1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:08,959 Speaker 1: Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day three d 2 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: and twenty four since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:18,079 Speaker 1: Today's main story. Healthcare workers were among the first priority 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: for vaccinations in the US, but thousands of doctors, nurses, 5 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: and other health professionals say that if they're not affiliated 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: with major hospitals, they're likely to miss out. But first, 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: here's what happened in virus News Today. New York City 8 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: broke down its COVID nineteen vaccination data by ethnicity for 9 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: the first time that revealed profound racial disparities in who's 10 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: getting the shots. White residents made up almost half of 11 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: the people who have received at least one dose, despite 12 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: consisting of only a third of the population. Latinos of 13 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: the city only accounted for fifteen percent of those vaccinated. 14 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: The lowest ratio was among Black residents. Even though they 15 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: make up almost a quarter of the city's population, they 16 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: only accounted for eleven percent of those vaccinated. The percentage 17 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: of Asians among all vaccinated residents was similar to their 18 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: representation in the city. A top health advisor to President 19 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: Joe Biden warned Sunday that the highly transmissible UK variant 20 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: of the coronavirus will likely become the dominant strain in 21 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: the US. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious 22 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said 23 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: on nb CS Meet the Press that the nation's health 24 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: care system must pair for a surge in serious cases, 25 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: such as the one experienced recently in England. Finally, the 26 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: US added about a hundred and forty four thousand COVID 27 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: nineteen cases on Saturday, fewer than the average of over 28 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: the preceding seven days. The data compiled by Johns Hopkins 29 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: University and Bloomberg are further evidence the pandemic is slowing 30 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: in the US and now for today's main story. Since 31 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: fiser and MODERNA vaccine shipments in the US began in 32 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: mid December, the priority has been doctors, nurses, and other 33 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: professionals likely to come in contact with the novel coronavirus, 34 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: but healthcare workers who aren't with hospitals and major health 35 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: systems say they're being overlooked. I spoke to reporter a 36 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: Lease Young about why thousands of healthcare workers are still 37 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:04,399 Speaker 1: seeking vaccinations even as states and cities open eligibility two 38 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: people far removed from the pandemics frontline. Throughout the U S. 39 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: Shipments of say the Fiser and MODERNA vaccine have been 40 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: distributed to doctors, nurses, other health professionals, but there is 41 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: a significant population of medical workers who are not having 42 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: an easy time accessing vaccines. Can you tell us a 43 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: bit about this. The priority has been from the beginning 44 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: to vaccinate healthcare workers, but states made those healthcare workers 45 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: those who are affiliated with hospitals, and the reason for 46 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: that largely is because hospitals had the ability to store 47 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: some of the vaccines, which of course require super cold 48 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: temperatures um and then it was kind of an afterthought, 49 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: oh what do we do about these folks who aren't 50 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: hospital employees. So we've seen in recent weeks that many 51 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: U S states have begun to expand eligibility for vaccines. 52 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: But how has that been impacting these professional health workers 53 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: who aren't affiliated with, for example, large scale health systems 54 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: or hospitals. The US has added tremendous numbers of people 55 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: who are not healthcare workers. In some states, such as Florida, 56 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: they said, if you are over sixty five, regardless of 57 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: whether you have any medical conditions come on in if 58 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: in some states have have said, you know, tax collectors 59 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: should should get the vaccine, forest rangers should get the vaccine. 