Today’s NewsStand

Today’s NewsStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|April 12, 2021

Iowa news

COVID-19 vaccine clinics aim to reach homeless residents

Local agencies are working to ensure all parts of the population have equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine, including those who rely on homeless shelters and other similar services. Local public health officials have partnered with health care providers, not-for-profit agencies and community organizations to offer and administer the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable populations. That can include anyone who faces barriers to getting a shot — such as those who speak a different language as well as those who don’t have access to technology or lack transportation. That effort also includes outreach to people experiencing homelessness — who are among some of the more vulnerable parts of the population facing a number of obstacles in obtaining a shot. (The Gazette)

UnityPoint clinics to start vaccinating patients 16 years and older

Starting Thursday, April 22, patients 16 and older can schedule appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at most UnityPoint clinics. Appointments are required, and vaccinations will only be given during certain days and times. UnityPoint will not administer vaccines to young children until studies have been made to verify safety. (KCAU)

Cedar Rapids hospitals lifting some visitor restrictions

For the first time since the pandemic began and local health care facilities went on lockdown, both Cedar Rapids hospitals have lifted some visitor restrictions. Starting Monday, April 12, hospitalized patients and those in the emergency room at either Mercy Medical Center or UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital can have two visitors at a time. Birth care patients can have up to two visitors at a time, which would include one support person and one visitor. NICU patients may have one birth parent plus one significant other as visitors. (The Gazette)

National news

Rural clinics, pharmacies seek to fill open vaccine slots as hesitancy looms

When Saint James Parish Hospital in Louisiana began COVID-19 vaccinations in the winter, it routinely administered 500 daily shots and could not keep pace with the long lines of vaccine seekers. After Louisiana joined a cascading number of states to waive age restrictions and allow all adults to get vaccinated, hospital leaders find more appointments going unfilled. The hospital that serves a Mississippi River community of about 22,000 no longer hosts the large vaccination events, instead directing about 200 doses each week through smaller clinics and targeting hard-to-reach populations. It’s a fast-changing scenario hospital leaders did not imagine would happen so quickly. (USA Today)

COVID-19 vaccine side effects and transmission: Four questions answered

Vaccine small talk has trickled into Americans’ daily conversations now that 33% of adults have received their first dose. Many people are sharing anecdotes about their vaccination experience and side effects with friends and family, who then pass on what they’ve heard to others. Some of these experiences have evolved into theories about what side effects mean. At times, it can be difficult to know what are scientifically validated findings — even for health care workers. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Biden administration won’t surge vaccines to virus hotspots

President Joe Biden’s administration said Friday additional vaccine doses will not be delivered to states seeing surges in COVID-19 cases, despite appeals from local leaders and some health experts. The administration says its rollout plan, based on state adult population, is “fair and equitable.” (USA Today)

 

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