CommuniVax has released a brand new Implementation Toolkit to support state and local jurisdictions set health equity efforts rapidly in motion, starting with a COVID-19 vaccination campaign that delivers systemic benefits to communities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Check out our other tools and checklists here.

Our local teams continue supporting vaccine rollout efforts in their communities:

Meet the Four Kinds of People Holding Us Back From Full Vaccination. After conducting a national survey of U.S. adults, we grouped people into distinct profiles based on their shared beliefs and barriers to getting the vaccine. In the United States, we used this approach to identify five distinct personas: the Enthusiasts, the Watchful, the Cost-Anxious, the System Distrusters and the Covid Skeptics. (New York Times, 5/18/21)

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For Some Anti-Vaccine Advocates, Misinformation Is Part Of A Business. "COVID was the opportunity," says Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit group that tracks anti-vaccination misinformation. "COVID generated a lot of anxiety and conspiracies and misinformation thrive where there is anxiety." (NPR, 5/12/21)

Vaccine rejectors believe the vaccines were not adequately tested and can cause infertility. Nine in 10 vaccine rejectors (89%) believe that the COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out without adequate testing. Three in five vaccine rejectors believe that infertility (62%) or changes in a person’s DNA (60%) could occur with the vaccination. Half of vaccine rejectors think the vaccine includes a microchip (50%), About half of vaccine rejectors (49%) also think vaccines have been shown to cause autism. (YouGov, 5/14/21)

See also: As more Americans get vaccinated, 41% of Republicans still refuse COVID-19 shots (PBS, 5/17/21)

COVID-19 and Mistrust Behind Bars. This episode examines explains how the vaccines work, debunks some of the myths surrounding them and reflects on why it is so essential that people living and working in our nation’s prisons are inoculated against COVID-19. (The Marshall Project, 5/14/21)

See also: Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance in California State Prisons (New England Journal of Medicine, 5/12/21)

A 'vaccine hustler' and a 'superhero': How two women are getting vaccinations out in the U.S. It's personal, emotional connections that are proving to be a driving force of vaccinations in many communities. While some are worried about conspiracy theories, many others simply have questions about the shots. How were they made? How were they developed so quickly? Will the shots hurt? (NBC, 5/16/21)

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy higher among soldiers, Black service members, study shows. Between the four military branches, the Army had the lowest rate of vaccination. Marines were 52 percent more likely to get vaccinated than soldiers. Sailors and airmen were respectively 45 percent and 15 percent more likely. Black service members were least likely to choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, as well as female service members and those with lower ranks and education levels. (Military Times, 5/17/21)

Adolescents Can Finally Get Vaccinated against COVID. More than 3.85 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S. The novel coronavirus has caused more than 15,700 hospitalizations and more than 300 deaths among kids in the states and territories that have reported the data. Children have also begun making up a larger proportion of COVID-19 cases: they represent 24 percent of cases in the first week of May and 14 percent of all cases since the pandemic began, including a 4 percent increase from April 11 to May 6. (Scientific American, 5/13/21)

‘Hot Vax Summer’ is coming. Can it possibly live up to the hype? Granted, some people were already partying as if the coronavirus wasn’t a thing. But with about half of eligible Americans on the verge of full vaccination, the reluctant homebodies of the pandemic are ready to return to the nightlife with the abandon of college freshmen. (Washington Post, 5/18/21)

Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Between Urban and Rural Counties — United States, December 14, 2020–April 10, 2021. Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination access and coverage between urban and rural communities can hinder progress toward ending the pandemic. Public health practitioners should collaborate with health care providers, pharmacies, employers, faith leaders, and other community partners to identify and address barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in rural areas. (CDC, 5/18/21)

See also: Survey: The Top COVID-19 Vaccine Barriers People Worry About in Each State (Surgo Ventures, 5/18/21)

Latest Data on COVID-19 Vaccinations Race/Ethnicity. As of May 17, 2021, CDC reported that race/ethnicity was known for 56% of people who had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Among this group, nearly two thirds were White (62%), 13% were Hispanic, 9% were Black, 6% were Asian, 1% were American Indian or Alaska Native, and <1% were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, while 8% reported multiple or other race. However, CDC data also show that recent vaccinations are reaching larger shares of Hispanic, Asian, and Black populations. (KFF, 5/19/21)

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No One Actually Knows If You’re Vaccinated. It’s easy to say that customers, employees, or students need to be vaccinated, but it’s much more difficult to check that someone really is. A few states have created or promised more technical “vaccine passport” systems—usually smartphone apps connected to state databases—that could confirm people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. But many Republican-led states, including Texas, Florida, and Arizona, have opposed or even banned the implementation of any sort of vaccine verification system, mostly citing government overreach. (The Atlantic, 5/14/21)

See also: Vaccine passports can liberate America (Vox, 5/18/21)

In New Vaccination Push, Biden Leans on His ‘Community Corps’. A slowdown in vaccinations has often been attributed to vaccine hesitancy, an opposition to or skepticism of vaccines. But a large group, about 30 million American adults, say they are open to getting a coronavirus vaccine but have not managed to do so, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate. Their ranks are larger than the outright hesitant. (New York Times, 5/16/21)

Toolkit to Increase Vaccine Confidence in Rural Areas. The Department of Health and Human Services has released a toolkit featuring tailored materials you can use to educate rural residents about the COVID-19 vaccines and to increase their confidence in the vaccines while reinforcing basic preventive measures. This toolkit features newly developed and culturally tailored materials, including fact sheets and an infographic, from the HHS COVID-19 public education campaign. (NACCHO, 5/14/21)

FAQs About COVID-19 Vaccines that People with Disabilities Should Consider. Come hear frequently asked questions (FAQs) about COVID-19 vaccines that people with disabilities should consider. This webinar will outline the CDC guidelines, as well as explore solutions to challenges people with disabilities may experience regarding accessing COVID-19 vaccines, like making an appointment for vaccination. The webinar will take place on May 26, 2021, 2-3 PM CDT. (Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation, 5/21)

The million-dollar jab and other giveaways reveal a desperate push to vaccinate America. The first incentives were relatively modest: doughnuts, hunting licenses, baseball tickets. And cheeseburgers. Beer. Whiskey. Maybe even a savings bond, enough to buy a nice toaster someday. The United States has a surplus of coronavirus vaccine doses on its hands, and long gone are the days when people waited hours to get jabbed. Dwindling demand has forced governors and mayors to get creative. (Washington Post, 5/17/21)

See also: Paying people to get vaccinated might work – but is it ethical? (The Conversation, 5/19/21)

Long Island CVS Employee Arrested After Police Discovered 62 Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Cards In His Car. According to the report, Honig admitted to the authorities that he had taken the cards from his employer. He also said he had sold some cards to students and was intending to share the remainder with family and friends. (Bossip, 5/17/21)

1 million vaccine doses administered at FEMA-supported centers in the Southeast. Four centers opened March 3 in Florida, capable of providing 3,000 doses per day in Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Subsequently, more centers opened in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, some with 3,000-dose capability and others with 1,000-dose capability. (FEMA, 5/11/21)

Miami Tries To Make Vaccinations Easy: 'Wherever People Are That's Where We Will Be'. Vaccination rates for Hispanic Floridians are far behind those for white residents, while even further behind is the vaccination rate for Black people. Of the more than 9.4 million people vaccinated in Florida, about 7% are Black, while two-thirds are White. (NPR, 5/17/21)

See also: On The Road With The Vaccine Van: How One City Is “Getting Out The Vax” (BuzzFeed News, 5/18/21)

Your Questions About Vaccines at Work, Answered. Here’s what we do know: Generally, employers are allowed to require employees to be vaccinated. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance in December stating that vaccine mandates are legal. But this is complicated by proposed legislation in a number of states that would restrict companies’ abilities to set such requirements, and it may be further complicated by the fact that all the vaccines only have conditional approval for emergency use. (New York Times, 5/15/21)

It Was The Government That Produced COVID-19 Vaccine Success. In the case of vaccines in general, the government often plays an outsized role, but in the era of COVID-19 the government’s role was even more central than usual. The government essentially removed the bulk of traditional industry risks related to vaccine development: a) scientific failures, b) failures to demonstrate safety and efficacy, c) manufacturing risks; and d) market risks related to low demand. (Health Affairs, 5/14/21)

America Is Failing Its Moral Test on Vaccines. It’s time to help the rest of the world. By marshaling this nation’s vast resources to produce and distribute enough vaccines to meet global demand, the United States would act in keeping with the nation’s best traditions and highest aspirations while advancing its geopolitical and economic interests. It is a moment of both obligation and opportunity. (New York Times, 5/14/21)

Vaccinations sharply cut the spread of the virus in U.S. nursing homes, study says. Researchers said that the use of vaccinations also appeared to protect nursing home residents who did not themselves get a shot. That finding suggests, researchers said, that unvaccinated residents benefit when others around them are immunized. (New York Times, 5/19/21)

See also: Incident SARS-CoV-2 Infection among mRNA-Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Nursing Home Residents (New England Journal of Medicine, 5/19/21)

Confusing rules, loopholes and legal issues: College vaccination plans are a mess. The introduction of three Covid-19 vaccines early this year to college populations seemed to present an exit from these patchwork reopenings, which robbed students of a traditional college experience. But an NBC News analysis of rules across the U.S. found that vaccination requirements for students have proven to be just as complicated as the frenetic fall 2020 semester, if not more so. (NBC, 5/20/21)

Coronavirus vaccines may not work in some people. It’s because of their underlying conditions. Federal health officials’ decision last week to rescind almost all masking and distancing recommendations for those who are fully vaccinated only added to the sense of fear, isolation and confusion for those with immune issues. On Twitter and other social media platforms, many such patients expressed frustration that the change might leave them with less — not more — freedom as their risk of infection grows as more of their neighbors and co-workers ditch their masks. (Washington Post, 5/18/21)

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Sanofi, GSK announce positive early results for their Covid-19 vaccine candidate. “Our Phase 2 data confirm the potential of this vaccine to play a role in addressing this ongoing global public health crisis, as we know multiple vaccines will be needed, especially as variants continue to emerge and the need for effective and booster vaccines, which can be stored at normal temperatures increases,” Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president and head of the vaccines division at Sanofi Pasteur, said in a statement. (STAT, 5/17/21)

COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Underway For Kids 5 And Younger. Currently there are a lot more families willing to volunteer in trials than spaces available in the trials. Historically it's much easier to recruit kids for studies during active disease outbreaks. COVID-19 has killed more than 300 kids across the country. (NPR, 5/17/21)

Mix-and-match COVID vaccines trigger potent immune response. Vaccinating people with both the Oxford–AstraZeneca and Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines produces a potent immune response against the virus SARS-CoV-2, researchers conducting a study in Spain have found. (Nature, 5/19/21)

100 Million Vaccine Doses Held Up Over Contamination Concerns, Firm Reveals. The chief executive of Emergent BioSolutions, whose Baltimore plant ruined millions of coronavirus vaccine doses, disclosed for the first time on Wednesday that more than 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine are now on hold as regulators check them for possible contamination. (New York Times, 5/19/21)