Covid-19 vaccine in the US | news summary for Friday 11 June
US vaccine news live updates - Friday 11 June
Headlines
- CDC emergency meeting on 18 June re. heart inflammation from vaccines in young people
- FDA extends J&J's vaccine expiration date
- Biden administration to buy 500 million vaccine doses to donate to poorer countries
- UK minister raises concerns over "vaccine diplomacy"
- EU decides to cancel order for 100 million J&J doses
- China invites Taiwanese to get vaccinated
- US surpasses 300m vaccine dose milestone, as 42.3% of total population now fully vaccinated.
- France opens doors to vaccinated Americans
- New York the first US state to introduce a vaccine passport (find out more)
- Fauci issues warning over Delta variant
- Texas governor signs bill to stop businesses demanding vaccine passports
- NY planning to lift restrictions when 70% of adults are vaccinated
- Pfizer and BioNTech pledge to give one billion doses to low- and middle-income countries by end of year
- 141.6 million in the US now fully vaccinated (track CDC data here)
- US covid-19: 33.42 million cases / 598,748 deaths (live updates from JHU)
Take a look at some of our related articles:
Which European countries accept vaccinated travelers from the US?
Which European countries accept vaccinated travelers from the US?
After a year of closed borders, many in the United States are looking to travel to European countries, but where are those vaccinated able to visit?
In light of the US vaccination campaign, a handful of European Union member states are opening their borders to fully vaccinated individuals from the US. As of 12 June, five European Union member states, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, and Spain allow fully vaccinated visitors from the US.
Read our full coverage on how to prove vaccination status in each of the countries.
Is the US on track to meet President Biden's goal of having at least seventy percent of adults partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July?
No. Since 1 June, the US has increased the percentage of adults who are partially vaccinated by 1.3% to 64.1%.
In order to reach President Biden’s target of seventy percent by the fourth of July, the states will need to increase the rate at which they are vaccinating. At the current pace, the target will not be met. Increasing the rate of vaccination is becoming difficult as demand drops across the country.
In an attempt to encourage people to get their shots more than a dozen states have implemented vaccine lotteries giving residents a chance to win large cash prizes.
Read our coverage on each states that have recently launched a vaccine lottery program below:
Fact check: can covid-19 vaccines make you magnetic?
Fact check: can covid-19 vaccines make you magnetic?
No, your vaccine will not give make you magnetic, yet millions in the US have seen videos circulating on social media that claim to prove just that.
Viral videos of those vaccinated sticking metal items to their body have gone viral on several social media platforms, claiming that it is definitive proof that the vaccine makes you magnetic.
What is myocarditis and how is it connected to covid-19 vaccines?
What is myocarditis and how is it connected to covid-19 vaccines?
The CDC is currently investigating a link between the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations and increased cases of heart inflammation in certain groups.
The US vaccine rollout continues with over 140 million Americans having now received both doses of covid-19 vaccinations. However, there are reports that link the mRNA shots to greater instances of myocarditis in certain demographic groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that young men who have received both doses of an mRNA vaccine are experiencing higher-than-expected cases of heart inflammation.
Read our full coverage on what the CDC safety monitoring data shows and what the risk is for various demographic groups.
A new global poll on vaccine hesitancy from Morning Consult finds that the residents in Russia and the United States are the most unwilling to get poked. Those unlikely to get a covid-19 vaccine cited concerns over possible side effects and the speed at which the vaccines were developed and approved as the most common reasons for why they were unwilling.
India, the world's second-most populous country has been crippled by covid-19, leading to shortages of key medical resources needed to treat patients. Vox has released a new video that explains exactly how the country ran out of one of the most critical supplies, oxygen.
Heart inflammation after vaccine: how many cases have there been for each type of vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking into reports that certain demographics are more likely to experience heart problems after receiving an mRNA covid-19 vaccine.
There are above average instances of myocarditis in adolescents and young adults, who have only recently become eligible to receive the shots. The condition is essentially an inflammation of the heart muscle and can also be caused by various viral or bacterial infections.
