Public Health

How community leaders in Alabama and Mississippi are trying to shrink the racial disparities in vaccine access.

Sun, 2021-03-28 13:06 — mike kraft

PANOLA, Ala. — The dog-eared trailer that serves as the only convenience store within 20 miles of this blink-and-you-miss-it rural hamlet, population 144, is more than a place to stock up on life’s essentials. These days the store — or more precisely its proprietor, Dorothy Oliver — has become an unofficial logistics hub for African-American residents seeking the coronavirus vaccine.

Even as vaccine supplies in Alabama have become more plentiful, Ms. Oliver’s neighbors, many of them older and poor, lack the smartphones and internet service needed to book appointments. And if they manage to secure a slot, they may not have a way to get to distant vaccination sites.

Ms. Oliver helps her neighbors snag appointments online and matches them with those willing to make the 45-minute drive to Livingston, the seat of Sumter County and the nearest town offering inoculations. Nearly three-quarters of the residents of the county, which includes Panola, are African-American. ...

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Paris doctors worried about coronavirus overload, UK relaxes its restrictions

Sun, 2021-03-28 12:18 — mike kraft

Paris doctors warn of catastrophic overload of virus cases PARIS (AP) — Critical care doctors in Paris say surging coronavirus infections could soon overwhelm their ability to care for the sick in the French capital's hospitals, possibly forcing them to... AP NEWS

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The pandemic's dramatic reducuction of ordinary flu could decrease effectivess of future flu vaccines

Fri, 2021-03-26 12:10 — mike kraft

The pandemic dramatically reduced flu cases. That could backfire. The low levels of flu during the Covid-19 pandemic have left experts with a much smaller pool of data used for predicting which flu strains will predominate next winter. Jasmine Hilton POLITICO

Precautions aimed at tamping down the coronavirus helped nearly eradicate last year’s flu season — but that could backfire by making it harder to develop effective vaccines for next winter’s flu.

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Michigan governor says she is unlikely to tighten restrictions although virus surges in state

Fri, 2021-03-26 11:54 — mike kraft

Michigan not likely to tighten restrictions as virus surges in state Michigan is unlikely to tighten coronavirus restrictions as virus infections increase in the state. Cameron Jenkins TheHill

Michigan is unlikely to tighten coronavirus restrictions as virus infections increase in the state.

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New York remains committed to contact tracing despite dropoffs elsewhere

Fri, 2021-03-26 10:08 — mike kraft

As contact tracing ebbs in parts of US, NYC stays committed NEW YORK (AP) — Coronavirus contact tracing programs across the U.S. scaled back their ambitions as cases surged in winter, but New York City has leaned into its $600 million tracing... AP NEWS

NEW YORK (AP) — Coronavirus contact tracing programs across the U.S. scaled back their ambitions as cases surged in winter, but New York City has leaned into its $600 million tracing initiative.

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New studies: Hundreds of thousands of American coronvirus deaths could have been avoided by more widespread precautions

Thu, 2021-03-25 19:20 — mike kraft

U.S. COVID response could have avoided hundreds of thousands of deaths: research The United States squandered both money and lives in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, and it could have avoided nearly 400,000 deaths with a more effective health strategy and trimmed federal spending by hundreds of billions of dollars while still supporting those... Howard Schneider U.S.

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U.S. COVID cases are climbing again as they did in Israel before vaccinations

Thu, 2021-03-25 17:05 — mike kraft

U.S. COVID cases are climbing again. The same thing happened in Israel — before vaccination crushed the variants. It’s official: After falling for more than two straight months, the average number of daily COVID-19 cases across the U.S. has begun — just barely — to rise again. YahooNews

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White House to spend $10 billion to help vaccinate low income areas, including funds for community health centers

Thu, 2021-03-25 13:44 — mike kraft

White House to spend $10 billion to bolster vaccine effort WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House announced Thursday that it is dedicating another $10 billion to try to drive up vaccination rates in low-income, minority and rural enclaves throughout the... AP NEWS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House announced Thursday that it is dedicating another $10 billion to try to drive up vaccination rates in low-income, minority and rural enclaves throughout the country.

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