Counties Most Vulnerable to COVID Have Been the Slowest to Vaccinate
Medics transfer a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance outside the Coral Gables Hospital where COVID-19 patients are treated in Coral Gables near Miami, Florida, on July 30, 2020.
CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images
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ProPublica analysis of county data maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that early attempts to prioritize people with chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and obesity have faltered. At the same time, healthier and often wealthier counties moved faster in vaccinating residents, especially those 65 and older. (Seniors are a more reliable measure of vaccination progress than younger adults, who are less likely to have been eligible long enough to receive their second shots.) Counties with high levels of chronic illnesses or “comorbidities” had, on average, immunized 57% of their seniors by April 25, compared to 65% of seniors in counties
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Only One Vaccine Is OK’d for Older Teens. It’s Also the Hardest To Manage in Rural America
“They’ve given up a lot, from their activities and seeing their friends, in order to protect people from the virus.”
As states expand covid-19 vaccine eligibility to allow shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, teens in rural America may have trouble getting them.
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As the U.S. rushes to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus, most counties with the sickest residents are lagging behind and making only incremental progress reaching their most vulnerable populations.
A ProPublica analysis of county data maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that early attempts to prioritize people with chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and obesity have faltered. At the same time, healthier and often wealthier counties moved faster in vaccinating residents, especially those 65 and older. (Seniors are a more reliable measure of vaccination progress than younger adults, who are less likely to have been eligible long enough to receive their second shots.) Counties with high levels of chronic illnesses or “comorbidities” had, on average, immunized 57% of their seni
Kaiser Health News
Dr. Laurel Desnick, county health officer in Park County, Montana, administers a covid vaccine to a senior at Park High School.
As states expand covid-19 vaccine eligibility to allow shots for 16- and 17-year-olds, teens in rural America may have trouble getting them.
Of the three vaccines authorized in the U.S., currently only one can go to that age group: the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. That vaccine comes in 1,170-dose packages at minimum and expires after five days in a fridge, meaning too many doses on too tight a deadline for many rural communities to manage.
“We’re still trying to get people to accept the vaccine,” said Aurelia Jones-Taylor, CEO of
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