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The claim: California is vaccinating homeless people and prison inmates against COVID-19 before others Shifting plans for distributing COVID-19 vaccines are drawing out new criticism for plans to administer the shots. In a Facebook post on March 1, comedian and podcaster Adam Carolla took aim at the state of California. “In California the homeless and prisoners are getting the vaccine before taxpayers,” he wrote in the post that about 12,000 users have reacted to. “It sounds like something out of Idiocracy. If that isn’t the most California way of doing things I don’t know what is.” Advocates have fought for those populations to be prioritized because they live in close quarters, such as homeless shelters, and cannot easily maintain social distance. ....
Medical journals have published extensive data on the vaccines, and the Food and Drug Administration has made its analysis public. But misinformation about the shots has spread wildly online, including falsehoods that they cause fertility problems. Stormy Tatom, 30, a hospital ICU nurse in Beaumont, Texas, said she decided against getting vaccinated for now “because of the unknown long-term side effects.” “I would say at least half of my coworkers feel the same way,” Tatom said. There have been no signs of widespread severe side effects from the vaccines, and scientists say the drugs have been rigorously tested on tens of thousands and vetted by independent experts. ....
Other top government officials last week joined the first wave of Americans to be inoculated against COVID-19 as part of the largest largest vaccination campaign in the nation s history. Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other lawmakers were given doses Friday. They chose to publicize their injections as part of a campaign to convince Americans that the vaccines are safe and effective amid skepticism, especially among Republicans. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband are expected to receive their first shots next week. Credit: AP President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he leaves the White House to go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he tested positive for COVID-19, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ....