The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine can be stored at higher temperatures; the Biden administration pledges $4 billion over 2 years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Medicare payments will soon decrease for hundreds of hospitals.
New coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine storage and effectiveness data from Sheba Medical Center in Israel show that the first dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine is 85% effective 15 to 28 days after it is given, reports The Wall Street Journal. Transportation and storage at temperatures of –25°C (–13°F) to –15°C (5°F), vs the current –80°C (–112°F) to –60°C (–76°F), are also possible according to the real-world data. These findings could enable more to get an initial dose of the vaccine, as the results “provide strong arguments in favor of delaying the second dose of the 2-shot vaccine,” the authors note. Close to 9000 individuals were covered in this study, in which the first dose also resulted in 75% reductions in symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.
Up to $4 billion in funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, could be possible through a new push from President Joe Biden and his administration, according to The Washington Post. This money would provide some much-needed aid to COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, which has yet to begin vaccine delivery. An initial $2 billion would be released first, followed by another $2 billion over 2 years, pending pledge follow-through from other potential donors. The World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations are Gavi’s partners in this effort to ensure equitable vaccine distribution to low- and middle-income countries.
High patient infection rates and avoidable medical complications from mid-2017 through 2019 have spurred the government’s move to reduce Medicare payments to 774 hospitals, says Kaiser Health News. The 1% reduction, as part of a program instituted by the Affordable Care Act, will be implemented over 12 months and is not related to the ongoing pandemic. Controversy has plagued the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program since its inception, with hospitals claiming penalties are arbitrary and the American Hospital Association saying the hard-and-fast rule of punishing 25% of general-care hospitals each year is a flawed measure.
Congress Urged to Repeal Comstock Act Threatening Reproductive Rights and Public Health
May 16th 2024In a joint letter addressed to Congress, Healthcare Across Borders, Take Back the Court Action Fund, and UltraViolet Action called out the resurgence of the Comstock Act, urging immediate action to repeal this century-old law that threatens reproductive rights and public health in the US.
Read More
Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity: Urban Health Outreach
May 9th 2024In the series debut episode of "Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity," Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Listen
After the ACA Expanded Health Care Access, 2024 Elections May See Voters Demand Affordability
May 15th 2024At the spring conference of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, speakers discussed how health policy, affordability, and transparency may play a role in voters’ decisions.
Read More
Panel Addresses Minority Physician Shortage, Maternal Health at Senate Committee Hearing
May 15th 2024The senate hearing held by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont), chairman of the committee, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R, Louisiana), addressed the critical issue of physician and health care worker shortages, as well as the maternal health crisis, in the US.
Read More