Worry about new strains rises while vaccine makers reassure that they're on top of it
Some clarification from CDC on priority list, federally run vaccine sites open up, and audit report slams US government response to COVID-19
The more times a virus passes from one person to another, the more opportunities it has to mutate and form a variant. Researchers think that’s exactly what the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is doing. Now, scientists say they are seeing mutations that have parts of the B.1.1.7 British strain and other strains, potentially making them more dangerous.
The Oxford University researchers who collaborated on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine say they expect to have a “tweaked” vaccine that works against variant strains soon, and the improved vaccine could go into use in the Fall. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is in use in the UK and Europe, and it will make up the majority of the first 300 million doses sent to poorer nations by the global Covax program. Those doses are expected to be delivered by June 30.
The CDC updated its explanations of the vaccine priority tier recommendations, emphasizing that those at greatest risk for death and those most urgently needed for societal function should get first priority, followed by others based on descending levels of risk or importance.
Healthcare workers who are working in facilities with patient contact are top of the list so that healthcare can be provided to people who need it.
Those over 75 and living in nursing homes are also top priority because they are by far the most at-risk for death from COVID-19.
Vaccinating teachers is “not a prerequisite” for schools to reopen, the CDC director says. Other ways to prevent COVID-19 can be sufficient, she said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is setting up two vaccination centers in California, staffed mostly by federal workers. This is part of the Biden Administration’s push for more federal help to states.
New York City’s health commissioner has COVID-19, with mild symptoms.
The Government Accountability Office published a 346-page report on the federal response to COVID-19. While many of its main findings were already clear, one of the startling points is that GAO auditors found that the Trump Administration had not acted on 27 out of 31 GAO recommendations made in June 2020 - and it had not fully addressed recommendations made even earlier, according to the Washington Post. The full report is here.