(ATLANTA) — The gap in COVID-19 vaccination uptake between rural and urban Americans is continuing to widen, a federal report published Thursday found.
As of Jan. 31, 2022, 75.4% of people aged five and older living in urban counties have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By comparison, just 58.8% of those living in rural areas had been given at least an initial shot — a nearly 17% difference.
However, a previous report by the federal health agency found that, in April 2021, the gap was smaller with 45.7% of urban residents given at least one dose of the COVID vaccine compared to 38.9% of rural residents.
This means that in the span of nine months, disparities based on geographic location have more than doubled.
The authors say the large gap is likely due to less access to health care and increased vaccine hesitancy in rural areas.
“Addressing barriers to vaccination in rural areas is critical to achieving vaccine equity, reducing disparities, and decreasing COVID-19-related illness and death in the United States,” the authors wrote.
According to the new report, 46 states had higher COVID vaccine uptake in urban areas than in rural areas with just one state — Arizona — having higher coverage in rural areas.
Three states: Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C., have no rural counties so differences in vaccination coverage could not be evaluated.
In both rural and urban counties, women were more likely to be vaccinated than men.
Data showed 77.4% of urban women and 61.4% of rural women had received at least one dose by the end of January compared to 73.2% of urban men and 55.7% of rural men, respectively.
This is similar to the CDCs report looking at April 2021 vaccination rates, which also showed more women getting vaccinated.
Among all age groups, vaccination uptake was higher in urban counties with the largest difference being among 12-to-17-year-olds.
The report showed just 38.7% of rural teenagers had received at least an initial vaccine dose compared to 64.9% of urban teenagers.
However, the researchers found that there was relatively no difference in the percentage of people in rural or urban areas who received booster or additional doses, both being similarly low.
About 50.4% of fully vaccinated urban residents had received a booster shot as of Jan. 31, 2022 as had 49.7% of rural residents.
The CDC authors noted Americans living in rural counties tend to be aged 65 or older and have more pre-existing conditions.
This puts them at high risk of severe COVID-19 complications and is why rates of death from the virus are higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
Dr. Matt Feeley, part of ABC News’ Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals became overrun, a group of doctors began touting an anti-parasitic medicine called ivermectin as a viable treatment for COVID-19, one going as far as calling it a “miracle cure” for the coronavirus, despite experts in the medical community urging caution and warning that science so far did not support its use in the treatment of COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial.
“There is a drug that is proving to be a miraculous impact, and when I say miracle, I do not use that term lightly,” Dr. Pierre Kory, a critical care physician, said at a congressional hearing in December 2020. “And I don’t want to be sensationalized.”
Major health institutions like the FDA and CDC issued warnings urging against the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, even as a group called the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, co-founded by Kory, and another group called America’s Frontline Doctors, continued to promote the drug on their websites, on social media and at speaking engagements — making ivermectin one of the most controversial topics related to the pandemic.
The drug, commonly used for livestock and pets in an animal-grade formula, is also FDA-approved in a human formula to treat parasitic infections and skin conditions such as scabies. In 2020, as the medical community was furiously looking for ways to treat coronavirus patients, and vaccines still seemed like a distant dream, a study in Australia suggested that ivermectin could “stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in cell culture” in a laboratory.
But what happened in that test tube didn’t prove that the drug could heal a person sick with COVID-19 or prevent COVID-19 in people, and the university website where the study is posted warns that “whilst shown to be effective in the lab environment, ivermectin cannot be used in humans for COVID-19 until further testing and clinical trials have been completed to establish effectiveness of the drug.”
Ivermectin advocates often cite “dozens” of studies that show benefits of ivermectin in combating COVID-19, but a closer look at the studies shows that some of them have been retracted for flawed or fabricated data and analysis, while many randomized trials have shown no benefits. There have been some small studies that did suggest positive effects of ivermectin on treating COVID-19 patients, but no large, rigorous, randomized controlled trial has shown that COVID-19 is effective at treating or preventing COVID-19, medical experts say.
The general consensus in the medical community now is that there’s not enough data to recommend ivermectin for routine use as a COVID-19 treatment, said Dr. Adrian Hernandez, professor of medicine and vice dean and executive director of Duke Clinical Research Institute, who is leading a nationwide clinical trial on potential treatments for COVID-19. And doctors point out that there are side effect risks with any pharmaceuticals, so using the medication for unintended purposes may be dangerous.
And even with the arrival of highly effective treatments and vaccines, support for ivermectin has continued among some vaccine skeptics, including Kory, who have championed the drug as a COVID-19 cure and a key part of early treatment, and have urged Americans to stock up on it.
In August, prescriptions for ivermectin jumped to nearly 25 times the normal rate, to 88,000 per week, up from just 3,600 per week before the pandemic, according to the CDC.
“Let me just say very clearly that ivermectin is not a recommended treatment for COVID-19,” U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in August. “It is not a recommended drug to prevent COVID-19.”
At your doorstep within days
Despite the warnings from health agencies about unproven COVID-19 treatments, several physicians groups have partnered with telemedicine platforms and pharmacies to offer easy access to drugs like ivermectin. But the easy access comes at a cost, with a telemedicine visit and the cost of the prescription typically ranging from $90-$300.
ABC News was able to obtain 28 pills of ivermectin for a total of $339, including a $90 telemedicine consultation fee and a charge of $249 from an online pharmacy — which included a $25 shipping fee for overnight delivery — after filling out an application and providing a medical history through a telemedicine platform, and having a brief conversation with someone who claimed to have no knowledge about the drug or COVID-19.
It was an unusual process for obtaining a medicine: Georgia-based ABC News Senior National Correspondent Steve Osunsami first spoke with a woman who said she was calling from Alabama and described herself as a technical nurse, while a Florida-based nurse practitioner — who didn’t speak with Osunsami but had a license to practice in Georgia — sent the prescription for the pills to a New York pharmacy that then shipped the pills to Georgia.
Osunsami began the process by registering online, after which he was contacted by the woman in Alabama. “Which one of the medications are you interested in?” she asked Osunsami, who told her he was interested in ivermectin. The woman then asked him if he had high blood pressure or allergies, and took some additional information.
“All right, that’s all the information I need,” the woman said. “So let’s send this to the pharmacy.”
Asked if there was anything else to know about the drug, the woman directed Osunsami to the pharmacy that would fill his prescription.
“I don’t have any medical knowledge as far as medicine or even about COVID,” said the woman. “I don’t have any medical knowledge at all. I’m so sorry, but I really don’t.”
But no matter, because the prescription was already on its way.
Osunsami was not asked if he wanted a consultation with a doctor or a pharmacist. He did receive some guidance including how to use the medicine and what side effects to look out for with the drug.
‘Millions of dollars being made’
One year after his congressional testimony, Kory doubled down on the anti-parasitic drug, calling ivermectin the “single greatest solution to the pandemic” in a blog post earlier this month — even though top health agencies have said ivermectin is not yet proven to be effective against the coronavirus.
And just days ago, Kory launched his own telemedicine platform that offers ivermectin as part of its treatment protocols. For $250, his website offers a 15-minute “‘Meds on Hand’ Treatment Kit” consultation with a nurse practitioner through text or telephone — and for a premium of $950, you can even arrange a personalized visit with Kory himself. The website doesn’t say whether the platform sends the drugs to a pharmacy or it sells them directly. It says ivermectin is part of their treatment protocol.
The website offers ivermectin and a few other drugs like hydroxychloroquine, a once-promising COVID-19 treatment that had its FDA emergency authorization revoked after it failed to show a benefit in large studies, as part of its COVID-19 treatment protocols.
Neither Kory, representatives for his new telemedicine platform, or members of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance responded to ABC News’ multiple requests for comment regarding promoting the use of drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 that have not been proven to be effective treatments for the disease.
Critics say that at least one other group is capitalizing on the interest in ivermectin — apparently by leveraging a network of doctors available to write the prescriptions.
ABC News obtained an email sent by Encore Telemedicine, an entity that was connecting patients to telemedicine services for people seeking consultation through the physicians group America’s Frontline Doctors. In the email, Encore Telemedicine sought to entice physicians to “become part of an ivermectin ‘COVID-19 project'” with the potential to receive “tens of thousands of dollars per month” from prescribing ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
“We can send you as many patients per day at $30 per patient per encounter as you would like,” the email stated. “We have physicians making tens of thousands of dollars per month.”
Neither Encore Telemedicine nor America’s Frontline Doctors responded to ABC News’ requests for comment. Encore Telemedicine’s website has been down for several months.
The booming online industry of telemedicine offering unproven COVID-19 treatments like ivermectin has caught the attention of lawmakers, who have launched an investigation into America’s Frontline Doctors and SpeakWithAnMD.com, a telemedicine platform.
In a letter sent by the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to America’s Frontline Doctors, House investigators refer to Encore Telemedicine, the company that ABC News obtained the email from, as the parent company of SpeakWithAnMD.com.
The House probe, launched in October, is investigating the entities for allegedly “spreading misinformation and facilitating access to disproven and potentially hazardous coronavirus treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.”
“Attempts to monetize coronavirus misinformation have eroded public confidence in proven treatments and prevention measures and hindered efforts to control the pandemic,” Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, wrote in a letter to Dr. Simone Gold, the leader of America’s Frontline Doctors, over the fall.
