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More than 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have gone to waste since December. The two pharmacy chains account for most of it, a Kaiser Health News investigation found.

CVS and Walgreens — two national pharmacy chains that the federal government entrusted to inoculate people against COVID-19 — together account for the lion’s share of vaccine doses that have gone to waste.

That’s according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data obtained by KHN that shows the agency recorded 182,874 wasted doses as of late March, three months into the country’s effort to vaccinate the masses against the coronavirus.

Of those, CVS was responsible for nearly half and Walgreens for 21% — a combined total of nearly 128,500 wasted shots.

According to CDC data, the companies have wasted more doses than states, U.S. territories and federal agencies added together.

Pfizer’s vaccine was the first to be made available, in December, and initially required storage at ultracold temperatures. It represented nearly 60% of the doses that were tossed out.

It’s not clear from the CDC data why the two chains wasted so much more vaccine than states and federal agencies.

Some critics have pointed to poor planning early in the rollout of the vaccine, when the Trump administration leaned heavily on CVS and Walgreens to inoculate residents and staff members of long-term care facilities.

In response to questions, CVS said “nearly all” of its reported vaccine waste occurred during that effort. Walgreens did not specify how many wasted doses were from the long-term care program.

The bigger issue regarding the government’s role in the distribution of the vaccine is that, months into the nation’s drive to get American inoculated against the coronavirus, the CDC still has only a limited view of how much vaccine is going to waste, where it’s wasted and who is wasting it. This potentially complicates efforts to direct doses to where they are needed most.

Public health experts say having a good handle on waste is crucial for detecting problems that could derail progress and risk lives.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which come in multidose vials, are fragile and have limited shelf lives.

Overall, waste has been minuscule. As of March 30, the United States had delivered roughly 189.5 million vaccine doses and administered 147.6 million, including 7.7 million in long-term care facilities, according to the CDC.

But it still amounts to wasted taxpayers’ money. Because the federal government is footing the bill for the country’s doses, any waste amounts to “basically throwing [taxpayer] money down the chute,” says Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, a professor of health policy and management at the City University of New York.

CVS, Walgreens and other retailers don’t pay for the vaccine. The government provides it. And, under the Medicare program, it pays providers roughly $40 for each dose administered.

Beyond that, tracking wasted doses helps identify bottlenecks where distribution adjustments might be needed, Lee says.

Early on in particuilar, officials didn’t adequately assess where there would be demand and set up sites in response, Lee says — something that’s especially important when trying to get shots to as many people as possible as quickly as can be done.

“If you think of any business, they’re going to determine where the customers are first,” he says. “It’s not just a matter of loading up vaccine and going to a place.”

KHN’s survey was based on public records requests to the CDC and all 50 states, five major cities, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. The records document more than 200,000 wasted doses.

There are shortcomings with the data, though. Figures from 15 states, the District of Columbia and multiple U.S. territories aren’t included in the CDC’s records. And waste reporting in general has been inconsistent.

In addition to the CDC, 33 states and D.C. provided at least some data in response to those records requests. They reported at least 18,675 additional doses that have been wasted across 10 jurisdictions not represented in the CDC figures. These include 9,229 doses wasted in Texas as of March 26 and 2,384 in New Hampshire as of March 10.

An additional eight states told KHN of more wasted doses than they’d reported to the CDC.

But no city or state comes close to the amount of doses waste reported by CVS and Walgreens, whose long-term care vaccination drive was criticized by some officials as slow and ineffective. Among nursing home staffers, a median of 37.5% reported they got a shot in the first month, according to a February CDC study.

“To me, this ultimately correlates with just poor planning,” says Dr. Michael Wasserman, immediate past president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine and a critic of the corporate effort.

According to Wasserman, the companies’ approach was too restrictive, and their unfamiliarity with long-term facilities’ needs hampered the effort.

