Google and Walmart step up efforts to help with vaccination effort

CNN: Google Maps will soon display Covid-19 vaccination sites

Google Maps will soon display locations offering Covid-19 vaccines, further raising awareness about the virus – and how to prevent it. The feature will launch in the coming weeks, starting in four states: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Google (GOOGL) announced on Monday that searches for “vaccines near me” have increased fivefold since the beginning of the year and is implementing this feature to ensure it is “providing relevant responses locally”. (Valinsky, 1/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Google seeks to help COVID-19 vaccination efforts

Google is committing to using its resources to help more people get vaccinated against COVID-19. The company said on Monday that it will convert some of its facilities into vaccination sites, starting in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York and Kirkland, Wash. Google plans to expand the program nationally and is partnering with One Medical in the effort. In addition, Google is taking steps to promote accurate vaccine information on its search pages and spending $ 150 million to support groups that are helping to vaccinate people against COVID-19. (Morris, 1/25)

The Hill: Walmart Expands Coronavirus Vaccine Operation

Walmart is preparing to expand its coronavirus vaccine operation to seven more states in addition to the two where it is offering vaccines, a company spokesman confirmed to The Hill on Friday. Walmart will begin supplying vaccines in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas, as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, this week and the next, according to the spokesman. (Williams, 1/22)

In updates on vaccine delivery in California, Nevada, Louisiana and Iowa –

Las Vegas Review Journal: COVID’s vaccine shortages force Nevada to slow inoculation

Vaccination sites in southern Nevada are reducing COVID-19 vaccines as the state continues to receive very limited doses from the federal government, state officials said on Friday. “Many vaccination sites are having to shrink because of the limited allocation we are expected to receive next week,” said Candice McDaniel, head of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services office, during an online press conference. The scarcity influenced the temporary closure this weekend of the state’s largest website, the Cashman Center, in downtown Las Vegas. It also contributed to the struggle for limited appointments, as well as the postponement of some appointments. (Hynes, 1/22)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Ochsner cancels more coronavirus vaccination appointments at first dose as distribution decreases

Ochsner Health System said on Friday it would cancel consultations for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Louisiana, scheduled for Tuesday and beyond, due to a drop in vaccine distribution to the hospital chain. This follows an announcement last week that Ochsner would postpone appointments to the first dose between January 21 and 25. The hospital’s system then said that the second doses scheduled for those who already received the first dose will continue as planned. Ochsner said he administered 86,093 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at his facility until Thursday, but the dose distribution of the vaccine has dropped 70% since the first four weeks of distribution. As a result, the health system is prioritizing the need for second-dose vaccination and canceling first-dose appointments in the immediate future. (Gagliano, 01/23)

Des Moines Registration: Polk County COVID-19 answered quickly after all seniors qualified

The Polk County Health Department completed all available consultations for coronavirus vaccination on Friday afternoon, the day after eligibility was opened for all residents aged 65 and over. The county, which includes Des Moines, scheduled vaccination appointments until January 31. The department is postponing the opening of subsequent consultations until authorities know how many doses of vaccine will be available for the coming week, spokeswoman Nola Aigner Davis said on Friday. (Leys, 1/22)

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine FAQs: When can we get it, how to find out and more

It looks like it’s all someone wants to talk about these days: Covid vaccine. When can we get it? How can we find out? Will vaccines work well? How close they are going to take us back to the life we ​​see on TV shows and movies filmed in ancient times, when only health professionals and transvestites wore masks and social distance was not part of anyone’s vernacular. (Branswell, 1/25)

In updates on vaccines that go to waste –

Becker Hospital Analysis: 1,900 doses of Modern vaccine spoiled at Boston Hospital after the freezer was turned off

Nearly 2,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine were spoiled when a cleaning contractor accidentally released a plug from a freezer at the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center in Boston, the Boston Globe reported on January 21. The pharmacy team found the freezer, containing 1,900 doses of vaccine, failed and the doses were compromised, Kyle Toto, a spokesman for the VA Boston Healthcare System told the Globe. (Anderson, 1/22)

Becker’s Hospital Analysis: Nurse Accidentally Administers Empty Syringe at Colorado’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

A contracted nurse who worked at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Pueblo, Colorado, accidentally administered an empty syringe to a patient, the local FOX 21 news station reported on January 21. In a statement shared with the news station, a spokesman for Pueblo The Department of Public Health and Environment said the syringe was new, as the routine safety protocol requires that used syringes be discarded immediately. The health department identified the error through “normal safety procedures” and provided the individual with a COVID-19 vaccination after determining that the person was safe. (Carbajal, 1/22)

ProPublica: How many vaccine injections go to waste? Several states are not counting

Experts say notification of residues is essential during a vaccination campaign to encourage careful handling and use of all viable doses and, most importantly, to identify potential problems in transport and refrigerated storage operations. With inconsistent reporting requirements and no federal mandate to report waste, vaccine providers have little incentive to recognize vaccine waste, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Jha said he thinks the true number of missed doses across the country is much greater than a handful. (Gabrielson, Chen and Simon, 1/21)