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More vaccines could be headed to Austin as FDA panel greenlights single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine
26 February
An expert panel has recommended the Food and Drug Administration approval of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine that could be shipped out as early as this weekend.
In a virtual meeting on Friday, the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously approved of the U.S.'s third available COVID-19 vaccine, which is now just awaiting official approval this weekend. Federal officials say that 4 million doses can go out nationally next week, with an expected 20 million doses to be available by the end of March.
<p><strong>How was the vaccine passed?</strong></p><p>Johnson & Johnson proposed their single-shot COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use authorization to the FDA earlier this month. On Thursday, the department said they found the vaccine to be safe and effective after conducting a clinical trial. </p><p>When tested on 44,000 people around the world, the vaccine was found to be around 66% effective against moderate to severe symptoms 28 days after vaccination. The vaccine's efficacy was highest, at 72%, in the U.S., while it was found to be lower in countries such as South Africa where more infectious strains are prevalent.</p><p>Most notably, none of the clinical trial participants died from COVID-19 at least 28 days after the shot. The vaccine also appears to drastically cut down hospitalizations to the disease and showed 86% efficacy against severe reactions.</p><p><strong>What makes this vaccine different than the others?</strong></p><p>While the two existing vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, are more effective—around 95%—the Johnson & Johnson candidate has three significant advantages.</p><p>First, the vaccine is infinitely easier to store and ship. When the winter storm hit Texas, power outages wiped out about 1,000 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the state, which are required to be refrigerated. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine, however, requires no refrigeration. It also takes up significantly less space because it only requires one dosage instead of two, meaning the same amount of doses can be allocated to twice as many people.</p><p>Second, because it is a single-shot vaccine, it will also speed up the painfully slow vaccination process that currently exists. </p><p>On Friday, Austin-Travis County Alternate Health Authority Dr. Jason Pickett said that the vaccines adaptability and ease of use will make it vital to fighting the virus.</p><p>"With Johnson & Johnson vaccine, one of the advantages is it does not require the same specific handling that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines do," Pickett said. "Its availability, the fact that you can get one shot only, the fact that it can tolerate a better temperature range and get out to providers that wouldn't be able to handle the other vaccines as easily, makes this a very effective tool in fighting the pandemic." </p><p>Finally, the vaccine has proven to be mostly effective against new strains of the disease. When tested against the South African strain, the vaccine still had 64% efficacy at preventing moderate to severe effects from the disease. Moderna and Pfizer were conducted before these more infection strains were widely spread. </p><p><strong>What does this mean for Austin and the rest of Texas?</strong> </p><p>As Joe Biden meets with Gov. Greg Abbott in Houston to talk winter storm damages and the vaccine rollout, a shipment of 1.5 million vaccine doses are being brought to the state for next week. Abbott said that Texas will see vaccine shipments "increase dramatically" in the coming days.</p><p>According to Abbott, the state has allocated 8,000 doses to a new "Save Our Seniors" program, which is dedicated to bringing homebound seniors vaccine doses. However, with the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine pending approval on Friday, Abbott said they could have up to four times their original number brought to senior residents.</p><p>Abbott said that most of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be targeted toward senior residents. The state of Texas has given around 40% of seniors 65 and older at least one dose of the vaccine, and they hope to jump to 50% by the end of the week. </p><p>In late January, Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said that the vaccine will be available at any neighborhood pharmacy or medical office.</p><p>"In terms of vaccines it is a winner, and there are lots of benefits to this vaccine in terms of the public health response," Escott said. "The fact that its a single dose makes it feasible for every clinic, every pharmacy, every doctor's office to have supplies so that folks can go to the places they normally get their vaccines to obtain this."</p>
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Vaccine week 12: Big increase as 46,540 doses headed to Austin providers, including pharmacies
26 February
(UT Health Austin)
Twenty-one providers in Travis County will receive a total of 46,540 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the week of March 1 as part of the 12th weekly allocation, a nearly 50% increase compared to last week's.
The bulk will go to hub providers Austin Public Health and UT Health Austin, the clinic wing of Dell Medical School, as well as to Seton Medical Center, which will receive the largest share of this week's shipment.
<ul class="ee-ul"><li>Seton Medical Center (14,040)</li><li>Austin Public Health (12,000 doses)</li><li>UT Health Austin (6,000 doses)</li><li>DSHS Central Pharmacy Warehouse (6,000 doses)</li><li>Texas DSHS Laboratory (2,340 doses)</li><li>Texas Department of Public Safety (500 doses)</li><li>CommUnityCare Rundberg (300 doses)</li><li>CommUnityCare North Central (200 doses)</li><li>CommUnityCare South Austin (200 doses)</li><li>Encompass Health (200 doses)</li><li>Hospital Internists of Texas (200 doses)</li><li>Lamar Plaza Drug Store (200 doses)</li><li>Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville (200 doses) </li><li>Lake Hills Pharmacy (100 doses)</li><li>Lone Star Circle of Care at Collinfield (100 doses)</li><li> Lone Star Circle of Care at El Buen Samaritano (100 doses)</li><li>Lone Star Circle of Care Ben White (100 doses)</li><li>Lone Star Circle of Care Family Center (100 doses)</li><li>People's Community Clinic (100 doses)</li><li>Auro Pharmacy (100 doses)</li><li>Tarrytown Pharmacy (100 doses)</li></ul><div>Although these providers may have doses to administer next week, many are limiting their supply to existing patient waitlists or reaching out to eligible candidates directly. Seton, for example, is reviewing the medical records of existing primary care patients and contacting those who fall into the 1B category <a href="https://healthcare.ascension.org/COVID-19/vaccinations" target="_blank">to schedule appointments</a>. </div><div>View a list of providers with a waitlist <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-vaccine-waitlists" target="_blank">here</a>. Note that the Texas Department of State Health Services Central Pharmacy Warehouse, DSHS Laboratory and Department of Public Safety do not serve the general public.<br/></div><p>With this latest allocation, Travis County will have received 233,515 initial doses. There are approximately 501,114 Travis County residents who qualify for a vaccine as a member of either group 1A (healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents) or 1B (people 65 years or older and those with a medical condition), according to Texas Department of State Health Services data. This accounts for <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-vaccine-eligibility" target="_blank">nearly half</a> of the estimated population 16 years of age or older. </p><p>As of midday Friday, 124,142 Travis County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 62,426 residents have received both doses, according to DSHS.</p><p>DSHS will allocate 676,280 initial doses of the COVID vaccine to 522 providers across the state next week, focusing on hub providers capable of widespread community distribution as well as smaller providers serving older adults. This represents a 14% increase compared to last week's allocation and includes 84,240 doses for large-scale FEMA vaccine clinics in Houston and North Texas as well as 52,650 unused doses returned to Texas by a federal pharmacy partnership. </p><p>In addition to the first shot allocations, Texas is ordering 429,600 second doses for people who received their first shot three to four weeks ago. </p><p>The Food and Drug Administration is currently considering whether to grant an emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnsons' COVID vaccine. If approved, as expected, doses could be available for ordering Sunday, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-vaccine-johnson-and-johnson-messaging-campaign-cdc/" target="_blank">CBS News reported Friday</a>. "Early indications are that Texas could receive an initial supply of more than 200,000 doses," according to a DSHS press release issued Friday, although the department does not yet know of the shipping timeline.</p>
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Controversial 'herd immunity' scientist tells Austonia life will be back to normal by April
25 February
Citing a 77% decline in new COVID cases nationally since early January, Dr. Martin Makary, a surgical oncologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, expects COVID-19 "will be mostly gone by April, allowing Americans to resume normal life."
<p>Makary wrote about this forecast in <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/well-have-herd-immunity-by-april-11613669731" target="_blank">a recent opinion column</a> for the Wall Street Journal, setting off a range of reactions. </p><p>This trend is mirrored in Austin, where the daily number of new confirmed COVID cases fell nearly 60% between Jan. 17 and Feb. 12. (More recent data is not yet available due to case reporting delays caused by the winter storms last week.) </p><p>"From a scientific standpoint, there must be some reason for it," Makary told Austonia. "And it cannot be explained by vaccination rates or a sudden change in behavior."</p><p>Instead, he argues that natural immunity from prior infection—especially among asymptomatic patients—is more common than previously thought, in part because "antibody studies almost certainly underestimate natural immunity." He cites <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-00436-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a recent Nature article</a> by researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, who found that T-cell immunity can be present even when antibodies are not detectable.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Seroprevalence studies estimating community immunity rates have relied on antibody testing. But this Nature article & studies from Karolinska Inst. describe why T-cell immunity can be present even when Antibodies are not present (<a href="https://t.co/URuVZPkJLz">https://t.co/URuVZPkJLz</a>).<a href="https://t.co/JvHgft6DP2">https://t.co/JvHgft6DP2</a><br/>— Marty Makary M.D., M.P.H. (@MartyMakary) <a href="https://twitter.com/MartyMakary/status/1363599192673968136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>"Not all models have to be grim and bad news," he said. "And while it appears that we're on a good path, we cannot let up our guard until we're in a safer place."<br/></p><p>Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner or the Food and Drug Administration, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/22/dr-scott-gottlieb-herd-immunity-by-april-estimate-too-aggressive.html" target="_blank">told CNBC on Monday</a> that he agrees with Makary's sentiment even though he thinks the path forward will not be linear, with a likely increase in cases next fall and winter. "I think things will be normal in the spring and the summer of this year," he said. </p><p>But not everyone agrees with this timeline. </p><p><strong>Local feedback</strong> </p><p>Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, a Texas epidemiologist who writes the blog Your Local Epidemiologist, responded to Makary's column, raising questions about the statistics he cited, his assumptions around natural immunity and the role of behavioral changes. "Herd immunity in 6 weeks sounds really nice, but it's important to keep realistic expectations," she wrote in <a href="https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/unfortunately-we-will-not-reach-herd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a post published Monday</a>. "I am doubtful this will happen."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1234" data-rm-shortcode-id="3958bb54cd5068490397c8be998a1af5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY4OTU4NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjMwOTEwMn0.VnjI2PxU3pWcCriWIz0L0WyaDGm5YF4idwChQjHhN9Y/img.png?width=980" data-width="1470" id="1e897" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Jetelina responded to individual claims made in Makary's column.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Your Local Epidemiologist) </small></p><p><a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/covid-immunity" target="_blank">Herd immunity</a> is achieved when a majority of a population is immune to a disease, either because they've been vaccianted against it or have recovered from it themselves. </p><p>Jetelina also disputed Makary's claim that many medical experts "are afraid to talk about herd immunity" because <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02948-4" target="_blank">some politicians</a> suggested the U.S. let the pandemic run its course as a way to achieve it. "Epidemiologists aren't afraid to talk about herd immunity," Jetelina wrote in response. "This is, quite frankly, our job."<br/></p><p>Ultimately, Jetelina argues that there is not yet enough evidence to support Makary's claims about natural immunity, about which there remains many questions, including how it might be impacted by new variants, the threshold needed for community protection and how long it lasts after infection.</p><p>Austin Public Health said experts are still working to arrive at answers to these questions in a statement shared with Austonia. The department also pointed out that herd immunity from natural infections was never achieved for diseases such as smallpox, polio and measles, which were only eradicated through widespread vaccination efforts. </p><p>"(R)eaching herd immunity by April through vaccination efforts is very optimistic and likely not the case for our community with current state allocations," according to the statement. "While we diligently work to vaccinate everyone over the coming weeks and months, it continues to remain incredibly important to keep wearing your mask, watching your distance and washing your hands."</p><p><strong>Planning ahead</strong> </p><p>Makary, who said he frequents Austin, believes that natural immunity combined with rising vaccination rates could augur a return to normal as soon as late April or May. "Herd immunity is not binary," he said. "It's already kicking in."</p><p>Not talking about its impact is irresponsible, in Makary's view, although he understands that people may be skeptical. "It's been a very morbid season," he said. "It's hard, quite frankly, to trust projections. But at this point the trends are promising, and it's good for us to start planning accordingly. Also, I think it's important for people to have hope." </p><p>Makary argues that the U.S. pandemic strategy has been, so far, reactionary. By anticipating a plateau this spring and summer, local, state and federal governments can begin planning for a return to pre-pandemic activity. </p><p>This is not to say that another surge is not possible, especially considering the emergence of new, more contagious variants. "We need to be prepared to flip the switch on in the fall and go back to masking and maybe even distancing," he said.</p><p>But for now Markary thinks a dose of optimism is just what the doctor ordered: "By pointing out the light at the end of the tunnel, it's my hope that people will continue to be compliant with all the public health mitigation for a little bit longer until we get to that point."</p>
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Raji Parameswaran and Kendra Wright are two vaccine helpers, otherwise known as vaccine angels.
That necessity breeds invention is never more true than in today's world, with regular Joes and Janes inventing creative measures to help their neighbors navigate the state's COVID-19 vaccine distribution process. And the results have been nothing short of "heavenly."
<p>Tarrytown resident Barbara Ritchie placed her name on five different COVID-19 vaccine lists. She qualifies for phase 1B—older individuals and those with chronic health conditions—in the vaccine distribution effort as <a href="https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">designated by the Texas Department of State Health Services</a>. Group 1A consists of first responders and healthcare workers.</p><p>As with many other<a href="https://austonia.com/texas-fair-share-vaccine" target="_self"> Austinites seeking a vaccine within the state's inadequate supply</a>, Ritchie became frustrated searching for a time slot to get the vaccine, hitting "refresh" and "next" on websites for an hour and a half, with no luck. While on her community's Nextdoor site, she found someone who helped her get a vaccine jab earlier this month. But she noticed numerous Nextdoor members asking for help to navigate the vaccine application process while others offered advice, a system she called "disorganized" and "haphazard." Ritchie was determined to find a more efficient way. </p><p>"I thought, 'Here are people who need help and here are people who are willing to help, why not try to put together a list of (those) people?'" she said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="825" data-rm-shortcode-id="c9361fc0914494eeb788e7eb3239ef3b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MjI4Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzMwNzAxNX0.7iit_kJXEOEEvSAG7lnr9d3wxV43TG-PXsrXcV9EFOA/img.png?width=980" data-width="750" id="57172" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Barbara Ritchie coined the name "Scheduling Angels" after being helped by someone to schedule a vaccine appointment. (Barbara Ritchie)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>A former IT project manager, Ritchie coordinated a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YpPagv-9P-iJxhLc71c_eVeozALTADSCRQjd49nLrVQ/edit?fbclid=IwAR18nHmHpOOw8Z9oRuPmepMZ6_SacD9CXXuPQ-jyrziRQP3-Q4VYoY1aOoM#gid=0" target="_blank">database of contact information for community members</a> who needed assistance finding a vaccine appointment as well as those offering to help, focusing on West Austin and Travis County neighborhoods including Rollingwood, West Lake Hills, Lost Creek, Tarrytown, Pemberton Heights and Balcones. </p><p>"The woman who helped me, when she got the appointment, I said to her, 'You are such an angel,'" she recalled. "That's how I felt. I started calling (the helpers) Scheduling Angels. Now everybody calls them that."</p><p>On Feb. 5, Ritchie posted the list on Nextdoor, along with three simple rules for communication, nearly tripling the number of "angels" on the list in less than a week. This week, she has up to 40 angels on her list. </p><p>"Some of them have children at home and jobs, they have lives, but they still find time, even if it's one or two people, to help," she said of the group's volunteers. "They do it out of the goodness of their heart."</p><p>With the program up and running—Nextdoor/General/Update-SchedulingAngels—Ritchie receives about 100 emails per day. Although she's online to respond to questions and provide updates, she leaves the scheduling up to the "angels."</p><p>"Unfortunately, because there's so much more demand than there are people available to help, schedules are filling up fast," Ritchie said. "Still, it's clear that there's a need for this kind of help for people and, particularly, for people over 70 (years old) because they didn't grow up with technology."</p><p>As with Ritchie, Rosedale residents Jim Robinson, 74, and his wife, Lana Norwood, 68, were among many Austinites who are frustrated trying to find COVID-19 vaccine openings in Central Texas's limited supply.<br/><br/>The couple took to social media and one of several Nextdoor sites seeking help on access to a shot. The method proved successful, with Robinson hastily hopping on his computer once news of a vaccine clinic posted. Both have now received their vaccines.</p><p>"Because of (the) post, we were able to get to the computer quick enough to get a couple of appointments," Robinson said. "I've seen a block of appointments go within 20 or 30 minutes. If a post is 30 or 40 minutes old, you might as well forget it."</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1752" data-rm-shortcode-id="3a4c3d078178131185c0fdf858cfd19e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTY0MjMxOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NjA1NDM3Nn0.ygiX_eEiVqD7YMMVZy15L3AnrAhHAlPF-xJi8XoJTb0/img.png?width=980" data-width="3624" id="6094a" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false"><a href="https://nextdoor.com/g/7frlwevii/" target="_blank">Nextdoor</a> has been outlet for vaccine news and helpers in the midst of a rocky rollout. </small></p><p><br/></p><p>South Austin resident Raji Parameswaran said she's voluntarily spent the past few weeks helping others get vaccine appointments. Her "clients" have ranged from a local college professor to a retired judge who performs drive-through wedding ceremonies. She established six 200-member WhatsApp groups to disseminate news of vaccine openings and created vaccine hub accounts for seniors, sometimes making appointments for them.</p><p>"This has become my day job," Parameswaran said. A consultant by trade, she said that work has fallen by the wayside in light of the 10-12 hours per day she spends helping others get access to what could be lifesaving measures.</p><p>After assisting her elderly mother and father get their vaccines, she spread word of her success to friends who had parents in town, inundating her with others also hoping to nab a spot. Parameswaran's calendar soon filled up—solely by word of mouth—and she enlisted a few "amazing" friends to join her team to help, Parameswaran said.</p><p>"They feel very alone, very scared and anxious," she said of the seniors she helps. "All of these people, they're just delightful people. Everyone has a story."</p><p>As the proprietor of <a href="https://www.saffire.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a company involved in ticketing concerts and large scale events</a> put on hold during the pandemic, Bee Cave's Kendra Wright turned to her software and organizational skills to create a COVID-19 <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YpPagv-9P-iJxhLc71c_eVeozALTADSCRQjd49nLrVQ/edit#gid=0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vaccine resource spreadsheet</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfK-1kxGaEeiJ7_TwJaSs4HxdpXY72KpmxzaQ_aO4SPxlDz3Q/viewform?gxids=7628" target="_blank">1,000-person email list</a>. She updates those tools as she tracks changes in the distribution process. Like Parameswaran, she uses WhatsApp to communicate vaccine availability in real time.</p><p>"It's just one of the more rewarding things I've ever done in my life," Wright said. </p><p>After her parents, one of whom lives in an assisted living facility, received COVID-19 vaccines last month, Wright said she felt a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and "wanted everyone to feel this feeling." Initially, she reached out to help seven acquaintances who qualified for the vaccine, researching the best route to find shots for them. Then she assisted 11 more applicants. Soon, she was texting with numerous vaccine groups at a time and currently has about 40 volunteers on board, none of whom Wright met prior to the endeavor. </p><p>"It just got so big so fast," Wright said. "It's gone viral and we've helped now thousands of people get vaccines."</p><p>She's instituted a "100 Club" within her network to acknowledge volunteers who have found at least 100 vaccines for individuals, adding that its membership includes "quite a few people."</p><p>Although the program began in the West Austin suburbs, through her volunteers, Wright has reached out to East Austin schools and churches to assist vulnerable communities. The most affected ZIP codes of COVID-19 have been <a href="https://austonia.com/inequities-in-austin-vaccine" target="_blank">on or straddle the east side of town</a>, and residents may lack a computer to access online registration systems or the time to do so.</p><p>"I'm trying to give people hope," Wright said. "I'm trying to help them sort out the complexities of finding a vaccine."</p>
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