covid

New Mexico in recent days became the state first to provide at least one dose to half of its adult population, and a nation-leading 38 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.

As the U.S. continues to vaccinate as many Americans as possible to get a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic, recent polling suggests vaccine hesitancy may be falling among Black Americans. 

Skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines has been more prevalent among those in the Black community, partly due to a distrust of the federal government and the nation’s history of racism in medical research. One example is the infamous study in Tuskegee, Ala., where the government allowed hundreds of Black men to suffer untreated syphilis for decades for research. 

Making Convenient Care the Right Care for All: Improving State Oversight of Urgent Care Centers and Retail Health Clinics is a new issue brief produced by Community Catalyst and the National Health Law Program.

The latest COVID-relief bill passed by Congress, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, includes a range of economic and public health support measures, many of which have implications for patients and primary care practices. The package significantly expands access to health coverage through substantial subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans, as well as COBRA subsidies for the unemployed, and funding to incentivize Medicaid expansion in the 12 states that have not yet pursued it.

The Department for Health and Human Services recently released a new issue brief describing health disparities by race and ethnicity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with findings showing disparities in testing, infections and hospitalizations. COVID-associated death rates were considerably higher among American Indian/Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic persons compared to White persons.

On March 15, CMS announced that it was increasing the Medicare payment for administering COVID-19 vaccines to an average of $40 per dose, up from the previous averages of $28.39 for single-dose vaccines; and $16.94 (1st dose), then $28.39 (2nd dose) for two-dose vaccines. (The exact payment rate depends on the type of entity furnishing the service and geographic adjustments.) And the American Rescue Plan mandated that the federal government now fully cover COVID-19 shots for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries.

Today, we’re teaming up with Made to Save, a new initiative working to save lives by increasing access to the COVID-19 vaccines in communities of color. Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic but continue to have access and information barriers to COVID-19 vaccines.

The vaccines were made to save the moments we all miss most, but to end this pandemic, we’ve got to work together to ensure everyone has the information and access in the vaccines they need. 

And we have our work cut out for us. 

April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM), and the theme for this year’s observance is #Vaccine