Name: Tech's hidden hand in the vaccine rollout
Brand: axios.com
SKU: axios-com-241
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Tech's hidden hand in the vaccine rollout

preview

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/AxiosTechnology companies including IBM, Oracle, and Salesforce are working with governments and health agencies to manage the massive task of rapidly distributing the COVID-19 vaccines.Why it matters: It's critical to make sure the limited supply of vaccines is distributed equitably and without wasting precious doses.Driving the news: The big picture: For tech, it's both a business opportunity and a chance for companies to tie themselves to a critical societal need. Yes, but: Tech could also be positioning itself for blame if there are hiccups in these systems. Remember the rollout of Healthcare.gov?Between the lines: What's tricky is there are so many players involved in getting the vaccine to the population, including the pharmaceutical companies, shippers like UPS and FedEx, state governments, local governments, hospitals, drugstore chains and individual providers.The vaccine is going to be in short supply for months, creating huge and competing demand and the need to make sure every available dose reaches someone in need.The big picture: Tech companies are doing more than just helping governments and health authorities distribute the vaccine.States that voted for President Trump tend to have high coronavirus caseloads compared to how much COVID content they read online, while the opposite is true of states that voted for President-elect Biden, according to exclusive data from social media management platform SocialFlow.Why it matters: The trend highlights a widespread rejection of coronavirus news and information in states that supported Trump, even in areas where the virus has gotten particularly deadly.There were nearly 12,000 more deaths than expected among young adults between March and July, according to new published Wednesday in JAMA.Why it matters: Only 38% of deaths in this age group were attributed directly to COVID-19, which suggests that COVID-19–related mortality may have been under-detected.Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, but is "asymptomatic and will continue to work on behalf of the American people while in quarantine," his spokesperson Nicholas Goodwin said in an email.The big picture: Bernhardt is following CDC guidelines, including identifying close contacts, per a statement. He spent the past two days in meetings with other Trump administration officials and last week attended a portrait unveiling for former secretary Ryan Zinke, along with several GOP senators, reports , which notes that Interior attorney Daniel Jorjani and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Aurelia Skipwith also tested positive for the virus last month.Flashback: Sign up for Mike Allen’s daily Axios AM and PM newsletters to get smarter, faster on the news that matters.

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/AxiosTechnology companies including IBM, Oracle, and Salesforce are working with governments and health agencies to manage the massive task of rapidly distributing the COVID-19 vaccines.Why it matters: It's critical to make sure the limited supply of vaccines is distributed equitably and without wasting precious doses.Driving the news: The big picture: For tech, it's both a business opportunity and a chance for companies to tie themselves to a critical societal need. Yes, but: Tech could also be positioning itself for blame if there are hiccups in these...

public

Ina is the chief technology correspondent at Axios. She authors the daily Axios Login newsletter and brings years of Silicon Valley experience to offer a smart take on tech.

Ina Fried

Smart Brevity worthy of people's time, attention and trust. Subscribe to our newsletters: https://bit.ly/3hMCmVn

axios.com

Credible

Speculation

Anecdotal Evidence

Generalization

Stacking the Deck

Appeal to Authority

Straw Man

Slippery Slope

Emotional Appeal

Red Herring

False Dilemma

Illogical

Moral Equivalency

Ad Hominem

Correlation w/o Causation

Semantics

Begging the Question

Faulty Analogy

Non Sequitur

Bandwagon

Dogmatism

Failing Occam's Razor

Biased

Pure Opinion

Hit Piece

Racial Bias

National Bias

Religious Bias

Financial Incentive

Political Agenda

Gender Bias

Misused Image/Video

Study Misinterpreted

Mistake

Misused Term

Science Misrepresented

Factual Error

Satire

Surface Level

Lack of Reliable Sources

Sensational

Not Credible

Investigative

Balanced

Well Sourced

Great Context

sports

entertainment

U.S.

international

business

technology

science

culture

politics

media

health

Tech's hidden hand in the vaccine rollout

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS