Consider This from NPR - Coronavirus Cases Are Surging In Europe. Why The U.S. Is In Better Shape — For Now

Episode Date: March 22, 2021

In Europe, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been slow. The U.S. is doing better — vaccinating as many as 3 million people per day this past weekend. Some of those people were vaccinated by Chichi Ilonzo Momah, who runs Springfield Pharmacy in Springfield, Pa. Momah says local independent pharmacists are trying to make sure no one falls through the cracks. The rollout is also progressing thanks in part to military personnel stationed at vaccine sites around the country that are run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. WUSF's Stephanie Colombini visited one site in Tampa. Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Allison Aubrey. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening in your community.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In large parts of France, a new lockdown began this past weekend. It'll last a month, at least. Intensive care units in Paris hospitals are full, so some patients are being transferred elsewhere. Italy and Poland have also closed businesses and restricted travel. The vaccine rollout across the EU has been slow, with around 10% of the population vaccinated so far. And Germany looks headed for more restrictions too.

With infections soaring there, a warning from the health minister. There are not yet enough vaccines in Europe to stop the third wave through vaccination alone. In the past, a surge in Europe has meant one in the US is not far behind. And it is true that cases are rising in some states as public health measures are rolled back. Well, I don't think we're going to have a fourth wave. I think what we're seeing around the country is parts of the country that are plateauing. We're seeing upticks in certain parts of the country. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS,

a couple of things might protect the U.S. from a new surge. One, there's been a lot of prior infection. That means some amount of protective immunity already exists in the U.S. from a new surge. One, there's been a lot of prior infection. That means some amount of protective immunity already exists in the population. And two, the vaccination effort here is simply going better than it is in Europe. If you look at in Europe, where they're having a true fourth wave, they've only vaccinated one in nine adults.

Here in the U.S., we've vaccinated one in three. In the U.K., which is seeing consistent declines, they've vaccinated one in two. So the vaccination is going to be a backstop. And we're continuing to vaccinate about three million people a day right now. Consider this. That number, three million people vaccinated per day, is expected to keep growing. We'll introduce you to some of the people working long hours to make it happen. From NPR, I'm Adi Cornish. It's Monday, March 22nd. This message comes from NPR sponsor 3M, supporting communities in the fight against COVID-19.

Since the outbreak, 3M has responded with cash and product donations, including surgical masks, hand sanitizer, and respirators through local and global aid partners. In addition, 3M plants are running around the clock, producing more than 95 million respirators per month in the U.S. What does it take to really make amends? And how should we navigate our digital spaces? I'm Anoush Samarody. Each week on NPR's TED Radio Hour, we go on a journey with TED speakers who help us answer some of life's biggest questions. Join us. Listen now. It's Consider This from NPR. are. Six months from now, if Americans are easing back into something that looks a little more like

normal life, it will be because of people like Chi-Chi Alonzo-Moma. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you look tired. I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted. And at the same time, I'm happy. So it's good exhaustion. Not bad. Moma runs Springfield Pharmacy in the suburbs of Philadelphia. We spoke via Zoom this week, a day after she helped run a mass vaccination site at a local high school. 1,300 people got vaccinations from a team of volunteers, physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. I was giving out doses as well. I was helping with the checking. I was reconstituting vaccines. I was everything yesterday.

Stepping up and into roles of responsibility has been the story for so many pharmacists during the pandemic. While big hospital systems and corporate pharmacies like Rite Aid and CVS are doing a lot of vaccination, many Americans are relying on local independent pharmacists like MoMA to get a shot. Especially in counties like hers, without their own health department. MoMA estimates her pharmacy has vaccinated thousands of people in the last few months. We spoke about how she's done it. Initially, when the vaccines were being

rolled out, we weren't able to get as much as we wanted. And our wait list was growing to up to 30,000 names. So I reached out to our House of Representatives. I reached out to some local leaders in our community. And I emailed the Pennsylvania Department of Health every single day and the CDC every single day, just pushing, not only just for me to get the vaccine, just to make noise that we needed help. So we are grateful that they heard us and they're doing something about it. Can you recall kind of a memorable dose, an experience you had with anyone that really sticks with you?

