By Steve Miller, RealClearInvestigations

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — On Interstate 59, a neon billboard used by the Alabama Department of Public Health advises motorists to get their flu and pneumonia vaccines. Placards placed atop gas pumps around the state also promote the flu vaccine.

The state of Alabama’s pitch on vaccination … but for the flu, not covid.

alabamapublichealth.gov

But the vaccine that will quell COVID-19, a virus that has killed 400,000 nationwide, crippled businesses and prompted governments to force onerous restrictions the public, gets no mention.

Karen Landers, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Health, said the state has “no specific marketing campaign going on” because “the vaccine supply is less than the demand, here and nationwide.”

Alabama, though, has plenty of medicine and many residents wondering how to get it.  Records show that the state has received 444,000 doses of the vaccine as of Friday, and has vaccinated 100,000 people, using around 23% of its allotted doses.

Across the U.S., 31 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been distributed as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while states have administered 12 million, around 38%.  The vaccine produced by pharma giants Moderna and Pfizer are two-dose treatments that provide up to 95% protection.

The failure of Alabama and other states around the country to launch vaccine advertising campaigns – touting the medicine’s efficacy and informing people how and where they can receive it – is creating potentially life-threatening confusion.

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to spend more money on vaccinations, allocating $400 billion in a plan that includes using local pharmacies (a feature borrowed from the Trump administration) and mass vaccination centers.  Biden said the push will include a public awareness campaign aimed at promoting the importance of getting inoculated.

But for now the lack of advertising is striking because local and federal government agencies routinely spend large sums on public health campaigns – including warning people how to behave in response to COVID-19.

The Obama administration spent $684 million driving awareness of the Affordable Care Act starting in 2013, although it was dogged by the rollout of a federal web portal widely viewed as disastrous. The pharmaceutical industry spent $9.5 billion on digital advertising alone in 2020, according to researcher eMarketer.

Hard-to-Reach Audiences

One of the challenges of the covid vaccine, as with Obamacare, is connecting with people who are hard to reach, including those without Internet service or who aren’t avid news followers.

Yet while the vaccine is in the early stages of distribution, information on what it does and how to get it can only be found at the websites of state and county health departments.

By contrast, when the virus emerged last spring, local governments quickly took to the airwaves with ads urging people to “stay home, stay safe,” collectively spending millions of dollars on multi-platform announcements, including government-produced signage distributed to businesses notifying  patrons that masks were required for entry.

A lucky recipient at the Louisville, Ky., Walgreens that found itself sitting on vaccine ready to expire. A lack of information about vaccine availability is contributing to supply and demand mismatches.

wlky.com

The lack of comparable information about the vaccine is contributing to supply and demand mismatches.

When a Walgreens in Louisville, Ky., found itself sitting on vaccine ready to expire, it made a public announcement that anyone could get the vaccine. The store was subsequently overwhelmed.

For that last-minute move, the store was criticized by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who said the vaccine needed to be held for people who deserve it in accordance with CDC guidelines.

In Michigan, under some of the most onerous shutdowns in the U.S. ordered by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the lack of an information campaign has confused the public.

“No one here even knows that there is a vaccine available,” said Joel Fragomeni, a Detroit-based comedian who volunteered for AstraZeneca’s clinical trial of its COVID vaccine, which is expected to be approved in the spring. “People are still mostly locked down waiting for the weekly cases report to see what can be opened and closed.”

States were presented in October with a 57-page guide to prepare distribute the vaccine, including two pages devoted to how to drive awareness among the public.

Among the suggestions: “Keep the public, public health partners, and healthcare providers well-informed about COVID-19 vaccine(s) development, recommendations, and public health’s efforts.”

It is not clear why the states or the federal government have been slow to advertise availability. Some experts say the unprecedented speed with which the medicine was developed may have caught authorities unprepared as they were preoccupied with other aspects of the pandemic.

In addition, broad confusion over who should get the first available doses has made messaging difficult.

Scant Spending on Vaccine Awareness

In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office in August signed off on a $5 million ad campaign to promote masking. But the governor’s website homepage makes no mention of the vaccine, listing only new positive case rates.  The state is sitting on 43% of the 1 million vaccine doses it has received and has yet to spend anything on vaccine awareness.

New York City in April launched a $10 million campaign advising residents how to behave as the virus spread. The state launched an additional campaign in July urging residents to wear masks.

New York has used less than half the vaccine it has been given, as people seek information on how and where to sign up to receive a dose.

Dearth of public information: Waiting in vain for vaccine this week in Paterson, N.J.

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

California spent millions on billboards, social media and broadcast spots in July telling people to wear masks and keep away from each other, promoting the campaign in a press release on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s home page.

Newsom’s office last issued a statement on the vaccine in late December, noting that California would partner with CVS and Walgreens to inoculate residents of long-term care facilities. Since then, information has been so scarce that residents have begun to crowdsource details.

The Ad Council and the CDC continue to run 60-second announcements on CNN’s Headline News urging people to stay home, avoid businesses like restaurants and bars and distance from each other.

National television spots urging viewers to get a vaccine for shingles – which kills roughly 100 people a year — are in full rotation in places like the Weather Channel.

The Ad Council, a consortium of private firms started during World War II that produces ads for the public good, has co-produced ads since the beginning of the pandemic advising people to stay home, keep away from each other and wear masks. In November it promised a $50 million campaign to drive awareness of the vaccine.

Last week, the council announced it had not yet met that goal, although it promised a campaign was forthcoming.

In an email, Ad Council spokesman Ben Dorf said that “even while many Americans have already started the vaccination process – we recognize that there is currently a lack of confidence and credible resources for people to go to, leading to mass hesitation, fear, misinformation and complacency.”

Polls contend many Americans are reluctant to take a vaccine, with the perhaps most politically opportunistic naysayer being Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who in October said she wouldn’t take it if President Trump were telling her to. She was vaccinated in December.

Dorf promised advertising in the future, although he specified no time.

“This is the biggest issue of our lifetime and it requires an effort like never before, in terms of size, scale, speed and urgency,” he wrote.

Emails to the CDC were referred to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, which did not respond.

Pfizer, Moderna, Walgreens and CVS did not respond to calls and emails requesting information on marketing plans for the vaccine.

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“He’s confined to the villa where he is staying with his family. He will have to remain in quarantine for up to 14 days.”

Robbie Williams has contracted Covid-19 while on holiday in the Caribbean. The English singer has been on holiday in St. Bart’s since December with his wife and kids. He reportedly contracted the virus while over there and is currently in quarantine.

The ‘Angels’ singer has apparently had a rough dose of Covid with one source close to the Robbie saying he’s “been fairly sick” with it. There’s no word on how he got the virus or if any of his family have it too.

The source told The Sun: “He’s confined to the villa where he is staying with his family. He will have to remain in quarantine for up to 14 days.”

This is Robbie’s second Covid-19 scare. Last year he thought he may have had the virus when he returned back to LA from Australia.

The 46 year old self-isolated from his family at the time, “when I landed back in LA it was unusually cloudy and grey, and what with everything going on it did feel very apocalyptic,” he said.

“I was in quarantine in an Airbnb down the road from my family and started worrying about food, about my medication running out, about Beau and my family, and was just very fearful for a couple of days.”

He was reunited with his family after he was sure he was clear from Covid-19. His wife, Ayda, shared the video at the time which showed the kids running up to their dad with excitement.

Robbie has been pretty quiet on social media lately so no word on how he’s feeling, but we wish him a speedy recovery.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned “there will be more to come” as the UK recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day, 1,820.

The number of new cases rose sharply to 38,905, after a fall earlier in the week which inspired optimism that lockdown restrictions were working, The Guardian reported.

For the second day in a row, the UK recorded the biggest increase in COVID-19 deaths within 28 days of testing positive, up on Tuesday’s high of 1,610. The number of new coronavirus cases within 24 hours dropped to 33,355 on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the record daily death toll was “appalling” and warned “there will be more to come”.

The prime minister added, “These figures are appalling, and of course we think of the suffering that each one of those deaths represents to their families and to their friends. I’ve got to tell you … there will be more to come”.

He stated that the new variant was now in virtually all parts of the UK.

“It’s true that it looks as though the rates of infection in the country overall may now be peaking or flattening but they’re not flattening very fast and it’s clear that we must keep a grip on this. We must maintain discipline, formation, keep observing the lockdown,” he noted.

Upon news of the latest death figures, palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke tweeted, “Another 1,820 UK COVID deaths. This figure makes me want to weep, scream, punch a wall, smash furniture. As if the deaths alone weren’t devastating, knowing many were avoidable crushes me. These are mass casualties caused by the failure of government. Heartbreaking.”