“CVS and Walgreens didn’t have a clue when it came to interacting with nursing homes,” he says. “Missed opportunities for vaccination in long-term care invariably results in deaths.”

CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis blames wasted doses on “issues with transportation restrictions, limitations on redirecting unused doses and other factors” but says, “Despite the inherent challenges, our teams were able to limit waste to approximately one dose per onsite vaccination clinic.”

Walgreens says its wasted doses amounted to under 0.5% of vaccines the company administered through March 29, which totaled 3 million shots in long-term care facilities and 5.2 million more through the federal government’s retail pharmacy partnership.

Provided

Before scheduled clinics, Walgreens’ Kris Lathan says, the chain based the number of doses needed on registrations, “which minimized excess and reduced overestimations.”

The CDC’s Kate Fowlie says that because the retail pharmacy giants were administering a large number of doses, “A higher percentage of the overall wastage would not be unexpected, particularly in an early vaccination effort that spanned thousands of locations.”

Since President Joe Biden took office in January, his administration has directed pharmacies to prioritize vaccinations for teachers and school employees.

Pharmacies accounted for nearly 75% of wasted doses reported to the CDC. States and some large cities accounted for 23.3% of vaccine waste reported, and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons and the Indian Health Service, for just 1.54%. The figure for the Virgin Islands — the only U.S. territory in the federal data — was 0.19%.

“Though every effort is made to reduce the volume of wastage in a vaccination program, sometimes it’s necessary to identify doses as ‘waste’ to ensure anyone wanting a vaccine can receive it, as well as to ensure patient safety and vaccine effectiveness,” Fowlie says.

Vaccine waste could increase as officials shift tactics to inoculate harder-to-reach populations, health experts say.

“I think we are getting to a place where, to continue to be successful with vaccination, we’re going to have to tolerate some waste,” says Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

People unwilling to travel to a mass-vaccination site might go to a primary-care physician or smaller rural pharmacy that might not be able to use every dose in an open vial, Plescia says.

Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, says concerns about waste shouldn’t trump getting shots into arms.

“If someone’s there, you need to vaccinate them,” Hannan says. “In our efforts not to waste a dose, we may be missing opportunities to vaccinate because we don’t have 15 people lined up or 10 people lined up.”

The 15 states not included in the CDC’s data are Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas. The District of Columbia is also missing.

Of those jurisdictions, 11 provided data to KHN: Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and D.C., most reporting minimal waste.

Texas had the most wasted doses of any state. Its records showed 9,229 wasted doses as of March 26, putting it behind only CVS and Walgreens.

The reasons for waste ranged from broken vials and syringes to provider storage errors to leftover doses from open vials that couldn’t be used.

The biggest instances of waste — hundreds of doses at a time lost — tended to be due to freezer malfunctions or workers leaving doses at room temperature for too long.

State records also show the little things that can go wrong. On Dec. 16, the Gunnison County, Colorado, health department lost a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine when someone bumped into a table and a vial spilled. On Jan. 5, the Tri-County Health Department in Westminster, Colorado, wasted a Moderna dose because a hypodermic needle bent.

Remi Graber, a registered nurse who has vaccinated people at mass sites and community clinics in Rhode Island, says it’s not uncommon for a vial to have one too many or one too few doses, which can lead to a dose being counted as wasted.

But the bigest problem, according to Graber, is people not showing up for appointments.

Once a vial is punctured, Pfizer’s vaccine must be used within six hours. On April 1, Moderna said an opened vaccine vial was good for 12 hours — double what it was previously.

“What could happen is you get people who just decide, ‘You know what? I don’t need my vaccine today. I’m not going to show up,’ ” Graber says. “Well, now we’re scrambling to find somebody to take the vaccine because we don’t want to waste it.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on health issues.

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Luis Robert has a Grade 3 strain of his right hip flexor, which is a complete tear. Further consultation will determine the next steps, GM Rick Hahn said, with surgery a possibility.

