-Hand Combat’ to Get Reluctant Americans Vaccinated. State health officials, business leaders, policymakers and politicians are struggling to figure out how to tailor their messages, and their tactics, to persuade not only the vaccine hesitant but also the indifferent. (New York Times, 4/21/21)

Despite Johnson & Johnson Pause, Vaccine Confidence is Rising, While Partisan Divide on Vaccination is Narrowing. Seventy-six percent said the action does not decrease their likelihood of getting vaccinated, and an overwhelming majority (87%) of those who have been vaccinated said they would “definitely” make that same decision again. (DeBeaumont Foundation, 4/21)

Vaccination Outreach Shifts as Demand Drops in Some States. Vaccine supplies are beginning to exceed demand in some places, particularly in pockets of the Midwest, West and South, prompting some public health officials to reallocate shots within their borders and develop new strategies for reaching people who are leery about getting vaccinated. (Pew Trusts, 4/21/21)

How Pfizer Became the Status Vax. Lindsey Leininger, a public health scientist at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, said, “Brand preference is very real, and it’s very prevalent. I think it’s important to really highlight that these feelings are strong and they’re real, and we in public health need to make some time to actually listen to them as opposed to brushing them off.” (Slate, 4/17/21)

It’s Getting Harder to Know If U.S. Vaccine Makers Are Meeting Their Targets. Because of a bifurcated U.S. distribution system, the public is getting less and less detailed information from the federal government on how many doses each vaccine manufacturer is actually delivering. It’s a situation that makes it harder to know if drugmakers are meeting their delivery commitments and also how the federal government is allocating shots. (Bloomberg, 4/16/21)

What Women Need to Know About the Covid Vaccine. News that seven women developed a rare blood clotting disorder after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine has prompted new questions about whether vaccines affect women differently than men, and whether there are special considerations that women should take into account when getting vaccinated. (New York Times, 4/14/21)

The CEO of Pfizer on Developing a Vaccine in Record Time. It took a moon-shot challenge, out-of-the-box thinking, intercompany cooperation, liberation from bureaucracy, and most of all, hard work from everyone at Pfizer and BioNTech to accomplish what they did in 2020. Organizations of any size or in any industry can learn from these strategies to solve their own problems and to produce important work that benefits a broad swath of society.. (Harvard Business Review, 4/21)

The FDA’s Decision to Pause J&J Could Help Defeat Covid-19. A slower vaccine rollout isn’t ideal, but it’s more important that Americans know they can trust officials to address health concerns when they arise. (Wired, 4/16/21)

Colors of COVID Town Hall: Ethical Engagement of Minority Communities in COVID Clinical Research. Biomedical researchers, clinical research organizations, people infected and impacted by the pandemic, along with Black barbers and stylists, will come together in a virtual event April 29 at 6 PM EDT to provide straight talk about fears, trust issues, and why we need our Black and Brown community to be part of COVID-19 vaccine research. Registration is required. (FHI Clinical, 4/21)

No evidence that Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are unsafe during pregnancy, a preliminary study says. The findings are preliminary and cover just the first 11 weeks of the U.S. vaccination program. But the study, which included self-reported data on more than 35,000 people who received one of the vaccines during or shortly before pregnancy, is the largest yet on the safety of the coronavirus vaccines in pregnant people. (New York Times, 4/21/21)

Moderna COVID Vaccine Will Make Third Booster Shot Available to Americans by the Fall, CEO Says. CEO Stéphane Bancel recently said that the booster shot will likely be open to the public in the fall to provide additional immunity against COVID-19 variants that have spread from other countries, including Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom. (People, 4/18/21)

See also: Scientist who helped develop Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine agrees third shot is needed as immunity wanes (CNBC, 4/21/21)

Adjuvanting a subunit COVID-19 vaccine to induce protective immunity. Here we demonstrate the capacity of a subunit vaccine, comprising the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain displayed on a protein nanoparticle (RBD-NP), to stimulate robust and durable neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses and protection against SARS-CoV-2 in non-human primates. (Nature, 4/19/21)

See also: COVID-19 vaccines — minus the needle? Researchers working on capsules, nasal sprays (Los Angeles Times, 4/16/21)

Do Kids Really Need to Be Vaccinated for Covid? Yes. No. Maybe. The notion that the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be curbed without vaccinating children has quickly become axiomatic in parts of the public health world. But not everyone is convinced that it’s necessary to vaccinate children to reach herd immunity, which occurs when a high enough percentage of a population is immune to a pathogen, either by vaccine or previous infection, to keep viral spread under control. (Undark, 4/20/21)

See also: We Are Turning COVID-19 Into a Young Person’s Disease (The Atlantic, 4/21/21)

CTU rank and file ratify HS agreement — first in nation to negotiate vaccines for students, families. This agreement secures critical safety standards for returning in-person to high schools, delivers groundbreaking wins for the protection of our students and defends the safety and working conditions of all members in CPS — Pre-K, cluster, elementary, PSRPs, clinicians and more. The new vaccination program for CPS students and families is, we believe, the first of its kind in the nation to be negotiated by a union of educators. (Chicago Teachers Union, 4/18/21)

The Time Is Now for U.S. Global Leadership on Covid-19 Vaccines. The United States ignores at its own peril the acute threat posed by viral variants, geopolitical rivals who take advantage of the moment, and deep vaccine inequity around the world. By sharing American vaccine resources starting at the soonest possible moment, the United States can claim ascendancy against these risks. (CSIS, 4/14/21)

Why The US Needs a Marshall Plan for Vaccines With Congressman Jake Auchincloss. Congressman Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts talks with Stephanie Desmon about the immediate need to address manufacturing bandwidth and the opportunity for the US to lead production. They also discuss the US’s obligation to maintain a healthy and thriving economy by investing in global public health infrastructure, and how this could help restore the US’s image as a moral leader in times of crisis. (Public Health on Call, 4/19/21)

White House expands federal vaccine programs, taking more control of coronavirus vaccination efforts. The Biden administration has ramped up its role in distributing and administering coronavirus vaccines, boosting federal pipelines in recent months with more doses and more vaccination sites in preparation for mounting US supply and the next phase of the US vaccination campaign. (CNN, 4/19/21)

See also: Twitter, Facebook, and Snap are part of White House vaccination campaign (The Verge, 4/18/21)

Message from HHS-OIG Leadership on the COVID-19 Vaccination Program and Provider Compliance. As COVID-19 vaccinations continue to be administered nationwide, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) reminds vaccine providers and the public that this vaccine is being provided by the Federal Government and must be administered at no cost to recipients. Providers participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) COVID-19 Vaccination Program are obligated to comply with the terms of that program. (HHS, 4/15/21)

Trump administration awarded a firm $1.3 billion to make Covid vaccine syringes. Where are the syringes? ApiJect Systems Corp. positioned itself as the company that would make the difference between a stumbling rollout and delivery of lifesaving vaccines. But as the U.S. vaccine rollout hits full stride, with about half of adults in the U.S. having already received at least one injection, the need for ApiJect's device has waned, leaving the contracts and loans in question. (NBC, 4/21/21)

U.S. Vaccinations Reach 200 Million as Campaign Picks Up Speed. Just under 40% of Americans have had at least one dose, and about a quarter have completed the one- and two-dose vaccinations. The news was announced on Twitter by Cyrus Shahpar, the White House Covid-19 Data Director. (Bloomberg, 4/16/21)

See also: Supply vs Demand: When Will the Scales Tip on COVID-19 Vaccination in the U.S? (KHN, 4/20/21)

Uneven Rollout Of COVID-19 Vaccinations In United States Prisons. Given the increased risk of COVID-19 among people who are incarcerated, it is imperative to vaccinate people in US prisons as soon as possible. But although experts have called to urgently vaccinate people behind the walls, the number of people who have received vaccinations in correctional facilities remains opaque. (Health Affairs, 4/15/21)

Who Are the Vaccinators? A Look at the Vaccination Workforce. As the U.S. continues to undertake the largest vaccination campaign in almost a century, it has required government at all levels to surge workforce capacity. The federal government, states, territories, and local jurisdictions are acting to meet the immediate demand for vaccination as well as expand the long-term vaccination workforce. Looking ahead, expansion of the vaccination workforce long-term will help support potential COVID-19 booster shots and expand vaccine access broadly. (ASTHO, 4/21/21)

COVID-19 vaccine prioritisation for people with disabilities. For people with disabilities, vaccine prioritisation schemes are the latest aspect of the pandemic response to raise concerns. In the USA, for example, each state and territory has adopted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines differently. As a result, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is uneven and has perpetuated inequities in the pandemic response. (The Lancet, 4/21/21)

See also: Podcast: COVID-19 Vaccines and People with Disabilities (Public Health on Call, 4/21/21)

‘Ripe for fraud’: Coronavirus vaccination cards support burgeoning scams. At least 129.5 million Americans have gotten at least one or both doses of a coronavirus vaccine and have received a free proof-of-vaccination card with the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that vaccination drive has pitted people selling blank or fake credentials against law enforcement officials rushing to stop them — and warning that the full scope of the problem is impossible to grasp. (Washington Post, 4/18/21)

Not all Asian Americans are being vaccinated at high rates. A Chinatown clinic shows why. As of April 4, the data showed that 22.7% of Black and Latino county residents age 16 and older in LA had received at least one vaccine dose, compared with 40.4% of Asian residents, 38.1% of American Indian/Alaska native residents and 37.1% of white residents. But many Asian American community organizers and medical workers believe the data is not telling the full story. (Los Angeles Times, 4/21/21)

COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with a SARS-CoV-2 R.1 Lineage Variant in a Skilled Nursing Facility After Vaccination Program — Kentucky, March 2021. In a COVID-19 outbreak at a Kentucky SNF involving a newly introduced variant to the region, unvaccinated residents and health care personnel (HCP) had 3.0 and 4.1 times the risk of infection as did vaccinated residents and HCP. Vaccine was 86.5% protective against symptomatic illness among residents and 87.1% protective among HCP. (CDC, 4/21/21)

They Get Taxed, but Not Vaxxed. With all stateside American adults due to be eligible to receive a vaccine as early as this week, some expats have already opted to travel home for the jab. Others are calling on the government to direct some of the hundreds of millions of doses it’s projected to have left over to its overseas citizens, wherever they happen to live. (The Atlantic, 4/19/21)

Global, Regional, and Local Approaches to COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: Sharing lessons for World Immunization Week. Through presentations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Global Health Protection, the Pan American Health Organization’s Regional Immunization Program and the Virginia Department of Health’s Eastern Shore Health District, our goal is to provide a multi-level exchange of information and share lessons learned to better facilitate effective strategies that support equitable uptake of, access to, and demand for COVID-19 vaccines, among refugee, immigrant and migrant populations. The webinar will take place on April 27, 2021, 3 PM EDT. (NACCHO, 4/21)

Airport vaccinations are just a flight away. To Alaska. Starting on June 1, any tourist traveling to Alaska will be able to receive a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at the Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau or Ketchikan airports. It’s part of a larger multimillion-dollar marketing campaign, funded by federal stimulus money, to attract tourists back to the state, Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, a Republican, announced. (New York Times, 4/18/21)

When needles strike fear, practice comes before the COVID-19 vaccine. A standard vaccine clinic, advocates say, isn’t always a conducive place for some people with disabilities to get a shot: Appointment slots are rigid, time to get comfortable within a new environment is limited, waiting areas overwhelm. The experience can be anxiety-inducing for anyone. For those who may not comprehend what the process entails, it can be debilitating. (Los Angeles Times, 4/22/21)

For Some Americans, Getting A Vaccine Is As Easy As Showing Up To Work. Some workers are benefitting from a strong push by some companies to provide shots at employment sites, all in coordination with local and state health authorities. It's part of a broader push by these companies to remove potential barriers to get the vaccines for their workforces. (NPR, 4/18/21)

See also: Event: A Turning Point - Supercharging Your Company’s Vaccine Communications (Health Action Alliance, 4/21)

Snag a Vaccine Appointment, Then Face the Next Hurdle: How to Get There? With vaccines now becoming available to the general public in much of the country, the privilege of easy access is coming into sharper focus. On the most extreme end, vaccine tourists with means can nab inoculations, as Forbes has reported, in places such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates and even Cuba, where ads offered “mojitos and vaccine.” On the flip side, some people have found it hard to get to a vaccine appointment a few miles away. (KHN, 4/19/21)

See also: Podcast: Baltimore’s Mobile Vaccination Teams: Meeting People Where They Are (Public Health on Call, 4/20/21)

For Vaccine Passports, Less Tech Is Best. PathCheck is just one of multiple companies and nonprofit groups that are developing fraud-proof vaccination credentials. It’s going to be confusing for awhile as these technologies are evaluated and tested. (New York Times, 4/20/21)

See also: Poll: Americans tend to support vaccine passports for international travel (YouGov, 4/21/21)

When Everyone's Eligible, What Happens to Vaccine Equity? Alison Buttenheim and Harald Schmidt talk with Kaiser Family Foundation Director of State Health Reform Jennifer Tolbert. The event occurred as states begin opening their COVID vaccine programs to everyone -- a move that raises serious concerns about the large underserved populations that have the highest infection rates but some of the lowest vaccination rates. Learn more about the University of Pennsylvania's COVID Vaccine Equity Research Dialogues here. (University of Pennsylvania, 4/15/21)

#VACCINATED. Amplifier.org has made artwork promoting COVID-19 vaccination freely available to download. (Amplifier.org, 4/21)

See also: Vaccine Emoji Comes to Life (Emojipedia, 4/16/21)