TRACK THE VAX

Fever. Sore arm. Flu-like symptoms. These are the COVID-19 vaccines' side effects, which now also include possible rare blood clots in the brain, and maybe even shingles.

But are the side effects worse than getting COVID? For roughly 5 million Americans, they are concerned enough to skip that second dose, according to the CDC.

Even as we learn about the possibility of these side effects, others are no longer a concern. Bell's palsy, for example, which was noted during clinical trials and at the FDA meetings as something to watch, has now been determined following an analysis to be no more likely than with other viral vaccines.

So which side effects do we need to be on the lookout for, and which ones will pass just as quickly as we felt them? In this episode, Dial Hewlett Jr., MD, medical director for the Westchester County, New York Department of Health and fellow with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, joins us to explain. Dr. Hewlett also previously worked at Pfizer with their global medical product evaluation team.

Across the country, states are moving forward to either require or ban vaccine passports, even as nations move forward with bilateral agreements to allow travel without quarantining if you have one. As more people get vaccinated it will become the travel conundrum. Many cruise lines already say they will require proof of vaccination for crews and passengers.

Sports and entertainment venues in certain states also say it will be required for entry. The federal government has maintained they won't be mandating one, but private companies are saying that a "passport" or COVID vaccine card is your ticket in.

Would a vaccine passport, called by any other word, be as controversial?

To find out how exactly these passports or verification cards would work, and "what's in a name," we spoke with Dakota Gruener, Executive Director for ID2020, a nonprofit group that's working on digital identification and is part of the Good Health Pass Collaborative; and Brian Castrucci, DrPH, MA, an epidemiologist and President & CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation.

The vaccine rollout so far has shown us that the process has been all but equitable for some of the most vulnerable populations. According to newly posted CDC data, more than half of all American adults have now received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, and a third are fully vaccinated.

A disproportionate number of those already vaccinated, however, are white. Black and Hispanic communities received a smaller share of the vaccine. As vaccine eligibility nationwide opens up to all adults, it's worth asking whether that will equate to equitable access.

Richard Besser, MD, a pediatrician, former acting CDC Director, and the current President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest non-profit dedicated to health, joins us on this week's episode to examine how equitable the vaccine distribution has been and where efforts need to be focused.

COVID surges and vaccination rates. Are the two inextricably linked? Vaccination rates continue to increase as many states have opened availability to all adults. But also increasing? COVID-19 surges, apparently resulting from a combination of eager travelers, relaxed distancing and mask mandates, and new variants that are more transmissible and perhaps more dangerous. What does that mean for vaccines and the ability to stop this pandemic? Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD, the medical director for Boston Medical Center Special Pathogens Unit and associate professor of infectious diseases at Boston University School of Medicine, joins "Track the Vax" host Serena Marshall on this week's episode to discuss whether we can vaccinate our way out of the pandemic.

As more states open up COVID-19 vaccination to anyone 16-years and older, the federal government has now pulled out all the stops. Taking on a full-force media blitz that includes a multi-million dollar ad buy in both English and Spanish, they have enlisted groups from NASCAR and the NFL, to the Catholic Health Association, American Farm Bureau and American Medical Association.

The goal is to combat hesitancy, which has dropped considerably but remains substantial among those most susceptible to contracting and possibly dying from the virus. This includes people who work in medical fields and long-term care facilities. As the Pew organization reported recently, only half of long-term caretakers are vaccinated against COVID.

Taking a look at why certain groups remain hesitant and what messages may work to overcome their reluctance, we talk to Steven Thomas, MD, a professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Health in College Park and director for the Maryland Center for Health Equity, and Sarah Berry, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and geriatrician at Hebrew SeniorLife.

Scams. They are as old as medicine itself.

Fraudsters prey on people's fears and concerns by pretending they have a wonder drug or access to a restricted item, then offer it up for sale at a premium. The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to check all the boxes — especially vaccines, when it comes to criminals trying to take advantage of the system. A real-life miracle drug that prevents a real life pandemic, and not enough to go around.

Already we've heard of cases from Florida to New York of attempts to steal vials of the COVID vaccines. In China and South Africa, INTERPOL seized thousands of doses of counterfeit vaccines. On March 24, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and INTERPOL issued a joint public warning: "Be vigilant, be skeptical, be safe'"— to explain the latest scams out there, how they work and how to keep from falling prey.

Mike Alfonso is assistant special agent in-charge at HSI — an arm of ICE — and coordinator for the agency's COVID-19 vaccine investigations. He joins us on this week's episode to explain what the latest scams are, how they work, and what you should know to protect yourself.

It's now 100 days since the first COVID shot was given in the largest mass vaccination campaign in U.S. history. With more than 2 million shots administered daily, more vaccines are going in arms each day in America than in all of the clinical trials combined. Each vaccine's clinical trial had 30,000-40,000 participants and was required to produce data for at "least two months after completion of the full vaccination regimen to help provide adequate information to assess a vaccine's benefit-risk profile." Today, that means we are getting more and more real-world data from a larger and more diverse group than any clinical trial could ever hope to produce. And as vaccine makers continue to seek FDA authorization, the real-world data also require intense scrutiny. According to the CDC, the current vaccine safety monitoring program is one of the most intense ever. But how does it work — and is it intense enough? Aaron Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, joins us on this week's episode to answer that question and explain the possible shortfalls, as well as what you should know if you need to report something.

It's been one full year into the pandemic and it's clear: women are bearing the brunt of it. And it's not only because women have been forced out of the workplace at disproportionate rates — hitting the lowest level of female participation in the workplace since 1988 — or because more than 75% of those working in the healthcare sector are women. In fact, women appear hardwired to experience COVID-19 and the vaccines differently. Data from the CDC suggests side effects from the vaccines are worse in women; for example, 63 of the total 66 reported cases of anaphylaxis happened in women. Sabra Klein, PhD, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-director of the Center for Women's Health, Sex, and Gender Research, joins us on this week's episode to explain the biological reasons behind the data.

Vaccine distribution nationwide continues to ramp up, with nearly 2-million shots being given daily. President Biden has now said that every adult could be vaccinated by the end of May. A big promise that brings with it hope... a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. But when will COVID vaccination be as simple as getting a flu shot? Many of the doses currently being given are at mass-vaccination sites. Will local and national pharmacies be able to simplify the process? The government still controls the supply and distribution of COVID-19 shots. We wanted to understand what that process looks like and when they expect to offer vaccines on-demand. Rina Shah, PharmD, group vice president, for pharmacy operations and services at Walgreens, joins us on this week's episode to answer those questions.

Millions of Americans are in line to get one of now three vaccines approved by the FDA for emergency use. The latest — Johnson & Johnson's one-dose adenovirus vector — can be stored for up to three months in a fridge and is easier to transport. Johnson & Johnson is no stranger to the technology, having used it in its Ebola vaccine. Despite its rollout goals of 100 million doses by June, Rick Nettles, MD, vice president of medical affairs at J&J's Janssen division, says researchers are already looking ahead to expanding its use for children and pregnant women. He joins this week's episode.