The White Sox will be without center fielder Luis Robert for at least 12 weeks, general manager Rick Hahn said Monday.

Luis Robert has a Grade 3 strain of his right hip flexor, which is a complete tear. Further consultation with specialists in the coming days will determine the next steps, Hahn, with surgery a possibility.

Robert will not resume baseball activities for 12 to 16 weeks, Hahn said. The GM said it was soon to know how long Robert will be out.

“The options include surgery, if in fact the tear has affected the tendon’s attachment to the bone or a rehabilitation process in which natural healing will take place if the tear is to the muscle as opposed to the attachment between the tendon and the bone,” Hahn said

The timeline is the same, either way, Hahn said, and won’t be known until after the next steps are taken, Hahn said.

Robert was injured running out an infield single in the first inning Sunday against the Indians. He had to be helped off the field and did not put pressure on his right leg.

Robert rapped a pitch from Zach Plesac down the third-base line and beat the throw from third baseman Jose Ramirez. He appeared to suffer the injury just before reaching first base.

Robert is hitting .316/.359/.461/ with an .822 OPS and one homer, nine doubles, a triple and four stolen bases. He won a Gold Glove and was second in voting for AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2020.

The Sox lost left fielder Eloy Jimenez with a pectoral injury during spring training that will keep him out for most or all of the season, and lost Adam Engel during with a hamstring injury in spring training. Leury Garcia figures to man most of the innings in center until Engel returns, which should be this month. Engel was initially expected back in April but suffered a setback during his rehab and will not begin a rehab assisgnment for at least three weeks, Hahn said.

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Monday, during her first post-training camp media availability on a new team, Parker was able to share what has impressed her about her new team.

The Sky have not been short on adulation for Candace Parker and what the two-time league MVP brings to this already talented team.

Monday, during her first post-training camp media availability, Parker was able to share what has impressed her.

One word sums it up: communication.

“Everything that is expected of me and this team is communicated well,” Parker said. “That’s sometimes the thing that takes the longest, and it seems like we’re right there.”

Parker has been balancing two careers, one as a player and another as an NBA analyst for Turner Sports. This has included broadcasts that end at 1 a.m., followed by 9 a.m. workouts. Her key to succeeding at it is taking things day by day.

Parker works with Turner through the NBA’s regular season so that juggling act will cease next week.

In their second week of training camp, Sky coach and general manager James Wade said the focus remains on developing chemistry, implementing new systems and establishing a stronger defensive mindset.

Their preseason games against the Fever on May 9 and 11 will be an evaluation of younger players as the Sky will still be without most of their backcourt. Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley have six negative COVID-19 tests to produce before they can undergo physicals and begin training with the team. Rookie Shyla Heal is still not in town.

Developing a rotation isn’t possible without the team intact, but Wade did say that Parker and Diamond DeShields complement each other well.

Deshields’ cutting abilities, talent scoring in transition and aptitude for drawing defenders to her combined with Parker’s passing on the move, ball-handling in transition and perimeter shooting is a lethal combination offensively. Simply put, both are playmakers, and together will be a matchup nightmare.

On paper, Parker said she and DeShields could be unbelievable. But Parker believes not enough people are paying attention to DeShields’ skill on defense. That’s where she feels they can truly disrupt teams.

Parker likened the pairing to her chemistry with former teammate and member of the Sparks’ 2016 WNBA championship team, Kristi Toliver.

“Our pick and roll play, how she could handle and shoot and her high IQ [is similar to DeShields],” Parker said. “I think in terms of the impact from paper to actually doing it could be the same with me and Diamond.”

If that comparison indicates what this 2021 Sky team could accomplish together, the WNBA Championship expectations aren’t far-fetched.

DeShields said she’s feeling great coming into camp after leaving the WNBA bubble early due to personal reasons, followed by an offseason that she spent working out almost every day. She was crosstraining, boxing and in the gym working with different basketball trainers.

The goal was to have confidence stepping back on the court with her team. Now, the focus simplifies to staying consistent and one singular accomplishment.

“There’s only one thing that I want to accomplish, and that’s to be holding the trophy at the end of the season,” DeShields said.

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He’ll front the May 15 episode with ‘Drivers License’ singer Olivia Rodrigo as musical guest.

Former Second City star Keegan-Michael Key will be hosting “Saturday Night Live,” a big move for the actor who made his name on the rival show “Mad TV.”

Key will host the May 15 episode, the show announced on its official Twitter. Olivia Rodrigo, the “High School Musical: The Series” actress who scored a blockbuster hit with her single “Drivers License,” will be the musical guest.

The following week, host Anya Taylor-Joy from “The Queen’s Gambit” will close out the “SNL” season, with musical guest Lil Nas X.

Key was plucked from Chicago in 2004 to join the cast of Fox’s Saturday night “SNL” challenger “Mad TV,” where he impersonated dozens of celebrities and created characters including the hot-tempered Coach Hines and the pesky water deliveryman Eugene Struthers. With “Mad TV” castmate Jordan Peele (also a Chicago improv alum), he went on to star in the acclaimed Comedy Central sketch series “Key & Peele.”

Since then he has appeared in films including “Dolemite Is My Name,” “Playing With Fire,” “Jingle Jangle” and “The Prom,” and contributed voice performances to “The Lion King,” “Toy Story 4” and the “Hotel Transylvania” films.

He will star with “SNL’s” Cecily Strong in “Schmigadoon!,” a musical comedy series premiering July 16 on AppleTV+.

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Pritzker said he couldn’t provide the exact date the state could move into the stage between Phases 4 and 5 because he hadn’t yet looked at the latest data on hospital admissions, but he said it looks like the state is in “decent shape” to advance to the bridge phase. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday the state has met some metrics that could allow Illinois to enter the “bridge” stage between restrictions now in place and a full reopening, cracking the door to higher capacity limits at museums, zoos and meetings potentially as early as next week.

At an unrelated news conference, Pritzker said he couldn’t provide the exact date the state could move into the stage between Phases 4 and 5 because he hadn’t yet looked at data from Sunday and Monday about hospital admissions, but he said it looks like the state is in “decent shape” to advance to the bridge phase.

“I think the common view is that Illinois has weathered the storm well, that we’ve seen what’s happened in in Michigan and that hasn’t happened in Illinois — thank God,” Pritzker said. “This virus is sometimes unpredictable. We’ve seen new variants that arise. The UK variant is the one, of course, that is most prevalent.”

“That’s why we’ve been very careful not to move to the bridge phase while we watch that variant in Illinois, but it looks very good so far. We look at all of those variants — I talked to the experts about this — I think everybody feels like we’re in a decent position — again, following the metrics —we believe that we’ll be able to move to the bridge phase.”

As for when the state will cross that bridge, the governor said, “I can’t say exactly what day that is. … I believe that it may be next week, and it’s only because I haven’t looked at today’s data or the data from yesterday with regard to hospital admissions.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file

Statewide reopening metrics from the Illinois Department of Public Health show the state is largely trending in the right direction.

Nearly 80% of those 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while roughly 55% of those 16 and older have received the inoculation. Both figures surpass the benchmarks Pritzker set in March when unveiling guidelines for his newly created “bridge” phase.

Metrics for available, and staffed, beds in intensive care units have hovered near 20% since late April.

The department’s data also show new daily COVID-19 cases on the decline and no significant changes in the state’s daily mortality rate or new hospital admissions for COVID-19 or similar illnesses.

But the department’s data does show an increase in the overall trend of patients hospitalized with the deadly virus, a figure that’s been on the decline over the past four days.

Pritzker said he’s been “amazed” at Illinois residents’ willingness to follow the mitigations, including those who’ve been vaccinated but continue to wear masks while outdoors. He encouraged those who haven’t yet been vaccinated to do so, saying “one of the rewards is that we can all enjoy the summer without a mask on if you’ve gotten vaccinated, and you’re also doing what’s right for your family and your community.”

The governor announced the 28-day “bridge” phase of his reopening plan in March, nearly a year after issuing his first stay-at-home order.

To reach that phase, 70% of those 65 and over must have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A full reopening comes when 50% of the state’s 16 and over population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

The state must also maintain a 20% or lower intensive-care-unit bed availability rate and hold steady on COVID-19 and COVID-like illness hospital admissions, mortality rate, and case rate over a 28-day monitoring period.

Less than two weeks after Pritzker announced that new plan, rising case numbers and hospitalizations pushed back any reopening plans.

In the intermediate bridge stage between Phases 4 and 5, museums will see their capacity limitations increase from 25% to 60%. The same limitations will apply to zoos.

Amusement parks will be able to increase capacity from the 25% restriction in Phase 4 to 60% in the intermediate stage. Festivals and general admission outdoor, spectator events can seat 30 people per 1,000 square feet in the bridge phase.

Amusement parks will be able to increase capacity from the 25% restriction in Phase 4 to 60% in the intermediate stage. Festivals and general admission outdoor, spectator events can seat 30 people per 1,000 square feet in the bridge phase.

Meetings, conferences and conventions will see their capacity limit increase to either 1,000 people or 60%, whichever is less. The limitations around meetings also apply to theaters and performing arts venues.

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ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — The Rev. Al Sharpton issued a powerful call for transparency and the release of body camera footage at the funeral Monday for Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man shot and killed by deputies in North Carolina, with the civil rights leader likening withholding the video to a “con” job done on the public.

“I know a con game when I see it. Release the whole tape and let the folks see what happened to Andrew Brown,” Sharpton told mourners in a scorching eulogy at the invitation-only service at a church in Elizabeth City.

“You don’t need time to get a tape out. Put it out! Let the world see what there is to see. If you’ve got nothing to hide, then what are you hiding?” he said, to loud applause.

A judge ruled last week that the video would not be made public for at least a month to avoid interference with a pending state investigation into the April 21 shooting of Brown, 42, by deputies attempting to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants.

An independent autopsy commissioned by his family said Brown was shot five times, including once in the back of the head. Family members who were privately shown a portion of the body camera video say Brown was trying to drive away when he was shot. The shooting sparked days of protests in the city in rural northeastern North Carolina.

Other speakers included Brown’s sons as well as civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Brown’s family. Calling Brown’s death an “unjustifiable, reckless shooting,” Crump told mourners the legal team would continue fighting for justice and transparency.

“We are here to make this plea for justice because Andrew was killed unjustifiably, as many Black men in America have been killed: shot in the back. Shot, going away from the police. And because Andrew cannot make the plea for justice, it is up to us to make the plea for justice,” Crump said.

Relatives of other Black men killed by law enforcement officers, including siblings of George Floyd, Eric Garner’s mother and Daunte Wright’s sister also spoke at the service. Bridgett Floyd described the “sleepless nights, long days, heartache and pain” that she knows Brown’s family is facing, having experienced the killing of her brother by a police officer in Minnesota who was later convicted of murder.

After Brown’s funeral, she told reporters it was important for her to come to North Carolina to show support for his family.

“I’m showing them strength right now. If I can do it, they can do it,” she said.

A long line of mourners filed into the church, many wearing white T-shirts with Brown’s image and the words, “Say his name.” In the lobby, a wreath of red and white flowers with a ribbon bearing the message, “Rest in Peace Drew,” referring to Brown’s nickname, stood next to a tapestry with images of him. As the service started, an ensemble sang songs of praise including, “You’re the Lifter,” while mourners stood and clapped.

Family members have said that Brown was a proud father of seven, who was known for entertaining relatives with his stories and jokes.

The FBI has launched a civil rights probe of the shooting, while state agents are conducting a separate investigation. Three deputies who were involved remain on leave. The state’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, has called for swift release of the body camera footage, which must be approved by a judge under state law.

The search and arrest warrants accused Brown of possessing small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine that he intended to sell. Brown had a criminal history dating back to the 1990s, including past drug convictions.

A prosecutor has said that Brown’s car ran into the deputies before they opened fire, while a family attorney who watched a 20-second clip of the footage disagreed, saying that Brown posed no threat and was driving away from deputies. The sheriff has said his deputies weren’t injured.

During his eulogy, Sharpton slammed the notion that Brown’s past record or actions on the day of the shooting justified violence against him.

“Whatever record Andrew had, Andrew didn’t hurt nobody,” he said, adding: “How do you try and justify shooting a man that was not a threat to you, because he was running away from you?”

Among those attending the service was 40-year-old Davy Armstrong, who said he went to high school with Brown and lived near him while the two were growing up. He said Brown seemed to be doing well when he ran into him recently before the shooting.

“He was very humble, very generous. He said he was doing good,” said Armstrong, who works in construction. “We hear about this on TV all the time. But when it’s someone so well known and so respected, it’s pretty painful.”

After the funeral, 67-year-old Michael Harrell, who lives around the corner from Brown’s house, recalled that he would see Brown playing with his kids in the yard.

“Everything is in God’s hands,” Harrell said of the message he took away from the funeral. “And through God’s hands, truth and justice will be served. People will be held accountable.”

Drew reported from Durham, North Carolina.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Air travel in the U.S. hit its highest mark since COVID-19 took hold more than 13 months ago, while European Union officials are proposing to ease restrictions on visitors to the continent as the vaccine rollout sends new cases and deaths tumbling in more affluent countries.

The improving picture in many places contrasts with the worsening disaster in India.

In the U.S., the average number of new cases per day fell below 50,000 for the first time since October. And nearly 1.67 million people were screened at U.S. airport checkpoints on Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration, the highest number since mid-March of last year.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation giving him sweeping powers to invalidate local emergency measures put in place during the outbreak. While the law doesn’t go into effect until July, the Republican governor said he would issue an executive order to more quickly get rid of local mask mandates.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” DeSantis said, “but I think this creates a structure that’s going to be a little bit more respectful, I think, of people’s businesses, jobs, schools and personal freedom.”

Las Vegas is bustling again after casino capacity limits were raised Saturday to 80% and person-to-person distancing dropped to 3 feet. And New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York City’s subways will begin rolling all night again and capacity restrictions for most businesses will end statewide in mid-May.

EU officials also announced a proposal Monday to relax restrictions on visiting the 27-nation bloc this summer, though the final decision is up to its member countries.

“Time to revive EU tourism industry and for cross-border friendships to rekindle — safely,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “We propose to welcome again vaccinated visitors and those from countries with a good health situation.”

In Greece, restaurants and cafes reopened their terraces on Monday after six months of shutdown, with customers flocking to soak up the sunshine. In France, high schools reopened and a ban on domestic travel was lifted.

But with more-contagious variants taking hold, efforts are underway to boost vaccination efforts, which have begun to lag. The average number of doses given per day fell 27% from a high of 3.26 million on April 11 to 2.37 million last Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Detroit, officials began going door-to-door to persuade residents to get immunized. And Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced plans to close four of seven mass vaccination sites by the end of June in favor of a more targeted approach.

“My plea to everyone: Get vaccinated now, please,” President Joe Biden said in Norfolk, Virginia. He stressed that he has worked hard to make sure there are more than 600 million doses of vaccine — enough for all Americans to get both doses.

“We’re going to increase that number across the board as well so we can also be helping other nations once we take care of all Americans,” the president said.

Brazil, once the epicenter of the pandemic, has been overtaken by a surge in India that has overrun crematoriums and made it clear the pandemic is far from over.

As the U.S. and other countries rushed in aid, India reported nearly 370,000 new cases and more than 3,400 deaths Monday — numbers that experts believe are vast undercounts because of a widespread lack of testing and incomplete reporting.

In Germany, Bavarian officials canceled Oktoberfest for a second year in a row because of the safety risks. The beer-drinking festivities typically attract about 6 million visitors from around the world.

And in Italy, medical experts and politicians expressed concern about a possible spike in infections after tens of thousands of jubilant soccer fans converged on Milan’s main square Sunday to celebrate Inter Milan’s league title.

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Associated Press writers Krutika Pathi in New Delhi; Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; Samuel Petrequin in Brussels; and Mark Pratt in Boston contributed to this report. Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.

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Asian American business leaders are launching a foundation to challenge discrimination through what they call the largest philanthropic commitment in history by Asian Americans geared to support members of their own community.

The Asian American Foundation, which announced its launch on Monday, said it has raised $125 million from its board members to support Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations over the next five years. The foundation has also raised an additional $125 million from individual and corporate donors through its “AAPI Giving Challenge.”

Donors include Care.com founder Sheila Lirio Marcelo; Li Lu, the founder and chairman of the investment firm Himalaya Capital; Joseph Bae, the co-president of the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts; Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo; Joseph Tsai, the co-founder and executive vice chairman of the Chinese technology company Alibaba; and Peng Zhao, the CEO of the financial services firm Citadel Securities.

The announcement coincides with Asian American Heritage month and with the aftermath of the March killings of eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta, which led to a spike in philanthropic pledges and donations to Asian American groups and causes.

Experts cautioned that it was unclear whether those donations would be sustained for Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations. Though Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up about 6% of the population of the United States, organizations that focus on those communities have historically been neglected in philanthropy. One report from the advocacy organization Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy shows that just 0.2% of contributions from U.S. foundations went toward these communities in 2018, the latest year for which the group has adequate analysis of awarded contributions.

The Asian American Foundation says its giving will focus on three areas: supporting organizations and leaders who are measuring and challenging violence against Asian American and Pacific Islanders; developing a common data standard that tracks violence and hate incidents; and helping create K-12 and college curriculums that “reflect the history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders as part of the American story.”

It has already made some grants. Before its launch, the foundation contributed a total of $3 million to Asian Americans Advancing Justice, National Asian American Women’s Forum and Stop AAPI Hate, a group that has reported an increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in several cities across the U.S. since March 2020.

Asian American and Pacific Islander communities “need systemic change to ensure we are better supported, represented, and celebrated across all aspects of American life,” said the foundation’s President Sonal Shah, who previously served as a deputy assistant to former President Barack Obama. She added in a statement that the foundation “plans to spark that systemic change and help fundamentally transform AAPI empowerment and support well into the future.”

The group, whose founding advisory council included CNN hosts Lisa Ling, Fareed Zakaria, basketball player Jeremy Lin and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, will kick off on Tuesday by hosting a virtual event called “Claiming Power: The Future of Asian Americans.” Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama are scheduled to speak.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

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Kirk Cousins is far from an elite quarterback, and the Vikings seemed ready to concede that in the NFL Draft last week. Sitting at No. 14 overall, they were eying his replacement.

The Vikings were eager to pick Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, ESPN reported, but the Bears traded with the Giants to swoop in and take him at No. 11.

“The Vikings were stunned, and this one really stung,” ESPN reported. “They wanted one of the top quarterbacks, but they weren’t desperate enough to give up that kind of draft capital for a player who would be sitting behind Cousins for at least a year.”

Fields dominated college football the last two seasons with 5,373 yards and 63 touchdown passes against nine interceptions. He was the fourth quarterback selected, behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance.

The Bears gave up their 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-rounder and a 2021 fifth-rounder to move up from No. 20. General manager Ryan Pace said the plan is for Fields to play behind starter Andy Dalton with an eye on taking over the following season.

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