Iowa news
Vermeer partners with local health office on COVID-19 vaccination clinics
Vermeer Corp., in conjunction with Marion County Public Health, has been working to get COVID-19 vaccines in the arms of local residents. Vermeer began working with the county health department in December on how the company and local public health officials could work together to get community members vaccinated. (Business Record)
How Iowans of color have dealt with COVID-19’s mental health strain
The months of February and March this year mark a grim reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic began to change lives forever one year ago. We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet the scars of loss, depression, anxiety and pain remain. A comment that resonates from the beginning of the pandemic is, “We are all riding in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat.” A reminder that the same inequalities that plagued communities of color throughout history are the same that continues to impact their lives today. (Iowa Starting Line)
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics shares study on COVID-19 vaccine side effects
To let the public know what to expect after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has shared a study on the side effects experienced by hospital staff after receiving their first and second shots. According to the study, more than 3,500 UI health care workers were surveyed between December and February about the side effects they experienced following their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. More than 4,300 staffers were surveyed during a similar timeframe following their second vaccine dose. (KCRG)
National news
Germany, France, Spain and Italy are the latest to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine
As a third wave of the pandemic crashes over Europe, questions about the safety of one of the continent’s most commonly available vaccines led Germany, France, Italy and Spain to temporarily halt its use on Monday. The suspensions created further chaos in inoculation rollouts even as new coronavirus variants continue to spread. The decisions followed reports that a handful of people who had received the vaccine, made by AstraZeneca, had developed fatal brain hemorrhages and blood clots. (The New York Times)
None of the large-scale vaccine trials included people who are immunocompromised, though every indication is that vaccines are safe in this group. Organizations representing experts in cancer, organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases all support vaccination for their patients. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday that there are still questions about vaccines and the immunocompromised. (USA Today)
Moderna begins study of Covid-19 vaccine in kids
Moderna has begun dosing patients in a mid-to-late stage study of its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, in children aged 6 months to less than 12 years, the company said Tuesday. The study will assess the safety and effectiveness of two doses of mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart and intends to enroll about 6,750 children in the United States and Canada. (NBC News)