I had a 96-year-old grandma, and it was an honor for me to give her a vaccine. I mean, at her age, to be able to survive this pandemic and still be alive to be able to get a vaccine. And I gave her the vaccine. It was awesome. I had somebody call to say her brother was bedridden and is bedridden and wanted somebody to go out to their house to get the vaccine. I don't go into the homes, but I was like, can he come out to the porch or the front door? And we've done a ton of home calls like that. And just being able to meet people where they are is amazing. It's a blessing. What can a local pharmacist do that a big healthcare provider might not be able to, or might not be best positioned to? Pharmacists are the liaisons between other healthcare providers and patients. Pharmacists are easily accessible. Pharmacists

are trained to be more empathetic. And we meet the patient right where they are, right? So it doesn't matter what the barrier is. It doesn't matter how far they live or if they don't drive or if they don't speak English or they don't understand what's happening. It is our job to advocate for patients, to explain things to patients and fight for the patient. So pharmacists role is very broad, is very diverse, but it's very rewarding because we stand in the gap for patients and we make sure nobody falls through the cracks and nobody gets left behind. I don't know how many sort of hesitations you're encountering people who don't want the vaccine for one reason or another, but if that happens, what are the things you're hearing? A lot of people from the culturally diverse community, especially the Black community, are afraid to get the vaccine because they're not sure how they will react to the vaccine.

And it is our job as pharmacists to educate them and not only educate, but also advocate for them. One of the patients that we give a vaccine to, she's an essential worker. She couldn't get her 100-year- patients that we give a vaccine to, she's an essential worker. She couldn't get her hundred year old mother to get a vaccine. And I offered to talk to her mom. And I explained to her that the vaccine is not only just to protect her, but to protect all the people around her. Gave her access to see not only her children, but her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. And her daughter was able to call me back to tell me, thank you for convincing her mother to get the vaccine.

You know, MoMA says getting her community vaccinated, one phone call or one house call at a time, sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. But this week's mass vaccination clinic was a success, and she's expecting another shipment of vaccine in days. We got more approval for vaccine this week. We're getting another 1,500 dose tomorrow, and we're hosting another massive clinic on Wednesday at the same high school.

While Chi-Chi Alonzozo Moma's work continues in Pennsylvania, a thousand miles south, vaccinators have been working hard at another mass clinic. This one is in Tampa, and it's one of four sites across the state set up by FEMA and staffed by Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel. Stephanie Colombini from member station WUSF paid them a visit. Inside a large white tent at a racetrack in Tampa,

Air Force medical technician Lindsay Avalos stands at a folding table in her camo uniform and boots, prepping some needles for the crowds of people lined up to get their shots. A man and woman sit down at her station. I'm Airman Avalos. I'll be giving you your vaccine today. Have either of you had any COVID symptoms in the last 10 days? No. Okay, I'm going to get you both scanned in. This is Avalos' first deployment. She says she never imagined when she enlisted over a year ago she'd be giving civilian shots in Florida and spending her days off at the beach. When I said I was deploying, my parents immediately thought, oh, you're going to Afghanistan.

This is definitely a stateside humanitarian deployment. But Avalos says the assignment's no vacation. She works long days at the Tampa site, administering about 150 shots a day. All right, make sure this's arms nice and relaxed. One, two, three. Good job. Did you do it? Yeah. You didn't feel a thing, huh? Not a thing. The man thanked her and walked away rubbing tears from his eyes. Major Michael Jessup helps oversee the operation and says that kind of emotional reaction is common. I can understand

where that comes from. We actually had an elderly couple in here not too long ago. They were super excited and tearful at the fact that they finally get to go see their grandchildren. The positivity is a welcome change from past deployments for Tech Sergeant Jerrica Wild. She has seen combat as a medic in Afghanistan. Obviously when you're overseas you have other things that you worry about your safety and here everybody's so welcoming and they're excited that we're here. The Pentagon says about 2,400 service members from all branches of the military are supporting more than a dozen vaccination sites in places like New York, California, Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They're providing staff and infrastructure to

help communities immunize as many people as possible as fast as possible. Captain Stephanie McElrath says the armed services are well-suited for this kind of mission. The military is a very organized thing, just kind of the chain of command, the leadership. We've got people from all around the country who are coming together to make this happen, whether they're in the vaccine tent or they are, you know, doing traffic coming in. It's a whole team concept. McElrath is a nurse at the Tampa site. She and her team come from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, but her family lives in the area.

McElrath was able to vaccinate her grandmother and aunt inside the tent. The last time they were together was for her mother's funeral last year. Because of coronavirus restrictions, McElrath didn't get to say goodbye in person. Even though my mom didn't have COVID-19, she was impacted by the pandemic. So it's been a full circle thing because it really, bringing this community back, knowing that we're taking that one step closer to getting our families back to normal is a really great feeling. The Department of Defense says requests are coming in for help from other states. The troops on the ground say they're ready to serve as long as it takes to vaccinate everyone who needs it.

That's Stephanie Columbini with Member Station WUSF in Tampa. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Adi Cornish.