Expect talk about the need for booster shots to pick up speed when the vaccine-willing population is exhausted. Once the vaccine reluctant population has been groomed over hard- we are not there yet but when we do get there- the marketing folks know that it may be easier to get the "pro-vaccine" population to to take another shot than it is easy to get the hard core reluctant to take their first one.
They are well ahead of you... Coronavirus: Third vaccine dose likely needed within a year of receiving both shots, says Pfizer CEO CEO Albert Bourla said that residents would also likely need to get the vaccinations annually. https://scroll.in/latest/992436/cor...-year-of-receiving-both-shots-says-pfizer-ceo
Long overdue... the Trump administration should have done this. US setting up $1.7B national network to track virus variants https://www.wral.com/us-setting-up-1-7b-national-network-to-track-virus-variants/19630385/ The U.S. is setting up a $1.7 billion national network to identify and track worrisome coronavirus mutations whose spread could trigger another pandemic wave, the Biden administration announced Friday. White House officials unveiled a strategy that features three components: a major funding boost for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments to ramp up coronavirus gene-mapping; the creation of six “centers of excellence” partnerships with universities to conduct research and develop technologies for gene-based surveillance of pathogens; and building a data system to better share and analyze information on emerging disease threats, so knowledge can be turned into action. “Even as we accelerate our efforts to get shots into arms, more dangerous variants are growing, causing increases in cases in people without immunity,” White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters. That “requires us to intensify our efforts to quickly test for and find the genetic sequence of the virus as it spreads.” The new effort relies on money approved by Congress as part of President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief package to break what experts say is a feast-or-famine cycle in U.S. preparedness for disease threats. The coronavirus is only one example. Others pathogens have included Ebola and Zika, and respiratory viruses like SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, which did not become major problems in the United States. Typically, the government scrambles to counter a potential threat, but funding dries up when it recedes. The new genomic surveillance initiative aims to create a permanent infrastructure. “It’s a transformative amount of money,” Mary Lee Watts, federal affairs director at the American Society for Microbiology, said in a recent interview. “It has the potential not only to get ahead of the current crisis, but it is going to help us in the future. This is a program that has been underfunded for years.” The Biden administration's move comes as a variant known as B117, which first emerged in the United Kingdom, has become the predominant strain in the U.S. In hard-hit Michigan, the more transmissible mutation accounts for more than half the cases, according to CDC data. That's also the case in Minnesota. Vaccines are effective against the so-called U.K. variant, but other mutations circulating around the globe have shown resistance to currently available vaccines. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday the U.S. is now averaging nearly 70,000 new coronavirus cases daily, up from about 53,000 just four weeks ago. Hospitalizations have been trending higher, and deaths were up for the third day in a row. Along with relaxed restrictions on gatherings and indoor dining, the emergence of variants that spread more easily is part of the reason for the worsening trend. “In order for us to even have the possibility of getting back to normal by the fall we need to massively scale up our genomic surveillance,” said Esther Krofah, who directs the Faster Cures initiative of the Milken Institute. “It's the insurance program that you need to have in place not just now, not just for COVID, but going forward for other pathogens of concern.” Genomic sequencing essentially involves mapping the DNA of an organism, the key to its unique features. It’s done by high-tech machines that can cost from several hundred thousand dollars to $1 million or more. Technicians trained to run the machines and computing capacity to support the whole process add to costs. Another hurdle is getting local, state and federal labs all working together. The CDC and collaborating labs were completing only 116 coronavirus gene sequences a week at the end of last year, according to the CDC's website. “We started in a hole," said Slavitt. The White House says the weekly count is now about 29,000, but experts say in a large, diverse country like the U.S. those numbers need to be much higher to keep pace with potential changes to the virus. Viruses are highly efficient at spreading, developing mutations that enable them to keep reproducing. White House officials said the government is releasing to states and territories an initial $240 million out of $1 billion allocated to expand genomic sequencing. Another $400 million will go to launch the six research partnerships with academic institutions, dubbed Centers of Excellence in Genomic Epidemiology. Finally, $300 million will go to set up the data sharing system, which is being called the National Bioinformatics Infrastructure.
