Demand for shots on the rise | Coronavirus Newsletter
Plus, people have been hoarding more during the pandemic
The gist: The second holiday season of the COVID-19 era is approaching, and this time around a lot of people evidently are including jabs in the arms as part of their preparations. Take 86-year-old Anne Speece of Levittown, who has relatives coming to town and said as she got her booster shot: “I’d like to get to see them.”
Demand for shots has increased with the approval of vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds, and the opening-up of booster shots to more segments of the population. Pediatricians, hospitals, and pharmacists have kicked off clinics and school vaccination events.
— Anthony R. Wood (@woodt15, health@inquirer.com)
Some providers say the atmosphere in clinics is far different from what it was weeks ago. People are continuing to seek out booster shots since eligibility expanded last month to some Moderna recipients, as well as anyone who got Johnson & Johnson. And more than 18,000 children 5 to 11 in Pennsylvania and 9,000 in New Jersey were vaccinated in the first week the rollout, state officials said. That represents about 2% of those eligible in Pennsylvania and 1% in New Jersey. Read more on what local clinics are seeing now.
Still, not everyone is on board.
A group of Temple students got together to come with way to overcome vaccine hesitancy among high-schoolers, and did they get a surprise.
Philadelphia’s vaccine mandates did get results in nursing homes.
President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates would apply to the private sector, but a federal court in Louisiana set up a temporary road block there.
What you need to know:
🏫 Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court has struck down the state’s school mask mandate, days after Gov. Tom Wolf announced the requirement would be lifted in January, placing mask rules in the hands of schools and districts.
💊 A pill instead of a jab? Pfizer says that its experimental COVID-19 pill could cut the risk of hospitalizations and death by by 90%.
😞 Stress, isolation, lack of human contact. Whatever the reasons, people have been hoarding more during the pandemic.
🗑️ More pandemic fallout: Trash pickup delays have increased in Philadelphia, although it hasn’t been one-size-fits-all among neighborhoods.
🔌 And talk about generating demand, with every house becoming a business center these days, demand for generators is gaining ever more juice.
Local coronavirus numbers:
📈 Across Pennsylvania and New Jersey coronavirus numbers continue to flatline. Track the latest data here.
Helpful resources:
Planning on getting a booster shot? Here is what you need to know.
The places on this list require vaccination proof.
If you’re hit with a breakthrough infection, this is what to expect.
Where to get a coronavirus test in the Philadelphia area if you want to know whether you’re infected.
What you’re saying:
Last week, we asked what the end of the pandemic means to you. Here’s what you told us you were most looking forward to doing again:
💃 “Contra/square dancing and couple dancing with multiple partners (inside) in an evening.”
🎭 “Theater. Live theater. Resurrecting my season tickets to the Arden. The Fringe!!!”
🇨🇦 “Normalization of travel between the U.S. and Canada”
😷 “No masks!”
🍿 “Going to the movies”
A dose of diversion: A takeout Thanksgiving feast
After 20 exhausting, anxious months of this pandemic, maybe you don’t feel like preparing a massive Thanksgiving feast. It’s OK, we have a solution. Order take-out. Seriously. More than a few places are happy to do the cooking for you.
🎁 In the never-too-soon department, here’s our holiday gift guide.
🧥 It will get cold, honest, and you can buy something warm at these shops.
🎄 Continuing holiday theme, you can still cut your own Christmas tree.
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