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, was asked on Good Morning Britain about why the UK had the worst death rate in the world from coronavirus. She replied that it “has to be put into context” and she did not think there was one simple “factor or cause as to why so many people have died in the UK”.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where COVID-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have been 110,000 deaths involving COVID-19 in the UK.

Government data up to January 19 shows that of the 5,070,365 vaccinations that have been given in the UK so far, 4,609,740 were first doses – a rise of 343,163 on the previous day’s figures – while 460,625 were second doses, an increase of 3,759 on figures released the previous day.

The seven-day rolling average of first doses given in the UK is now 281,490. Based on the latest figures, an average of 399,625 first doses of vaccine would be needed each day in order to meet the government’s target of 15mln first doses by February 15.

As few as 20% of staff in some care homes have received a coronavirus vaccine, the NHS national clinical director for older people has announced.

Dr. Adrian Hayter noted those involved in the vaccination programme must do “better and more” to ensure care home staff got a jab as soon as possible.

While some care homes have seen 70-80% of their staff vaccinated, which he called “fantastic”, others have rates as low as 20%. Overall 45% of care home staff had received a jab, he continued.

Hayter acknowledged there had been delays and that some care homes had found the process difficult.

The latest figures bring the total number of cases in the UK to 3,505,754.

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President Biden to use the Defense Production Act in COVID Fight

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — McLevon ‘Mackie’ Tross, one of the island’s leading farmers in the use of greenhouse technology on Nevis, has underscored the need for farmers on the island to be treated with greater respect.

Tross, the featured speaker at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agenda 2021 forum at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall on January 19, spoke on the issue while delivering the feature address before stakeholders in the agriculture sector on Nevis.

“The landscape of our farmers is changing,” said Tross. “Farmers are entrepreneurs, yes, business people who are responsible for feeding our nation and must be treated with dignity and respect.”

“There is also a need to educate farmers to better position them to achieve greater yields and returns on their investments,” said Tross, the owner and manager of A-1Farms at Gingerland. “There is a need to educate our farmers on the use of proper record and bookkeeping; crop yield estimation, cost of production and return on investment calculations.

“This can be achieved through the Small Enterprise Development Unit (SEDU) and the Department of Agriculture,” he continued. “We must utilize our allied agencies the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Taiwanese if we do not have the skill set in house.”

Tross expressed the need for greater knowledge on the importance of agriculture, not only for farmers but the entire nation including every preschooler.

He also said technology is significant in the agriculture sector. He acknowledged that opportunities to enhance productivity can be found in new and emerging technologies which can help farmers adapt to an ever-changing environment.

“Technology can provide the agricultural industry with tools and information to make more informed decisions and improve productivity.” explained Tross. “Technology includes Digital Agriculture, Green House Production, Hydroponic practices, and exploring tissue culture.

“Digital Agriculture,” explained Tross “is the use of digital technology to integrate agricultural production from the farm to the consumer.

“Digital technologies have the potential to provide farmers with the information and ability to meet these challenges and seize opportunities for growth,” he said. “It also enables improved traceability of agricultural products, providing peace of mind for consumers and increased value for farmers.”

The forum was the third in a series hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture for stakeholders in the agriculture sector to enable the ministry to report on the past year and to chart the course for the ensuing year.

Among those present at the forum were: Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis; Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture; Randy Elliott, Director of the Department of Agriculture; Floyd Liburd, Deputy Director; Steve Reid, Chief Extension Officer; Ron Dublin Collins, Federal Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Agriculture; Sharon Jones, IICA Representative; and Kistian Flemming, CARDI representative.

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — The surgical team at the Alexandra Hospital is being congratulated for life-saving surgery on a shark attack victim by doctors in the United States of America and the management of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), the health facility will continue to deliver top notch service to locals as well, according to Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA)

“We celebrate the accolades from the US doctors and will continue to ensure that our residents receive similar care at our facility,” said Mrs. Brandy-Williams on January 20. “The Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs looks forward to better days ahead for our people as we continue to provide the quality service that they need. Our mantra for 2021 is ‘The Year of Endless Possibilities.’ We endeavour to exceed all expectations by providing professional service.”

Mrs. Brandy-Williams used the opportunity to commend the surgical team at the hospital for its noteworthy efforts to save the RUSVM medical student attacked by a shark while swimming with friends.

