Vaccines

Long-term care residents’ participation in the vaccination effort is clouded by a significant complication: More than half have cognitive impairment or dementia.

Dr. Regan Schwartz has been treating COVID-19 patients since March. He says the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh its minor side effects.

"I feel like healing is coming," New York critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay said after receiving her shot. "I hope this marks the beginning to the end of a very painful time in our history."

Participating in a White House vaccine summit on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state’s proposal calls for vaccinating seniors in nursing homes before the end of December.

On "Intersection," Alvina Chu, of the county Health Department; Dr. Amesh Adalja, of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; and Dr. Maria Vazquez, of the school district; discuss what's ahead.

State Rep. Anthony Sabatini of Lake County filed legislation that would strip Florida's surgeon general of the authority to order vaccinations during a public health emergency.

Elderly people and people from minority communities who have been hardest hit by COVID-19 are encouraged to apply to be part of the study.

"If people don't take part in it, then we cannot get the vaccine approved," says Dr. Dushyantha Jayaweera. "Because if everybody waits for somebody else to do it, studies will never be completed."

An executive with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America tells a Florida Chamber forum that her industry is working to ensure vaccines "will be affordable and available for patients."

In the United States and other developed nations, the solution to drug-company reluctance was to shower them with billions of dollars in public funds to persuade them to help.

Scientists are pushing hard to find a more effective way to prevent nearly all seasonal flu strains with one shot. For starters, they're paying volunteers to spend a 10-day stint in "Hotel Influenza."

The World Health Organization has released the latest data on measles. The increase in cases is notable — and a sign of how much work needs to be done to address the outbreak.