COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATES

Due to the major snowfall and expected difficult driving conditions, 3,000 COVID vaccination appointments scheduled for Tuesday at the TCF Center will be moved to Saturday. DETROIT – Three thousand COVID-19 vaccination appointments scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16 at the TCF Center will be moved to Saturday, Feb. 20 due to severe weather, according to the city of Detroit. “Due to the major snowfall and expected difficult driving conditions, 3,000 COVID vaccination appointments scheduled for Tuesday at the TCF Center will be moved to Saturday. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan stated that the move was the right approach considering the fact that getting to the TCF Center Tuesday could be very difficult for a lot of people. In a news release the city stated that contractors will plow all residential streets starting early Tuesday.

This Sept. 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a clinician preparing to administer investigational Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson & Johnson said Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 that in the U.S. and seven other countries, the first single-shot vaccine appears 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19. (Johnson & Johnson via AP)The first one-shot COVID-19 vaccine provides good protection against the illness, Johnson & Johnson reported in a key study released Friday, offering the world a potentially important new tool as it races to stay ahead of the rapidly mutating virus. “Frankly, simple is beautiful,” said Dr. Matt Hepburn, the U.S. government's COVID-19 vaccine response leader. Interim results found the shot 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, and much more protective — 85% — against the most serious symptoms.

DETROIT – Many people have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine as it’s being rolled out to more people in Michigan. Read More: Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge answers COVID vaccine questions“Does my beard impact my mask’s effectiveness?”The two most important considerations about masks are filtration and fit. You don’t have to shave the beard off to get a more snug mask fit, just be aware that it does impact its effectiveness. Secondly, we don’t know if it’s possible for vaccinated people to asymptomatically spread coronavirus. “We’re buying a dog from a breeder who told us their family had COVID, is it possible for the puppy to infect us?”Probably not.

DETROIT – Many people have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine as it’s being rolled out to more people in Michigan. Read More: Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge answers COVID vaccine questions“Should I get the vaccine if I’m pregnant or trying to conceive?”Unfortunately, the answer is complicated with differing opinions. There were a very small number of women in the Phase 3 vaccine trials who became pregnant after their first dose and no adverse outcomes were found. Until there is more definitive safety information, the CDC recommends people who are pregnant and eligible for the vaccine may choose to be vaccinated. It recommends pregnant people to not use an MRNA vaccine in pregnancy unless the benefit of vaccinating a pregnant woman outweighs the potential vaccine risks.

Crowley submitted public comments to Oregon's vaccine advisory committee to criticize the state's controversial decision to vaccinate its teachers and early childhood care givers ahead of its oldest residents. Oregon's decision underscores the difficult moral dilemma facing local and state public health officials as they weigh which populations need the vaccine most urgently amid a nationwide dose shortage. Now, the state's vaccine advisory committee is wrestling with how to prioritize the next groups. Dr. Kalani Raphael, a kidney specialist at Oregon Health & Science University and a Native Hawaiian on the advisory committee, said minority communities' health care experiences are often invisible, particularly with COVID-19. While Oregon health officials grapple with who will be eligible next, vaccines started Monday for teachers and early childhood educators.

The drugmaker will stop developing two potential COVID-19 vaccines after seeing poor results in early-stage studies. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)Merck is giving up on two potential COVID-19 vaccines following poor results in early-stage studies. The company said its potential vaccines were well tolerated by patients, but they generated an inferior immune system response compared with other vaccines. Merck was developing one of the potential vaccines with France’s Pasteur Institute based on an existing measles vaccine. Five potential vaccines have reached late-stage testing in the United States, the final phase before a drugmaker seeks approval from regulators.

COVID-19 vaccine data as of Jan. 21, 2021. Here we are tracking Michigan COVID-19 vaccination data, including total doses distributed and administered in the state. Data note: Doses administered are reported by the date of vaccination. Providers have 24 hours to report vaccinations to MDHHS. Coronavirus resources:

If I was hospitalized with COVID and received Remdesivir, can I still receive the vaccine? If I get injection number one but the second shot is delayed, what happens? It’s recommended you get the second shot within four days of the date it’s due -- 21 days after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 28 days after the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. It’s possible that a delayed second dose may be just as effective, we just don’t know for sure. My second shot is due the day I leave for Florida for six days, is it better to get the second dose before I travel or is it OK to wait till I get back?”Ideally, you should get your second shot on the day it is due.

DETROIT – Many people have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine as it’s being rolled out to more people in Michigan this week. READ: Answering questions about efficacy of COVID-19 vaccineIs it true that you shouldn’t drink alcohol the day before or after receiving the vaccine? There aren’t any dietary restrictions -- including alcohol -- that residents need to consider with regard to the vaccine. However, excessive drinking before or after the vaccine will likely make any potential side effects -- like a headache or body ache -- more unpleasant. The vaccine ingredient that is being focused on as the most likely culprit behind allergic reactions is polyethylene glycol.

DETROIT – The demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is higher than the supply and that might mean some people who are eligible for the vaccine have to keep waiting to get an appointment. If you are trying to get a COVID-19 vaccine, you’ll have to be patient. If you are currently in an eligible group there are two paths to getting the vaccine. The second path to getting a vaccine is through the major health system your doctor is affiliated with. If you get a Pfizer vaccine for your first dose, you need to get the Pfizer vaccine for your second dose too.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, talks Thursday, April 23, 2020, in Detroit about the initiative to give about 51,000 K-12 public school students in Detroit computer tablets and high-speed internet to help transition from classroom to virtual learning during the coronavirus pandemic. As schools closed in March as part of the state's stay home order to slow the spread of the virus many suburban districts quickly moved teaching online. Detroit lagged because nine of 10 students don't have access to tablets, computers or the internet. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Meijer has been named a pharmacy partner with the state of Michigan to help administer COVID-19 vaccines. Meijer has 120 pharmacies throughout the state of Michigan and more than 250 pharmacies throughout its six-state footprint. “Our stores and pharmacies have played a very important role in supporting their communities during this difficult time,” Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said in a news release Wednesday. Beginning the week of Jan. 18, Meijer pharmacies will administer the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine at a limited number of stores in Wayne County, to patients 65 and older. As more doses become available, Meijer said it will expand COVID-19 vaccine administration to include more stores throughout the state.

Many people have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine as it’s being rolled out to more people in Michigan this week. There’s no known relation to how someone reacts to the flu vaccine and how they will react to the COVID-19 vaccine. There is no known relationship between allergic reactions to insect stings and the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine can produce reactions or side effects in anyone, especially with the second shot in people younger than 55. It’s recommended that the COVID vaccine should be separated from any other vaccine administration by at least 14 days.

President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration announced that it intended to release the millions of withheld vaccines when they take office after the governors submitted their request to the HHS. Rather than hold onto second vaccine doses, Biden plans to instead accelerate shipment of first doses and use the levers of government power to provide the required second doses in a timely manner. There were about 95,000 active COVID cases in the state on Jan. 11. Michigan health officials are urging patience as the vaccination process unfolds, while the state attempts to secure more doses to meet the need. Read: Michigan health departments urge patience on COVID vaccines: ‘Demand is overwhelming’“It’s a tremendous relief to add vaccination to the resources we have to prevent COVID-19 from causing additional harm, but this process will take time,” says Jimena Loveluck, MSW, health officer with Washtenaw County Health Department.

Los Angeles continues to see hospitalizations rise day after day, setting a new record Tuesday with almost 8,000 hospitalized and more than a fifth of those in intensive care units. The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions have been hardest hit, with no more capacity in ICUs to treat COVID-19 patients. Ambulance crews in Los Angeles County on Monday were directed to stop transporting patients they can’t resuscitate in the field. Dr. Marc Eckstein, medical director and emergency medical services commander of the LA Fire Department, said the directive recognizes that such scenarios are “all risk and no gain” at this time. The hospital has a 10-bed ICU but has expanded that level of care to three sections of the hospital and is treating 36 patients.

We spoke with scientists from the across the country on Dec. 18, 2020 to discuss the COVID-19 vaccines. Watch the full discussion above. Coronavirus resources:

A key FDA panel is set to vote Thursday on whether to recommend the approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. A favorable vote form this panel could clear the path for Moderna’s vaccine to become the second approved for use in the United States. The FDA does not have to follow the advice of the panel, but it often does. Watch live here beginning at 9 a.m.:

We could have a second COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week if the FDA decides whether to authorize Moderna’s vaccine for emergency use. Live stream: FDA panel meets to vote on Moderna COVID vaccine authorizationA key FDA panel is set to vote Thursday on whether to recommend the approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. A favorable vote form this panel could clear the path for Moderna’s vaccine to become the second approved for use in the United States. On Friday, the United States granted an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Read more: Which COVID-19 vaccine should you take once both are approved: Pfizer or Moderna?

FILE - This undated photo provided by the University of Oxford shows of vial of coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University in Oxford, England. Trudeau said deliveries could begin within 48 hours of regulatory approval and health officials said they expect to approve use of the Moderna vaccine soon. Canadians began receiving vaccine shots developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday and Trudeau said Canada expects to receive about 200,000 doses from Pfizer next week. The Moderna vaccine was more than 94% effective overall at preventing COVID-19 illness, and 86% effective in people 65 and older. Trudeau noted the Moderna vaccine does not need some of the extra special handling requirements of the one from Pfizer, including ultra cold freezers.

Here we are tracking COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed per 1,000 residents in each Michigan county. Distribution of the vaccine began Dec. 14, 2020 in Michigan. Coronavirus resources:

We could have a second COVID-19 vaccine as early as Friday if the FDA decides whether to authorize Moderna’s vaccine for emergency use. If authorized, health officials say they are ready to ship just less than six million doses of the Moderna vaccine across the United States. Michigan expects to receive 173,000 doses of the vaccine from Moderna. On Friday, the United States granted an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. With the authorization, the vaccine will ship via FedEx and UPS, with the two carriers splitting the country in half.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan Medicine plans to have 55 frontline workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. Tom Mann, the director of occupational health at the University of Michigan Hospital, described what needs to be done to get the vaccine to these workers. The “reconstitution process” means mixing the vaccine with saline to prepare it for the patient. First doses arrived MondayThe first doses from Pfizer came rolling into Michigan Medicine on Monday morning. University of Michigan Health System President Dr. David Spahlinger said he got word over the weekend that the vaccines were ready and being shipped.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan Medicine is planning to start vaccinating its health system workers on Monday. A health system spokeswoman released a statement Monday morning saying the health system has received about 1,950 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. They plan to start vaccinating groups of employees on Tuesday, but will start with a small number on Monday. Michigan Medicine has received approximately 1,950 doses today, Monday Dec. 14. We also expect to do a small number of vaccinations today.

Michigan will receive about 84,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the first round. Here we have a running list of COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans from Metro Detroit health departments and hospitals:Health departmentsWayne County:The Wayne County Health Department is holding a virtual news conference at 11 a.m. Monday. They expect to move to 14,000 Pfizer vaccine doses a week as production kicks into high gear. Henry Ford hospitals:The Henry Ford Health System said it has only been told to expect delivery sometime between Tuesday and Thursday and, of course, they are waiting for an update. This includes Henry Ford Detroit, Henry Ford Wyandotte, Henry Ford Macomb, Henry Ford West Bloomfield and Henry Ford Jackson.

Michigan Medicine is offering a live overview on efficacy, safety and what we know so far about COVID-19 vaccines. Emerging and infectious diseases specialist Dr. Sandro Cinti, who co-leads Michigan Medicine’s COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutics Task Force, will be giving updates on and taking questions. You can watch it live beginning at 3 p.m. Friday right here: