'He's My Hero': Pharmacist Braves Weather To Deliver Vaccine

DONEGAL, PA — For the last year, Paula Blevins has taken every step possible to try to protect her 34-year-old daughter, Amanda, from the coronavirus.

Amanda, who receives 24-hour care for several medical issues, is also non-verbal and non-mobile. While Paula was thrilled to hear about COVID-19 vaccines becoming available, she also wondered how she would get Amanda to a vaccination site.

"Anytime we leave this house, it's a $1,400 ambulance ride round trip," Blevins told WTAE News in Pittsburgh.

For five weeks, Blevins searched and was unable to find an appointment for Amanda. She reached out to local and state leaders, but it ended up being their hometown pharmacist who stepped in to help.

Ed Christofano from Hayden's Pharmacy had just finished a last-minute vaccination clinic in Hempfield Township. Since some appointments canceled due to the weather, Christofano called Paula and said he would be there in 15 minutes.

Both Amanda and her parents, all of whom were eligible to receive the vaccine in Pennsylvania, received their first dose.

"He's my hero," Paula told WTAE.

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The Latest

California has become the first state to reach 50,000 coronavirus-related deaths. The state had reached nearly 51,000 virus deaths by midday Thursday, according to numbers from Johns Hopkins University. It passed New York a few weeks ago in recording the most deaths among states. New York remains second with more than 47,000 deaths, and Texas is third with more than 42,000.

Despite virus-related deaths down more than 27 percent over the past week, Washington Post data shows, the country topped 500,000 deaths earlier this week.

The latest death milestones come as a third coronavirus vaccine candidate took a step toward possible emergency-use authorization. An analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released Wednesday found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides strong protection against severe disease and death caused by COVID-19.

The one-shot coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson was found to have a 72 percent overall efficacy rate in the United States, according to a New York Times report. The vaccine also showed 86 percent efficacy against severe forms of COVID-19 in the United States, and 82 percent against severe disease in South Africa.

The FDA is scheduled to meet Friday to decide whether to give emergency-use authorization to the vaccine. Authorization could come as soon as Saturday, the Times reported.

Once emergency use authorization is granted, Johnson & Johnson said it's ready to deliver doses to more than 20 million Americans by the end of March.

As of Thursday, more than 66.4 million doses of the vaccines have been administered across the United States, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As Congress continues to negotiate additional virus relief for Americans, more than 150 senior executives from some of America's largest companies have lined up behind President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, according to a letter obtained by CNN.

Among those signed onto the letter are David Solomon, chairman and chief executive officer at Goldman Sachs; Stephen Schwartzman, the chairman and CEO of Blackstone; Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google; John Zimmer, the co-founder and president of Lyft; Brian Roberts, the chairman and CEO of Comcast; and John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T.

GOP leaders remain staunchly opposed to the proposal, however.

“I haven’t seen a Republican yet that’s found something in there that they agree with," said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California. "I think all Republicans believe in three simple things: They want a bill that puts us back to work, back to school and back to health. This bill is too costly, too corrupt and too liberal.”

With the Senate split 50-50 among Democrats and Republicans, and Vice President Kamala Harris only casting tie-breaking votes, unless there is bipartisan support the bill lacks the backing to overcome a Republican filibuster.

So some states are refusing to wait for lawmakers in Washington.

Maryland and California recently moved forward with help for the poor, the jobless, small businesses and those needing child care, the Associated Press reported. New Mexico and Pennsylvania are funneling grants directly to cash-starved businesses. North Carolina's governor wants additional state aid for such things as bonus pay for teachers and boosting rural internet speeds.

The spending is also providing fuel for critics who say states don’t need another massive infusion of cash from Congress. However, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said aggressive action is needed to ward off business closures and evictions as Congress deliberates.

“The cascading effect, it’s actually a problem that most states are grappling with ... waiting for the relief money out of the feds,” she said. “We need to be able to hold up, to shore up businesses moving forward, and we want them to have security to hold their current employees and potentially hire more.”

• States Pass Their Own Coronavirus Aid, Not Waiting For Congress

The coronavirus pandemic's creation of an alternate normality includes a rare positive consequence, a report from The Associated Press shows this week. The flu has virtually disappeared.

Flu reports are coming in at the lowest levels in decades, the AP reported Wednesday.

Experts say that measures put in place to fend off the coronavirus — mask-wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling — were a big factor in preventing a "twindemic" of flu and COVID-19. A push to get more people vaccinated against flu probably helped, too, as did fewer people traveling, they say.

One pediatric flu death has been reported so far this season, compared with 92 reported at the same point in last year’s flu season., CDC numbers show.

There haven't been any cases at some of the nation's most prominent hospitals — such as the Maine Medical Center in Portland, the northeasternmost state's largest hospital.

"I have seen zero documented flu cases this winter,” Dr. Nate Mick, head of the emergency department, told the AP.

Newest Numbers

As of Thursday afternoon, the United States had reported more than 28.3 million cases and nearly 507,100 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

At least 2,482 deaths and 73,745 new cases of coronavirus had been reported in the United States on Wednesday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows that over the past week, new cases have fallen 14.2 percent, new deaths have fallen 27.5 percent and COVID-19-related hospitalizations have fallen 16 percent.

More than 88.6 million vaccine doses have been distributed and more than 66.4 million administered in the United States as of Thursday, according to the CDC. More than 45.2 million people have received one dose, and nearly 20.6 million have received two.

Currently, 54,118 people are hospitalized with a coronavirus-related illness in the United States, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

As of Thursday, 25 states and U.S. territories remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or The Washington Post.

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