“The shark attack on January 9 that threw the Federation into frenzy was quite unfortunate for a Ross University female student,” said Mrs. Brandy-Williams. “I compliment the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who played a role in making the student’s experience at Alexandra Hospital as pleasant and as successful as possible.

“The surgical team, headed by Dr. Cardell Rawlins, must be commended for their quick and effective response to the situation which could have ended tragically,” she said. “The information shared was that everyone was calm and very efficient.”

During a January 15 virtual meeting with Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, a three-member team of senior RUSVM officials called to express gratitude and offer commendation to the Coast Guard, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the surgical team at the Alexandra Hospital in Nevis, for their quick response in assisting one of their students who suffered significant injury in a shark attack.

“The officials passed on compliments from the trauma team in the US to the medical team on the island, stating that the surgery was comparable to anything that could have been performed anywhere in the US. It was also said that the quick response obviously prevented the situation from being far worse.”

Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration.

Dr. Cardell Rawlins, Chief of Staff at the Alexandra Hospital on Nevis.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A beach nourishment project to enhance the beauty of ‘de strip,’ located in the Frigate Bay area has been embarked upon by the Team Unity Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“The beach nourishment project is a project conducted by two local contractors, Rock and Dirt, which is doing the land side of the project, and St. Kitts Marine Works which is doing the seaside of the project,” said Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, during the Prime Minister’s Monthly Press Conference on January 14.

“We have actively engaged with Smith-Warner out of Jamaica for the last three years whereby they did the necessary groundwork in determining exactly what the beach nourishment project should be,” explained Hon. Grant. “After Smith-Warner finished their work in terms of the project, we then engaged the marine brothers who are two young marine engineers in St. Kitts to further the project.”

“The project is costing us in the region of $6 million, which involves putting in groynes and breakwaters at the Frigate Bay to make the beach enhanced,” he said.

A groyne is a relatively long and narrow coastal defence structure, orientated at approximately right angles to the shoreline. Groynes control the natural alongshore beach movement of material caused by wave’s action and tidal currents.

A breakwater, however, is defined as a large concrete or stone barrier built from the coast out into the sea to protect the beach or harbour from large waves.

“At this point, we are about three months away from completion,” said Grant. “We met up with a challenge. When we went to the bottom of the ocean there were some reef remains. We had to go back to the drawing board with the marine engineers to determine what to do.”

“Having sorted that out over the holiday period, both on the landside and the seaside contractors are now engaged,” he said. “One of the groynes has been completed and the other groin is expected to begin in the next two weeks. Then that happen we are going to pump sand from an area outside in the sea which we have found back into the Frigate Bay area.”

Eight thousand cubic meters of sand are expected to be pumped during this process.

“The effect with the groynes, the breakwaters and the sand coming in should ensure the beach sand is retained,” explained Grant. “We will have a much wider beach and much more appealing and pleasant. The goal is to see the economics of it returning to the strip owners and bar owners in the Frigate Bay area.

“We hope this will mean that the sand will not be removed again when there are heavy sea movements,” he concluded.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Team Unity Cabinet of Ministers met on Monday, January 18, 2021, at the Ministry of Finance Conference Room, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris. Several issues affecting the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis were deliberated on.

• Cabinet agreed to a National Day of Prayer slated for Thursday, January 28, 2021. It will be a Service of Thanksgiving for God’s providence and goodness over the past year, and for guidance and protection in the year ahead. The Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs is organizing the event and more information will be forthcoming in the days ahead.

• The National COVID-19 Task Force gave its weekly briefing to the Cabinet where the usual update on statistics locally, regionally, and internationally was given, along with new scientific information with respect to the pandemic. The Cabinet was advised that two other laboratories in the Federation have come on board to carry out the RT-PCR test for COVID-19.

This will greatly facilitate testing capacity vis-a-vis demand for testing. The Task Force answered questions in relation to the choice of the labs, the COVID-19 vaccine, and the readiness of the Federation to receive and administer the vaccines. The Health Emergency Operations Centre is fully energized and will be rolling out a public education blitz to inform citizens and residents on all they need to know with respect to the vaccine and protection from COVID-19. The Commissioner of Police gave a report to the Cabinet on the national crime statistics and also shared concerns about indiscriminate marijuana use in society.

• Cabinet also approved submissions which were before the body.

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January 1, 2021

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January 15, 2021

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1369 january 15 (wecompress.com)

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