60 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: The vaccine was scarce enough before you added these folks, 61 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: and now you've got them competing with the front line 62 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 1: workers who are actually at great risk of being exposed 63 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: to the virus. Now, as you mentioned, you know a 64 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: lot of for example, general practitioners or family doctors. These 65 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: are people who do not work often in hospital settings, 66 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: but are still very much frontline workers. What kind of 67 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: data do we have about how this group of medical 68 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: professionals has been affected thus far by COVID nineteen there 69 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 1: was a study done by the University at Pennsylvania's Medical 70 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: School about six months ago that found that healthcare workers 71 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: um made up a significant portion of folks who are 72 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 1: dying of COVID, and among those, twenty seven percent of 73 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 1: about a thousand physician deaths were primary doctors and others 74 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 1: who don't work in hospitals. The study said that the 75 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: hospital workers had a lot of access to protective personal 76 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: protective equipment that folks working in independent offices might not have. 77 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: And I was wondering if you could just maybe give 78 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: us a bit of color um some anecdotes perhaps about 79 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: what some of these, in many cases unaffiliated medical professionals 80 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 1: have had to do and to try and get themselves vaccinated. 81 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: We spoke to a doctor in Florida, a pediatrician, who 82 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: said it took him about a month after the vaccinations 83 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 1: first became available for himself to schedule an appointment, and 84 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 1: as of yesterday, his physicians assistant, who he says sees 85 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: more sick children than he does, has not been able 86 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,359 Speaker 1: to get his first shot. I also spoke to a 87 00:06:55,440 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 1: dentist on Long Island who got his first and his 88 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: next doses due on Wednesday, and he still doesn't have 89 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 1: a second appointment. One of his office workers was lucky 90 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: enough to score an appointment at a megacite on Long Island, 91 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: UH and was all set to go, and then the 92 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: megacites sent out a notice saying, sorry, we're open, just 93 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: two employees. We made a mistake, so she had to cancel. 94 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: And and let's look at this from the distribution angle. 95 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: You know, what efforts have been made now that we 96 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: know that there are these these issues with many medical 97 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: professionals having trouble getting access to vaccines, what efforts have 98 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: been made to try and help these this population get vaccinated. 99 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: In Pennsylvania, the health chief ordered hospitals to set aside 100 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: ten percent of their vaccine doses for non affiliated staff. 101 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: Haven't been able to determine yet how successful that's been, 102 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: and Pennsylvania is the only state that I was able 103 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: to find that has done that. We have heard reports 104 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: that some medical professionals are are hesitant about receiving the vaccine. 105 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: But but this is a slightly different issue in that 106 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: these professionals are are wanting to be vaccinated but are 107 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: unable to do so. Can you can you tell us 108 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: a bit about that. In New Jersey, we got reports 109 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: around Christmas time that hospital staff we're not eager to 110 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: get the vaccine because they did not want to feel 111 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: any side effects around the holidays. And then we have 112 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: found that sentiment around the US. UH, some health professionals 113 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: have said, we don't we don't really want to be 114 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: the guinea pig here, so we will wait to see 115 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,559 Speaker 1: what kind of effects there are. But my colleagues spoke 116 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: to a an executive medical director at Oak Street Health 117 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: in the Chicago area YEA, and he said that there's 118 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: really broad exceptions from the traveling nurses and nurse practitioners 119 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:13,200 Speaker 1: and infusion specialists. They're saying, outright, how can I get vaccinated? Um? 120 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: And there's also some concern that these folks could be 121 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: at greater risk because if you're working in a hospital setting, 122 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: you're working among people who have been vaccinated largely, and 123 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: patients have been tested, and folks coming in for for 124 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: elective surgery have been screened before they come in. When 125 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: you're a primary care doctor, somebody makes an appointment and 126 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: comes into your office, you can ask them some questions, 127 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: but you're probably not going to spot test them right there. 128 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: That was at least young and that's it for our 129 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: show today. For coverage of the outbreak from one bureaus 130 00:09:55,559 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: around the world, visit Bloomberg dot com slash coronavirus and 131 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: if you like the show, please leave us a review 132 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: and a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's the 133 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: best way to help more listeners find our global reporting. 134 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: The Prognosis Daily edition is produced by Tophor foreheads Magnus 135 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: Heentrickson and me Laura Carlson. Today's main story was reported 136 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 1: by Elise Young. Original music by Leo Sidrin. Our editors 137 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: are Rick Shine and Francesca Levi. Francesco Levi is Bloomberg's 138 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: head of podcasts. Thanks for listening.