Only 0.008% of Vaccinated People in The US Have Caught COVID-19, New Data Reveal https://www.sciencealert.com/75-mil...-fully-vaccinated-5-800-got-covid-and-74-died
https://www.axios.com/biden-obamas-...ial-f7412507-fafe-497e-96e7-d4adf7d3d22c.html Biden and Obamas to star in COVID vaccination TV special President Biden, former President Obama and Michelle Obama are joining a slew of stars for an NBC special this weekend that aims to raise awareness of COVID-19 vaccines, dispel myths and boost inoculation rates. What to expect: In Sunday's "Roll Up Your Sleeves" special, hosted by NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and actor-singer Ciara, Biden will urge Americans to "beat the pandemic, protect loved ones and continue the road to recovery," according to a statement from NBC. NBA greats Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal will team up with former President Obama in the special, which airs Sunday at 7p.m. ET. Former first lady Michelle Obama will be joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Faith Hill and Jennifer Lopez. The big picture: The special comes as new polling shows Americans' confidence in the safety of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine took a big dip this week after the pause in its use. That's despite the risk of blood clots following the shot being extremely low, "if it exists at all," Axios' Caitlin Owens and Marisa Fernandez note. Of note: The hour-long special will feature actor Matthew McConaughey interviewing Biden's chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, about separating "fact from fiction," per NBC's statement.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/march-hiring-surge-spanned-the-country-11618584819 March Hiring Surge Spanned the Country U.S. payrolls increased in 49 states, with California, Texas and New York adding the most jobs Hiring increased in 49 states across the country in March, with large states such as California, Texas and New York adding the most jobs, the Labor Department said Friday. Employers in leisure and hospitality, including at restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, accelerated hiring across the U.S. That allowed some of the hardest-hit states, such as Hawaii, to see strong job growth last month. “Better health conditions and expanding reopenings will strengthen and widen the breadth of state labor market recoveries,” said Oren Klachkin, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “Fiscal stimulus will promote positive labor market dynamics through the health crisis’ final stages.”
We are reaching the point where the demand for vaccines have dropped in many counties... Too few people seeking shots at most Wake vaccination clinics https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/to...ts-at-most-wake-vaccination-clinics/19637273/ Wake County has plenty of doses of coronavirus vaccine, but few people are signing up for their shots, officials said Tuesday. At Wendell Community Park, for example, only 65 of 1,680 available vaccination appointments – just 3 percent – have been booked this week. Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease expert with UNC Health, said people's reluctance to get vaccinated could prevent North Carolina and the U.S. from reaching herd immunity, where so few people can spread coronavirus that the virus dies out. The state or nation needs a vaccination rate of about 85 percent for herd immunity, he said. "I'm concerned about that, that we will continue to immunize people, the numbers will go up, but we won't reach the magical number of 80 to 85 percent," Weber said. "If we have enough people unwilling to take the vaccine, it actually means we'll never reach true levels of protection." Ryan Jury, who oversees Wake County's vaccination efforts, says the open appointments don't reflect hesitancy to getting shots. Rather, he said, it's an access issue. "Currently, we have the ability to administer 30,000 vaccines per week. What we are trying to do is to promote availability to access throughout the community by opening more sites," Jury said. Vaccination clinics in Raleigh, for example, have 58 percent of their appointment booked this week, with all 840 slots at Departure Drive in north Raleigh filled. The drive-thru clinic outside PNC Arena has about two-thirds of its appointments scheduled, while the clinics at Wake County Commons Building and the Wake County Public Health Center, both in east Raleigh, are both around 40 percent booked. "We continue to look at our program to ensure that we offer evening hours and weekend hours and that we have access across the county, so that there are vaccine locations ... throughout the county for those who are willing to or interested, that they have access," Jury said. The county plans to open more vaccination sites in the coming weeks, with a goal of having five to 10 spread across the county.