“We think there are millions of dollars being made by various groups selling misinformation,” Clyburn told ABC News. “[We’re] doing what we think is necessary to try to get to the bottom of this.”
Shinedown has premiered the video for “Planet Zero,” the lead single and title track off the band’s upcoming new album.
The clip brings the titular Planet Zero to life, where the Shinedown members are trapped in a futuristic, sci-fi facility. There, Brent Smith and company come into contact with a “menacing A.I.” called Cyren, who’s a recurring character throughout the album.
“We wanted the first visual of ‘Planet Zero’ to be unlike anything we have done previously,” Smith says. “We chose to work with visionary director Charles De Meyer. We did not want a traditional music video feel — we wanted avant-garde, thought-provoking and surreal.”
He adds, “Make no mistake, there is a message in the visual, a warning of what is to come, if society does not wake up, and demand the truth be told.”
You can watch the “Planet Zero” video streaming now on YouTube.
“Planet Zero” is currently number one on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, once again giving Shinedown the record for most leaders in the ranking’s 40-year history.
Kacey Musgraves has been named a 2022 TIME Woman of the Year, along with an inaugural class featuring CEOs, civil rights activists, athletes, artists and leaders in other fields.
All 12 honorees will be celebrated at a gala on International Women’s Day, which is March 8. Kacey will give a musical performance at the event, which is set to take place in Los Angeles.
Kacey’s inclusion in the program comes on the heels of the 2021 release of her Star-Crossed album, as she continues to challenge genre boundaries and make strides towards new possibilities within the format.
Though Star-Crossed was deemed ineligible for consideration in country-specific categories at the upcoming Grammy Awards — due to the Recording Academy’s decision that the project lacked sufficient stylistic elements of the genre — Kacey’s nominated in two genre categories. Those are Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, both for her new song, “Camera Roll.”
Though 2022 marks the first of what will be annual Women of the Year lists, the recognition builds on TIME’s 2020 Women of the Year Project, which recognized female leaders throughout history.
Robert Pattinson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday night, and got the thumbs-up from lifelong comics fan Kimmel.
“You are a really good Batman,” Kimmel enthused, before adding, “If you’re a bad Batman, there’s no bigger disaster than that!”
Pattinson admitted he was “absolutely terrified” to watch the film, but he knew he was in good shape when he saw how his girlfriend Suki Waterhouse reacted to it. “…I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like superhero movies…When I could feel a little tear [on her face], I was like, ‘NO WAY!'”
And while much has been made of director Matt Reeves being inspired by Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain for The Batman‘s take on Bruce Wayne, Pattinson admitted he initially took it too far.
“The first costume meetings, I wanted to go like really, really Kurt Cobain, I wanted to wear like a dressing gown, and fluffy Bugs Bunny slippers, really grungy, and …it didn’t work out,” he admitted with a laugh.
Kimmel also pointed out that Americans “may have a problem,” seeing as to how Batman is now played by a Brit, the same as Superman’s Henry Cavill and Spider-Man’s Tom Holland, both of whom are also British.
Pattinson says he knew Holland was destined to play Spidey, before Holland was cast as the hero, after working with him in 2016’s The Lost City of Z.
“He really manifested that part,” Pattinson said. “I swear to God, we were in Colombia, and he was wearing …a proper Spider-Man costume. No one witnessed this but me.”
Stephen Colbert‘s Americone Dream, his exclusive flavor from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, just turned 15, and who better to celebrate the major milestone than Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban?
The duo launched into a hilarious and over-the-top tribute of Colbert’s concoction by highlighting the major moments in history that’ve taken place since the world was first introduced to the beloved ice cream flavor.
The four-minute song, which Josh sang as he played on a white grand piano dusted with rose petals, features notable lyrics such as “Scoops of smiles, and scoops of tears/ Your sweet and chunky mixture made my heart explode/ A dream I’ve had for 15 years/ From when Dubya was in office, to Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s b***s/ From the moment you were churned/ You’ve been there through it alls.”
Sara assisted, singing, “From the first black president to his best friend Joe/ From Brett Farve’s [junk] to Aaron Rodgers’ COVID toe.”
The two also saluted the arrival of 3-D printing, meatless burgers, fidget spinners, selfie sticks and more. They also serenaded a giant pint of Americone Dream that was dancing around the stage.
Colbert reminded the audience that all proceeds from sales of his ice cream flavor benefit numerous charities. In the 15 years since Americone Dream first hit the shelves, $4,258,500 has been donated to various organizations from its sales.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS.
Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason‘s current band, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, has joined the growing list of artists who have canceled concerts in Russia in the wake of that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
A statement from Mason’s group reads, “Due to the current events happening in Ukraine, we are cancelling all of our shows in Russia that were due to take place this summer. Our thoughts and support are with all those in Ukraine.”
Saucerful of Secrets’ Russian shows had been scheduled for June 10 in St. Petersburg and June 11 in Moscow. The band’s 2022 European tour begins April 13 in Dublin, Ireland.
Meanwhile, Mason’s former Pink Floyd band mate David Gilmour is among the rockers sharing their support for Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Gilmour posted a note online that reads, “Russian soldiers, stop killing your brothers. There will be no winners in this war. My daughter-in-law is Ukrainian and my grand-daughters want to visit and know their beautiful country. Stop this before it is all destroyed. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin must go.”
To accompanying his message, Gilmour posted the animated music video for his 2015 song “In Any Tongue,” which is about the futility of war.
The Who‘s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend also shared their support for Ukraine, in a note posted on the band’s social media pages this week.
“We stand by the people of Ukraine at this particularly harrowing time as we will stand for all whose freedoms are violated,” Daltrey and Townshend said in a joint statement.
The message also includes a quote from late U.S. historian, playwright and philosopher Howard Zinn that reads, “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
Little Fires Everywhere star and advocate Kerry Washington, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, and Pose groundbreaker and trans advocate MichealaJaé Rodriguez are among the honorees in TIME magazine’s 2022 Women of the Year issue.
TIME Executive Editor Naina Bajekal and Senior Editor Lucy Feldman wrote in part, “[W]e chose to spotlight leaders who are working to create a better future for women everywhere. Our 2022 Women of the Year list features 12 individuals who have reached across communities, generations, and borders to fight for a more inclusive and equitable world.”
Washington was heralded for using “her star power to lend the spotlight to others.” The actress and advocate offers, “funding, her Hollywood connections, and her storytelling expertise to 10 local organizations that are part of the Vision Into Power Cohort,” which supports, “grassroots organizations that empower marginalized groups.”
TIME also noted that Washington has invested in several women-led startups, and that her Simpson Street production company “focuses on bringing the stories of women of color to life with projects like Confirmation, American Son, and Little Fires Everywhere.”
Rodriguez broke barriers by becoming the first trans actor to win a Golden Globe, and the first trans woman to earn an Emmy nomination in a lead acting category for Pose. The proud “Afro-Latina trans woman,” said, “When I was younger, I didn’t have representation for anyone of color in the LGBTQI community…Now…I want to show them that it’s possible.”
Amal Clooney was described as having, “empathy…as strong as her knowledge of the law and her courage.” The attorney “makes sure that women who are victims of mass atrocities, including genocide and sexual violence, are not forgotten, that they get justice, that their lives and communities are better as a result.”
“Hi-De-Ho,” which features A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip, will appear on the upcoming album Fear of the Dawn, one of two solo albums White is dropping this year. The other, Entering Heaven Alive, includes “Queen of the Bees.”
Both “Hi-De-Ho” and “Queen of the Bees” are available now via digital outlets.
Fear of the Dawn, which features the lead single “Taking Me Back,” will be released April 8. The more acoustic-driven Entering Heaven Live arrives July 22.
White will launch his Supply Issues tour in support of both records April 8 in Detroit.
“Thanks @ciara for being so humble & sweet to me cause these b****** really be rude as hell lol, you’ve slick been a mentor & you looked so beautiful tonight,” Summer’s caption read.
Ciara responded in a comment, “Haha. Love you mama. Fun times.”
The R&B singers posed for photos together at the annual Billboard event, which streamed live on Wednesday from the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA.
Ciara hosted the show, where Summer was presented with the Chartbreaker Award. Her 2021 hit “No Love” landed at #13 on the Hot 100 chart and her sophomore album, Still Over It, sat at #1 for a week on the Billboard 200 Album chart.
Walker is known for openly speaking her mind and letting fans in on her personal life. Her debut album, Over It, features 18 tracks that Rolling Stone referred to as “sultry and cathartic, processing bad relationships and new beginnings.”
Summer’s also opened up about her struggle with depression and the “happy place” she’s found recently. “If you struggle with depression, don’t give up it gets better, baby,” the singer said on Instagram.
In response to what she’s most proud of accomplishing in the past year, Walker told Billboard, “Just meeting people that I really f*** with.”
H.E.R and Saweetie were also among the honorees at the Billboard Women in Music Awards. Doja Cat was presented with the Powerhouse Award and gave the final performance of the night, singing “Alone” from her 2021 album, Planet Her. The coveted Woman of the Year Award went to 19-year-old Olivia Rodrigo.
