Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech and The Hill
4 days ago
(The Hill) Nearly 60 percent of Americans living in the Midwest and surrounding states say they will not get the new COVID-19 vaccine this year, according to a survey from Emerson College Polling.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an updated new COVID-19 booster in September, targeting currently circulating variants of the disease.
But more than three years since the onset of the pandemic, fewer Americans are opting to get booster shots. Only 16 percent of U.S. adults have gotten the newest vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Emerson College survey found Americans overall are split down the middle on whether to get the updated vaccine.
Americans in Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado and Iowa alignedwith national attitudes toward the new shot with about half of the residents in each state saying they would probably forgo the new vaccine.
Wyoming has the largest percentage of residents who willmost likely skip the new shot, with 74 percent of survey respondents saying as much.
Over 65 percent of residents in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia and Idaho also say they will probably not get the booster, according to survey findings.
Many of the states with large percentages of residents who said they wont get the new vaccine also hold negative opinions about the public health information available in their state.
In Wyoming and Idaho, 37 percent of survey respondents said their states government agencies have a poor quality of public health information, according to the poll.
These findings should be a wake-up call to health communicators, as we can no longer rely on mandates and must engage people in real conversations to encourage them to vaccinate themselves and their families, said Kenneth Rabin, a scholar at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy that commissioned the survey.
Health experts are urging all Americans over the age of six months to get the updated vaccine to protect themselves from the virus as the country heads into peak respiratory illness season.
Heres the bottom line: COVID-19 vaccine uptake is lower than wed like to see, and most people will be without the added protection that can reduce the severity of COVID-19, the CDC said in an update on the virus last month.
Over 1,500 registered voters took part in Emerson College Polling national survey which was conducted between Oct. 16-17. About 500 residents in 22 states also took part inthe schools statewide surveys, which were conducted between Oct.1-4.
The margin of error for each survey ranges between 3.98 percent and 4.6 percent.
Published on December 04, 2023
Most health insurance plans will cover COVID-19 and flu vaccines at no cost to the individual. Individuals without health insurance or those with plans that do not cover COVID-19 vaccines can get them at no cost at Metro Health clinics or area pharmacies participating in the CDC's Bridge Access Program. This program will continue next year and ends on December 31, 2024. Visit vaccines.gov to look up sites participating in the Bridge Access Program.
Area medical providers and pharmacies are offering an assortment of vaccinations to help protect people from respiratory illnesses. CHDI, 200 South Evans, offers walk-in flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccinations from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They are limited to established patients of the clinic. The flu vaccine is offered free of charge, the COVID-19 vaccine is free and funded through []
(Precision Vaccinations News)
The U.S.CDC's Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboardestimates vaccinations and intent for vaccination using various data sources, including surveys, healthcare claims, electronic medical records, and immunization information systemsdata.
As of December 6, 2023, category highlights include the following data:
As of November 25, 2023, 6.9% (95% Confidence Interval: 6.0%-7.9%) of children were reported to be up-to-date with the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine.
About17.3%of children had a parent who reported they planned to get their child vaccinated. Additional COVID-19 vaccination data for children by demographic characteristics at the national level and overall estimates by jurisdiction areavailable at this CDC link.
For pregnant women,8.9% hadreceived the updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccination coverage was highest among non-Hispanic Asian (15.2%) womenand lowest among non-Hispanic Black (2.7%) pregnant women.
And for adults, about 16%reported having received an updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine since September 14, 2023.Vaccination coverage increased by age and was highest among adults 65 and older [33.3%, (31.2%-35.3%)].
From a geography perspective, the District of Columbia reported the most significant number of vaccinated adults,with about 30.7%.
COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates among alladultsare based on CDC's National Immunization SurveyAdult COVID Module data.
A New Era of Vaccination: Protein-Based COVID-19 Vaccines
The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the significance of vaccines in the global fight against infectious diseases. In response, Novavax Inc., a leading biotechnology company, has developed an innovative protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid XBB 1.5, which has now been authorized for use in Canada, the United States, the European Union, and by the World Health Organization, for individuals aged 12 years and older.
The protein-based vaccine platform has been recognized for its proven safety record, having been used in several vaccine formulas over the years. Dr. Walker, a renowned health expert, has underscored the significant safety track record of these vaccines, emphasizing their importance in the fight against COVID-19.
Protein-based vaccines, unlike mRNA vaccines, use harmless pieces of the virus to trigger an immune response and build immunity. Novavaxs vaccine stimulates both arms of the immune system and incites functional immune responses against various COVID-19 variants. Furthermore, it utilizes Novavaxs patented Matrix M adjuvant, which boosts the immune system response, making it broader and more durable.
Common side effects of Novavaxs vaccine include headache, nausea, muscle pain, and fatigue. However, these are temporary and typically resolve within a few days. The vaccine is a ready-to-use liquid formulation and is stored at a temperature of 2 to 8C, making it a practical choice for mass vaccination programs worldwide.
While protein-based vaccines have proven their efficacy and safety, the introduction of RNA-based vaccines has marked a significant advancement in vaccine development. The newly authorized ARCT-154, an RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine authorized in Japan, uses a form of RNA capable of self-replication inside cells, providing a potent defense against various infectious diseases and cancers.
Despite the potential advantages of RNA-based vaccines, they come with their own set of challenges. The longer sequences in self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccines add complexity to the manufacturing process, and the intricacies of interacting with the immune system pose challenges. On the other hand, protein-based vaccines, such as Novavaxs, have a more established safety record and are relatively simpler to produce.
The development of nucleocapsid (N) protein-based COVID-19 vaccines is an exciting area of research. These vaccines target the N sequences of the virus, which are prone to mutation, and could potentially lead to the development of broad-spectrum vaccines. However, the mutability of N sequences also presents challenges, particularly in terms of the development of cross-reactive vaccines due to escape mutations.
As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of vaccination cannot be overstated. Whether you opt for a protein-based or RNA-based vaccine, getting vaccinated is crucial to protect not only yourself but also those around you, particularly as we prepare for the winter season and the potential resurgence of respiratory illnesses.
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BANGOR, Maine Maine doctors renewed their call Thursday for people to get the most updated COVID-19 vaccine that targets the predominant variant before families gather for the holiday season.
Dr. James Jarvis, Northern Light Health's senior physician executive, said the majority of new variants are all in the Omicron family, in the XBB subset.
"They continue to track new variants on a daily basis. That's how fast this virus mutates," Jarvis said.
He said these latest variants do not appear to make someone more severely ill, but they are more infectious, spreading more easily.
The most updated booster vaccine came out in October and targets XBB variants.
"Individuals who received an original vaccine back in 2021, that targeted a completely different vaccine," Jarvis said. "That's the reason why we have a new vaccine and we are strongly recommending that everyone over six months of age get that vaccine because it will protect you from the particular family that continues to be the family that we see these variants coming from."
Doctor Jarvis says no vaccine gives someone 100 percent protection, which is why they encourage good hygiene and masking in crowds.
"It's just like a car accident. We can't prevent 100 percent of car accidents. What we try to do is minimize what happens when you're in a car accident," he said.
The U.S. CDC updated guidance around isolating and testing in August, including a calculator that helps you know how long to stay home.
The agency's guidance says regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others when you have COVID-19. You should also isolateif you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have testresults.If your results are negative, you can end your isolation.
If your symptoms improve, you can leave your home, but should still wear a mask around others for five more days. Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, regardless of when you tested positive. Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started.
You can read more of the CDC guidance here.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.
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Johnson says at public inquiry that perceptions of the Partygate scandal were a million miles from reality.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Britains COVID-19 inquiry that any suggestion he wanted to allow the virus to let rip was completely wrong and hit out at absolutely absurd portrayals of partying in Downing Street during the pandemicas he faced a second day of questioning at a public inquiry.
Johnson, 59, was forced from office last year after public anger erupted over revelations about a series of COVID-19 lockdown-breaching parties called Partygate.
But he insisted to the inquiry on Thursday that perceptions of the scandal were a million miles from the reality of what happened.
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It follows the ex-leader apologising on Wednesday for the pain and the loss and the suffering caused by the pandemic on his much-anticipated first day in the witness box and accepting mistakes had unquestionably occurred.
The United Kingdom went on to have one of Europes longest and strictest lockdowns as well as one of the continents highest COVID-19 death tolls with the virus recorded as a cause of death for more than 232,000 people one of the worst official per capita tolls among Western nations.
Johnson has faced a barrage of criticism from former aides for alleged indecisiveness and lack of scientific understanding as well as for a Downing Street culture that facilitated Partygate.
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I continue to regret very much what happened, Johnson said on Thursday when asked about the scandal before branding dramatic representations of it a travesty of the truth.
The version of events that has entered the popular consciousness about what is supposed to have happened in Downing Street is a million miles from the reality of what actually happened, he added.
His aides and officials thought they were working very, very hard which they were and I certainly thought that what we were doing was within the rules, Johnson said.
Police last year fined the former leader and his then-finance minister and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as well as dozens of staff for flouting the COVID restrictions they set by attending boozy gatherings in Downing Street.
A parliamentary inquiry concluded Johnson had repeatedly misled parliament over the parties, and he resigned as a lawmaker shortly before its findings were published this year.
Johnsons pushback came as the lawyer for the inquiry, created to learn lessons from the countrys response to the health emergency, grilled his contentious decision-making as the virus repeatedly re-emerged in 2020.
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The ex-leader defended his choice to delay a national lockdown during a second wave of COVID-19 and his internal use of the phrase let it rip to refer to a possible so-called herd immunity strategy.
Johnson claimed plenty of people were using the phrase to describe the potential strategy of shielding the vulnerable and allowing the rest of the population to acquire immunity.
He also disputed suggestions that offering financial inducements for people to eat out after the first lockdown was lifted Sunaks signature policy had caused a rise in infections.
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I cant see anything that conclusively shows that it made a big difference, he said. If it was safe to open hospitality, then it must be safe for people to go to hospitality.
In his first day of evidence, Johnson repeatedly insisted he and officials did their level best and that his priority was always to save lives and the state-run National Health Service (NHS).
On Thursday, he appeared close to tears as he pushed back on claims of indifference towards those with COVID-19, recalling his own hospitalisation with the virus.
When I went into intensive care, I saw around me a lot of people who were not actually elderly. In fact, they were middle-aged men, and they were quite like me and some of us were going to make it and some of us werent, he said.
What Im trying to tell you in a nutshell and the NHS, thank God, did an amazing job and helped me survive but I knew from that experience what appalling a disease this is. I had absolutely no personal doubt about that from March onwards. To say that I didnt care about the suffering that was being inflicted on the country is simply not right.
But relatives of the bereaved have been highly critical.
Four women were evicted from the inquiry room on Wednesday after holding up signs reading: The dead cant hear your apologies. Later, a crowd that had gathered outside the venue heckled loudly as he left for the day.
Sunak will face the inquiry on Monday.
