As vaccination rates in the U.S. start to trend downward, experts are desperately trying to combat vaccine hesitancy. But in those conversations, there's one issue that doesn't get a lot of attention: needle phobia. A significant number of people—up to 10% of the population, as my colleague Tara Law reports—may fear needles enough to consider skipping a potentially life-saving shot.
That population should not be ignored or dismissed; after all, 10% of the U.S. population could be the difference between reaching herd immunity and the virus continuing to spread. So what can be done?
A Texas-based company is working on a COVID-19 vaccine that could be administered nasally, similar to nasal sprays that protect against influenza. Having that option could be useful not only for the needle-phobic, but also for health care systems that don't have the cold storage requirements to support traditional vaccines.
That product isn't available in the U.S. yet, though, and it's not clear if or when it will be. In the meantime, experts told Tara that people who fear needles should ask their providers for small accommodations, like using a topical anesthetic or allowing distractions such as music or a friend in the vaccination area. For those who often faint after getting shots, muscle-tension techniques—like tightening the abs or legs—can help keep blood pressure up. (From one needle-hater to another: simply refusing to look at the needle can work wonders.)
Perhaps most importantly, one expert told Tara, clinicians should take patients' fears seriously. "Their fear is real," psychologist Meghan McMurtry said, and "not something they should just get over."
About 327.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of May 5, of which 254.7 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 33.4% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
Pfizer announced today that it has applied for full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of its vaccine. The shot currently has emergency-use authorization, a label granted after the agency reviewed short-term safety and efficacy data in the context of a public-health crisis. Pfizer has submitted six months of data in pursuit of full approval—which, if granted, could make it easier for employers to require vaccination and increase public trust in the shot.
The World Health Organization today granted emergency-use authorization to Sinopharm's vaccine. The Chinese-developed shot may now be used globally through the WHO-backed COVAX initiative. Its approval could help kickstart vaccinations in countries where shots remain scarce.
Quality-control issues at a Baltimore vaccine plant are now affecting distribution across the world, the New York Times reports. Emergent BioSolutions—which had to throw out up to 15 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses after they were contaminated in March—is not yet licensed to supply shots for the U.S., but it does supply Canada, South Africa and the European Union. Regulators in those areas must now confirm that none of the doses they received from Emergent are contaminated, slowing down vaccine rollouts in desperate need of acceleration.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 156 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 3.2 million people have died. On May 6, there were 869,824 new cases and 14,239 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here is every country with over 2.5 million confirmed cases:
Medical experts, activists and judicial officials in India are asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement a nationwide lockdown as COVID-19 spreads out of control, the Associated Press reports. India today reported more than 400,000 new cases and nearly 4,000 deaths; in the state of Goa, a staggering one in two people is testing positive for the virus. Though Modi implemented a nationwide lockdown last spring, he has resisted doing so during this wave, in favor of state-specific guidelines.
As opposition to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics mounts, the International Olympic Committee announced yesterday that all athletes can receive Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines prior to the Games. The shots will be shipped to the athletes' home countries before they leave for Japan—but vaccination will not be mandatory for competitors or other attendees.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 32.6 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 580,000 people have died. On May 6, there were 47,366 new cases and 789 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
April was a surprisingly bad month for the U.S. job market: the unemployment rate ticked up slightly (from 6% to 6.1%) and only 266,000 new jobs were added, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. economy gained 770,000 new jobs back in March, so April's slowdown is significant. While fields like leisure and hospitality continue to hire, there's been a significant decrease in demand for "temporary help services" and couriers and messengers, the report says. Nearly half of the country's 9.8 million unemployed people have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer.
In an effort to signal safety and coax travelers back, New York City plans to set up mobile vaccination clinics offering Johnson & Johnson's single-dose shots at popular tourist attractions like Times Square and the Brooklyn Bridge. Now that shots are available to all adults nationwide, however, it's unclear how widely used the clinics will be.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of May 7, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
India's COVID-19 Crisis Has the Middle Class in Uproar
As the virus spreads virtually unchecked throughout India, the middle class—previously some of Prime Minister Modi's strongest supporters—are turning against him, Nilanjana Bhowmick reports for TIME. Read more here.
Be a Better You After the Pandemic
Re-entering the outside world is a perfect time to change your habits for the better, writes behavior expert Katy Milkman for TIME. Here's how to make positive choices stick. Read more here.
Vaccine Optional?
That's the question on employers' minds, as many weigh the pros and cons of requiring their workforces to get vaccinated. So far, the New York Times reports, many are waffling and waiting to see what others do. Read more here.
The Reporters Aren't Alright
For months, COVID-19 reporters have written extensively about grief and trauma. For many, that process has bred the same emotions, writes Olivia Messer for Study Hall. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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