Takeaways From The State's Vaccine Rollout Hearing

Also: More vaccine is coming with Johnson & Johnson; small improvements to the state's vaccine sign-up site ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( March 1, 2021 Welcome to another March in the pandemic, If you read last week's newsletter, you already know this. But in case you missed it, I have the difficult task of informing you that Carey Goldberg has written her last CommonHealth newsletter, sent her last send – she has left WBUR after 10 years at the station to start a new gig as the Bloomberg Boston chief. They have gained an excellent reporter and editor, and we miss her already. There is a silver-lining, though: now you get me. On to business. The Food and Drug Administration gave the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen coronavirus vaccine emergency approval, as expected. It's a single shot vaccine, created from a Beth Israel team, and it doesn't require ultra-cool temperatures for storage. That's a big win! But some think it's less impressive than the 90% efficacy of Moderna and Pfizer shots. Don't be fooled: this vaccine is still very effective at keeping people from serious illness. Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said she'd be willing to be the "poster child, at my very mature age," for this vaccine. "Sign me up," she said. Not that it'll matter if you can't get an appointment. Based on emails I've been getting over the weekend from all of you, people are still struggling with the state's vaccine sign-up system, which can definitely feel like a Sudoku puzzle at times. The website is seeing improvements though, and the PrepMod system used for vaccine registration has already gotten a few much needed upgrades like moving appointment registration pages before the personal information forms you need to fill out. Read more on all of this below. — Angus Chen, reporter [@angRchen]( newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[What Went Wrong With The 'Tiny Nonprofit' Behind The State's Beleaguered Vaccine Site]( PrepMod, the country's ill-fated vaccine registration software, came from a small nonprofit in Maryland. The nonprofit was barely known before the pandemic, but now provides vaccine software to 27 states including Massachusetts. [Read more](.   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [Here's Why COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe]( This is an excerpt from a COVID-19 vaccine special edition of WBUR's weekly coronavirus newsletter. It explains why, when it comes to the development of these vaccines, "fast" does not mean "shoddy." It also covers side effects and why the type of vaccine made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech isn't going to change your DNA. [Read more.](  [Mass. COVID Vaccination Totals Catch Up With Infections]( The equivalent of the population of Methuen — roughly 51,000 people — got their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine between Friday's report from the Department of Public Health and Sunday's update. [Read more.](  [Emotions Ran High During A State Hearing On Mass.' Vaccine Rollout. Here Are 3 Takeaways]( It's no secret that the vaccine rollout in Massachusetts has been rocky. State lawmakers are getting fed up, and last week they held a hearing to discuss the rollout. Governor Charlie Baker answered questions, as did members of his administration, on why things haven't gone as smoothly as hoped. [Read more](.  [Johnson & Johnson Says It Could Have 20 Million Single-Dose Vaccine Units By End Of March]( The Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency approval from the FDA. The drug maker says that it may have tens of millions of doses ready by the end of March. [Read more](. What We're Reading Inmates with greater susceptibility to severe COVID illness were supposed to be taken out of prisons to serve their sentences in residences. It was to reduce crowding and lower the likelihood of a coronavirus outbreak in prisons, where tight quarters and shared spaces lead to disastrous results. But the Department of Justice has been slow to act, [reports Roni Caryn Rabin for the New York Times](. "They knew what they needed to be doing in order to mitigate another outbreak, and they simply didn’t do," Marisol Orihuela, co-director of the Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic at Yale University, tells Rabin. The examples Rabin has in her reporting show how inmates are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, and how care is often denied or delayed. It's worth the read. “ I do my best to convince people in my community that getting vaccinated is the right thing to do. But it’s very hard, because I convince them in a system that doesn’t work — in a system that crashes. — Gladys Vega, director of La Colaborativa, "[Emotions Ran High During A State Hearing On Mass.' Vaccine Rollout. Here Are 3 Takeaways]( PSA [Tomorrow's WBUR Town Hall: Ethics And The Vaccine]( Essential workers, prison populations, nursing home residents, the elderly and individuals with select medical conditions are first in line for the coronavirus vaccine. Are there other vulnerable populations who should have priority? We'll cover this and take your vaccine questions live. Register for the free event by clicking the link above.      Did you know COVID-era Zoom calls are [reshaping the way sign language]( spoken? 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. 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