Tipsters, tech-savvy kids, pharmacy hopping: How Americans are landing coronavirus vaccines Fenit Nirappil, Karin Brulliard, Sarah Fowler Four days into her coronavirus vaccine hunt, Ramona Cohen struck out again. The Safeway in her D.C. neighborhood had no doses left after its last Thursday appointment. She still had four pharmacies left to try and a tip from her mail carrier that a grocery store a few miles away was giving away leftover vaccine. It was another frustrating day in a quest that started Monday, when the city opened registration to those 65 and older. Cohen spent 12 hours that day making futile attempts to book appointments by phone and online, only to be foiled by messages saying no appointments were available or interminable waits on hold. When a health department employee who eventually did pick up suggested she call back the next day, Cohen jokingly vented that she doesn’t even buy green bananas.
Despite Trump administration promise, government has no more ‘reserve’ 2nd vaccine doses
Hopes of a surge in Covid-19 vaccine shipments under a new policy to release second doses held in reserve appear to be evaporating with the revelation that those doses have already been distributed, contrary to recent indications by the Trump administration.
A senior administration official told CNN that when the administration announced that it would be releasing reserved doses Friday, many of those reserves had already been released into the system starting last year as production was ramping up.
When Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was asked Friday whether there is in fact a reserve of second doses left to release, he said, “No. There’s not a reserve stockpile.”
By RACHANA PRADHAN | Kaiser Health News | Published: January 16, 2021
Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See other free reports here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. (Tribune News Service) For Heather Suri, a registered nurse in Virginia, the race to vaccinate Americans against COVID-19 has thrown up some unprecedented obstacles. The vaccines themselves are delicate and require a fair bit of focus over time. Consider Moderna s instructions for preparing its doses: Select the number of shots that will be given. Thaw the vials for 2.5 hours in a refrigerator set between 36 and 46 degrees. Then rest them at room temperature for 15 minutes. Do not refreeze. Swirl gently between each withdrawal. Do not shake. Inspect each vial for particulate matter or discoloration. Store any unused vaccine in refrigeration.
Send More Coronavirus Vaccines: County Executives - Nanuet, NY - Rockland's wants all counties to get the same number of doses, Westchester's disagrees and Putnam's wishes the feds would send more for all.