CVS completes first round of vaccination in 8,000 nursing homes in the US.
A CVS pharmacy manager prepares a vaccination dose for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, December 29, 2020.
Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen | The Republican | Swimming pool | via Reuters
CVS Health completed its first round of Covid-19 vaccination at approximately 8,000 U.S. nursing facilities, Reuters reports.
Administration of second doses was underway and is expected to be completed within four weeks.
CVS Pharmacy has delivered nearly 2 million doses to date, but has a capacity for 20 million to 25 million injections per month, the company told Reuters, adding that long-term care vaccination efforts remain on track.
–Terri Cullen
The US doesn’t know how much Covid vaccine has, says CDC chief
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Sunday that the federal government does not know how much coronavirus vaccine is available for the country, adding another complication to the new government’s efforts to mitigate the crisis, CNBC’s Amanda Macias reports . .
“I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can’t tell you, then I can’t tell the governors and I can’t tell the state health officials,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Fox News Sunday.”
“If they don’t know how much vaccine they’ll be getting, not just this week but next week and the week after, they can’t plan. They can’t figure out how many sites to roll out, they can’t figure out how many vaccinators they need, and how many vaccines they need,” they can’t figure out how many appointments to make for the public, ”Walensky said.
President Joe Biden has set a goal for the country to administer 100 million vaccines in the president’s first 100 days.
–Fred Imbert
Merck is ending its Covid vaccine program, citing inferior immune responses
A Merck sign in front of the company’s building in Summit, New Jersey.
Getty Images
Merck said it will end development of its two Covid-19 vaccines, Reuters reports.
In early studies, two of the company’s vaccines generated immune responses inferior to those of people recovered from Covid-19, as well as those reported for other Covid-19 vaccines, Reuters said.
The drug company said it plans to focus its pandemic research on treatments, with initial data on the efficacy of an experimental oral antiviral expected by the end of March, the phone service said.
–Terri Cullen
Google opens vaccination sites in its US offices
The logo of an American multinational technology company Google can be seen on Googleplex, Google’s headquarters and parent company Alphabet Inc.
Alex Tai | SOPA images | LightRocket | Getty Images
Google will make available some of its own facilities to open new coronavirus vaccination sites in the US
The company said it has partnered with health clinic chain One Medical and public health authorities to open vaccine sites in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Kirkland, Washington; and New York City. The tech giant also plans to open vaccine centers abroad.
Google has also pledged $ 100 million in ad grants to the CDC Foundation, the World Health Organization, and nonprofits, as well as a $ 50 million investment to help public health agencies reach disadvantaged communities with vaccine information.
Google said it will begin listing Covid-19 vaccination sites on Google Search and Maps in the coming weeks, starting with Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The information includes details such as whether an appointment or referral is required and whether the location has a drive-thru.
—Ryan Browne