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U.S. NEWS Thursday 17 december 2020
Vaccinations reach nursing homes as California faces crisis

By ADAM GELLER and TERRY standing by as makeshift
SPENCER morgues as deaths surge.
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) The state is averaging 163
— The first COVID-19 vac- virus deaths per day, up
cinations are underway at from 63 just two weeks ago.
U.S. nursing homes, where With new cases of the infec-
the virus has killed more tion in California averaging
than 110,000 people, even more than 32,000 a day
as the nation struggles to — nearly as many as the
contain a surge so alarm- entire U.S. was seeing just
ing it has spurred California three months ago — hospi-
to dispense thousands of tals in parts of the state are
body bags and line up re- running out of space in in-
frigerated morgue trucks. tensive care wards.
With the rollout of shots pick- In Fresno County, officials
ing up speed Wednesday, said Tuesday that just 16 ICU
lawmakers in Washington beds remained available
closed in on a long-stalled and were filling rapidly. To
coronavirus relief pack- keep up, the county's hos-
age that would send direct pital system has contracted
payments of perhaps $600 with a Virginia company to
to most Americans. Mean- supply doctors, nurses and
while, the U.S. appeared to others to staff a temporary
be days away from adding 50-bed facility that will start
a second vaccine to its ar- receiving patients by the
senal. end of the week.
At the same time, a major "Unfortunately, I'm antici-
snowstorm pushing its way pating a grim set of weeks
into the Northeast raised before and after the New
concern it could disrupt dis- Year, just given the trends
tribution of the first vaccine. that we're seeing with the
Nursing home residents in number of cases," said Dr.
Florida began receiving Rais Vohra, the county's in-
shots Wednesday, after terim public health officer.
nearly 2,000 such vaccina- In Orange County, health
tions were administered in officials planned to send
West Virginia on Tuesday. large tents to four hospitals
Thousands more are sched- to help accommodate pa-
uled there in the coming Patricia Wasseman, holds Hermina Levin's hands as nurse Eva Diaz administers the Pfizer vaccine tients.
days. Other states are ex- at John Knox Village, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Pompano Beach, Fla. In Washington, congressio-
pected to follow soon. Associated Press nal leaders said they hoped
The elderly and infirm in to seal a deal as early as
long-term care have been vaccine was mixed with are African-American and any day now. Wednesday on a package
among the most vulnera- some anxiety. don't trust it, given the na- Marty Wright, head of the that would extend aid to
ble to the virus and, togeth- "I hope it will help me tion's history of medical West Virginia Health Care individuals and businesses
er with health workers, are from getting COVID," said experimentation on Black Association, which repre- and help ship vaccines to
first in line to get the limited, 88-year-old retired school- people. sents nursing homes and millions. It would include en-
initial supplies of the vac- teacher Vera Leip, a resi- "They are frightened," he assisted living communities, hanced federal unemploy-
cine, developed by Pfizer dent of John Knox Village said. "There is that culture said the state's pharmacies ment benefits and another
and Germany's BioNTech. near Fort Lauderdale. "I line even as much as we expect to get 7,000 doses round of stimulus checks.
Nursing home residents don't know anything about educate them." into arms by the end of the On Thursday, a govern-
and workers account for it, but I would prefer not to West Virginia, with one of week. ment advisory panel will
more than one-third of the have it." the oldest and unhealthiest The developments come consider whether to en-
nation's 300,000 or so con- The home is not requiring its populations in America, is as as the crisis grows in- dorse emergency use of a
firmed deaths from CO- employees to get the vac- working with small and lo- creasingly dire by many second vaccine, made by
VID-19. cine, and only 80 of the 200 cal pharmacies to reach measures. Moderna.
In Florida, the longtime staffers in the skilled nurs- nursing homes across the The U.S. recorded over Meanwhile, officials super-
retirement haven whose ing facility volunteered for heavily rural state, leap- 3,000 deaths on Tuesday for vising distribution of the first
141,000 nursing home resi- the first wave, said Mark frogging states that are re- the third time in less than a vaccine said they didn't
dents are the second most Rayner, its director of health lying on a partnership with week, eclipsing the peaks expect the winter storm to
of any state behind Califor- services. He said many of the CVS and Walgreens seen last spring. New cases disrupt distribution.
nia, eagerness to get the those declining the shot drugstore chains to kick in are running at over 212,000 U.S. Health and Human Ser-
a day on average. And the vices Secretary Alex Azar
number of Americans in the said the government is
hospital with COVID-19 hit tracking the vaccine ship-
another all-time high Tues- ments precisely, has staffers
day of about 113,000. in place to receive them
California is distributing and believes the compa-
5,000 body bags mostly to nies transporting them —
the hard-hit Los Angeles FedEx and UPS — have the
and San Diego areas and expertise to navigate the
has 60 refrigerated trailers storm.q