Tuesday, March 02, 2021

Pandemic roundup: Black churches help fight vaccine hesitancy; fact-checking Biden on vaccine claims; more ...

Here's a roundup of the latest stories on the pandemic and the coronavirus vaccine: 

People hesitate to get the coronavirus vaccine for several reasons, so fighting vaccine hesitancy requires a multi-pronged approach, experts say. Read more here.

Fact-checks cover President Biden's misleading remarks on the vaccine at a recent event at a Pfizer manufacturing site, rumors that Biden reduced coronavirus testing of detained immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border (he didn't), and rumors that the vaccine affects fertility (it doesn't, so far as scientists know).

This explainer discusses how the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine works, when it will be available, and other details to know. Read more here.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, which is widely used in other parts of the world, hasn't been approved for use in the U.S. because the company hasn't applied an application here, saying it needs to finish its phase 3 U.S. trial. Read more here.

The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine may make it easier to vaccinate harder-to-reach communities, but it also could drive perceptions of a two-tiered vaccine system where marginalized communities believe they're getting an inferior product. Read more here.

Rural vaccination rates vary, and data is hard to come by. Read more here.

Black churches fill a unique role in fighting vaccine fears. Read more here.

Many rural hospitals could close because of pandemic-related expenses, according to a report from the American Hospital Association, which is lobbying for $35 billion in funding for rural hospitals in President Biden's American Rescue Plan. Read more here.

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