| | | | | | | Presented By PhRMA | | | | Vitals | | By Caitlin Owens ·Feb 23, 2021 | | Good morning. Today's word count is 1,037, or a 4-minute read. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Nursing home COVID cases have drastically declined |  Data: The COVID Tracking Project; Chart: Michelle McGhee, Andrew Witherspoon/Axios The number of coronavirus cases in nursing homes and assisted living facilities has drastically declined over the last two months, almost certainly an effect of vaccinations. Why it matters: Nursing homes have been devastated by the virus, which is why residents were among the first Americans to be vaccinated. The big picture: Nursing home vaccinations began in the second half of December, and around 4.5 million residents or staff have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - Long-term care facilities have been responsible for 35% of all coronavirus deaths in the U.S., despite accounting for less than 1% of the population, per the COVID Tracking Project.
Between the lines: Researchers in Scotland reported yesterday that the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine reduced COVID-related hospitalizations among the elderly by 85%, the Washington Post reports. - The AstraZeneca vaccine, which isn't yet available in the U.S., reduced seniors' hospitalizations by 94%.
The bottom line: The vaccines are working. |     | | | | | | 2. Another horrible pandemic milestone |  Data: CSSE Johns Hopkins University; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios President Biden urged Americans to "remember those we lost and remember those we left behind" in a candle-lighting ceremony Monday — noting the "grim milestone" of the U.S. surpassing 500,000 COVID-19 deaths, Axios' Shawna Chen writes. What he's saying: "As a nation, we can't accept such a cruel fate. We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow," the president said, calling on the U.S. to fight the coronavirus together. - "We must end the politics and misinformation that have divided families, communities in the country," Biden said. "It has cost too many lives already."
- The number of American deaths from the coronavirus is now higher than the number of U.S. soldiers who died in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined, Biden noted in his speech.
"We often hear people described as ordinary Americans. There's no such thing," he said. "There's nothing ordinary about them. The people we lost were extraordinary. They span generations. Born in America, emigrated to America." - "So many of them took their final breath alone in America," he added.
- The president, vice president and their spouses then held a moment of silence to honor those who passed.
The big picture: The 500,000 mark comes less than a month after Biden held an event to observe when the U.S. coronavirus death toll hit 400,000. | | | | | | | | 3. Biden's window of opportunity on COVID |  Data: Axios-Ipsos survey; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios One month into his administration, Biden has won the confidence of a majority of Americans in his ability to get Americans vaccinated and reopen the schools, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. The catch: That confidence will only last if Americans see a clear improvement in their lives and a path back to normal, or something close to it, in the coming months, Axios' David Nather writes. By the numbers: 63% of respondents in this week's poll said they're very or somewhat confident in the new administration's ability to make the vaccines widely available, with 36% saying they're not very confident or not confident at all. - 58% said they're confident that the administration can distribute the vaccines quickly, while 41% said they're not confident.
- And 56% said they're confident in the administration's ability to get K-12 students back to school in person, while 43% say they're not confident.
Hyper-partisanship is driving these numbers. - Democrats are strongly confident in the Biden administration, while Republicans showed a lopsided lack of confidence and independents narrowly back the administration.
Since October, right before the election, public opinion has completely reversed itself on whether the federal government has gotten better or worse at handling the pandemic. Go deeper. | | | | | | | | A message from PhRMA | | Biopharma is committed to being a part of the solution | | |  | | | | As we usher in a new administration and Congress, there are many things on which we can all agree, like building a more just, equitable society. | | | | | | Bonus chart: More Americans know someone who died |  Data: Axios-Ipsos survey; Chart: Axios Visuals | | | | | | | | 4. Misinformation on the vaccine and fertility | | Health officials are worried that misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines and infertility will drive down vaccination rates among women, the Washington Post reports. Why it matters: False claims about the vaccines are rampant, and threaten to prevent the U.S. from vaccinating enough people to put the pandemic safely behind us, Axios' Marisa Fernandez writes. Details: Twitter and Facebook posts have distorted the truth about mRNA vaccines, including false claims that the vaccines will attack the placenta, possible causing possible miscarriage or infertility. By the numbers: About 12% of women in recent KFF polling said they had heard these false claims and either believed them or weren't sure whether they were true. | | | | | | | | 5. How the vaccine rollouts stack up |  51% of Israelis have now received at least one vaccine dose, with the Seychelles, UAE, U.K., Bahrain, Chile and U.S. (13%) having the next highest rates in the world, Axios' Dave Lawler reports. The flipside: The EU (4%), Canada (3%) and Japan (0%) are lagging far behind, making clear that the gap isn't driven entirely by wealth. Other factors include: - The speed with which countries purchased and approved vaccines. The EU clearly proceeded more cautiously than the U.K., for example, while Israel paid a premium and promised valuable data to get Pfizer's vaccine early.
- The capacity to manufacture doses domestically. Canada purchased even more doses relative to its population than the U.S. but is reliant on imports that have been slow to arrive.
- The sense of urgency to ramp up vaccinations. Japan and South Korea were hit less hard by the pandemic than the U.S. and seem less driven to ramp up vaccinations.
The state of play: That also appears to be the case in China. While deliveries of Chinese vaccines are making headlines around the world, less than 3% of the domestic population has been vaccinated. - Home-grown vaccines have yet to be approved for the elderly, production has been slower than hoped, and Beijing is the only city with an active mass vaccination campaign, per the Economist.
Go deeper: U.S. vaccine rollout among the best in the world | | | | | | | | 6. Catch up quick |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | President Biden's pick for top government scientist will have to refrain from working on COVID vaccine matters until he divests as much as $1 million of stock in a company manufacturing one, the White House tells Axios' Lachlan Markay. Developers for COVID-19 therapeutics, vaccines and testing do not need to conduct large and lengthy clinical trials to address new coronavirus variants, new guidance from the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. Some researchers are concerned that increased screen time during the pandemic will lead to more vision problems in children, STAT reports. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a four-step roadmap on Monday to "remove all legal limits on social contacts" in England by no earlier than June 21, assuming certain tests are met. | | | | | | | | A message from PhRMA | | We are committed to being a part of the solution | | |  | | | | America's biopharmaceutical companies are committed to ending the pandemic by: - Continuing to develop treatments and vaccines to combat COVID-19,
- Working closely with governments, insurers and others to make sure vaccines and treatments are accessible and affordable.
| | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201 | | | You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios.
Change your preferences or unsubscribe here. | | | Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox. | | | | Follow Axios on social media:    | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment