Category: Vaccines

Feds Look to Pharmacists to Boost Childhood Immunization Rates

Fears over COVID-19 have contributed to a slump in inoculations among children. Now the federal government is looking to pharmacists for help, but many of them do not participate in a program that offers free shots to half the kids in the U.S.

How Pharma Money Colors Operation Warp Speed’s Quest to Defeat COVID

A Trump administration maneuver allows executives who are leading the federal effort to keep investments in drug companies that would benefit from the pandemic response.

What Do State Plans Reveal About Their Readiness to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines? 

With hopes that a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccines will be proven safe and effective soon, state and local public health authorities will play a critical role in ensuring the efficient distribution and administration of the vaccine. To assess the readiness…

Vaccine Coverage, Pricing, and Reimbursement in the U.S.

The brief provides an overview of how vaccines are reimbursed and covered across government programs and different types of health insurance in the United States. It coverage regulations specific to COVID-19 vaccine(s).

Government-Funded Scientists Laid the Groundwork for Billion-Dollar Vaccines

Drugmakers will walk away with massive profits, but much of the pioneering work on mRNA vaccines was done with government money.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Transition Interrupted

Former Vice President Joe Biden is now the president-elect nearly everywhere but inside the Trump administration, where the president refuses to concede and has ordered officials not to begin a formal transition. That is a particular problem for health care as the COVID-19 pandemic surges. Meanwhile, there’s good news on the vaccine front, but it’s unlikely one will arrive by winter. And the ACA was back before the Supreme Court — again. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Shefali Luthra of the 19th News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Five Important Questions About Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The drugmaker says its mRNA vaccine worked in 90% of patients in its trial, but some observers question how long immunity will last and who will benefit.

As Faith in Vaccines Falters, Biden Is Under Pressure to Name New FDA Chief Stat

It typically takes months to install new leadership, but with COVID deaths set to surge through the winter, many Democrats say Biden doesn’t have that sort of time.

VA Joins Pentagon in Recruiting Volunteers for COVID Vaccine Trials

The Department of Veterans Affairs hopes to enroll 8,000 people in advanced-stage trials of four leading vaccine candidates. The Defense Department earlier announced plans to enlist 3,000 volunteers in trials.

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: As Cases Spike, White House Declares Pandemic Over

Former President Barack Obama says President Donald Trump is “jealous of COVID’s media coverage.” Indeed, Trump has complained at his rallies, attended by mostly maskless supporters, about how the media covers the pandemic — at a time when cases are rising rapidly across the nation. Meanwhile, open enrollment is about to begin for the Affordable Care Act in a year when many people need coverage, but the law’s future is not secure. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Anna Almendrala about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” installment.