Where did the covid-19 delta variant come from?
The technical designation of the rapidly spreading coronavirus variant, the B.1.617.2 strain, was simplified to Delta along with the other "variants of concern". The Alpha variant, first discovered in the UK, is presently the dominant variant in the US but the Delta variant is quickly increasing in the proportion of new infections in the US.
Just a month ago the Delta variant accounted for just one percent of new sequenced covid-19 cases in the United States has now jumped to six percent. There are worries that it could overwhelm healthcare systems as it travels through the unvaccinated portions of the population.
Greg Heilman brings you what you need to know.
California vaccine lottery winners
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will select the next 15 winners in the $116.5 million Vax for the Win program. Each winner will receive $50,000, and on 15 June, 10 additional Californians will be selected to receive $1.5 million each. Winners will be identified by anonymous number and county, and they will be contacted by the state.
The Governor will also announce new partnerships with California-based businesses to continue to encourage more Californians to get vaccinated and to mark the state’s full reopening next week.
CDC 'emergency meeting' on vaccine heart inflammation
An advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold an emergency meeting on 18 June to discuss rare reports of heart inflammation after doses of covid-19 vaccine.
The meeting comes as the CDC looks into few cases of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscles, in young people and adolescents who received the shot.
During a meeting of the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee on vaccines yesterday, the CDC revealed that it had identified 475 cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in people younger than 30 years old.
What is the rate of blood clots for each covid-19 vaccine?
Less than one percent of those who have received a covid-19 vaccine in the US have developed blood clots as a consequence. Although the possibility of adverse events has been reported widely by the media, the actual risk remains very low. An individual is much more likely to suffer from severe, lasting, and even fatal outcomes by contracting covid-19 compared to receiving a vaccine dose.
The covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca has yet to be approved in the US. Several countries, including Denmark, that had approved its use, discontinued it after some residents developed life-threatening blood clots. The US health authorities tasked with vaccine approval, the FDA and the CDC, have resisted until more data on possible adverse events were collected and analyzed.
What is the coronavirus Delta variant? Can vaccines prevent it spreading in the US?
The World Health Organisation has recently introduced a new naming system for covid-19 variants, using a characters from the Greek alphabet rather than the place of origin to identify the strain.
In recent weeks the Delta variant, previously known as the Indian variant, has become a particular cause in countries around the world with a higher-than-typical transmissibility and the potential to evade vaccines in some cases.
On Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci announced that the Delta variants now accounts for more than 6% of the sequenced coronaviruses in the United States, and it has become the most dominant stain in the United Kingdom.
Canada will share up to 100 million vaccine doses with nations in need - source
Canada will share up to 100 million doses of covid-19 vaccines with countries in need, though a portion of this has already been announced, a government official said on Friday, adding that the domestic vaccination campaign will not be affected.
The announcement will be made at the G7 meeting in England that runs through Sunday, the official said. The pledge includes what Canada has already committed, which is C$765 million ($632 million) to COVAX, the official said.
Britain is asking G7 countries to commit to handing out a total of one billion doses to nations that still need them.
G7 leaders urged to waive vaccine patents
With the leaders of the G7 countries meeting in Cornwall this week, activists have come up with a novel way of urging the world's richest nations to do away with patents for vaccine development, which is being discussed with the WTO and big-pharma hosting nations in a bid to ensure vaccine equality globally.
Sweden sees 'dark clouds' with outbreaks of delta variant
Swedish health officials warned on Friday of worrying local outbreaks of the covid delta variant and urged people to get vaccinated to avoid a fourth wave of the pandemic.
Sweden, an outlier in the fight against the pandemic with its no-lockdown policy, has seen a steep decline in cases and hospitalisations in the past month after surges in infections in the spring.
Close to half the adult population has received at least one vaccine shot but the health agency warned that people who had only received one shot were less protected against the delta variant.
"There are some dark clouds on the horizon and I think mainly of outbreaks of the delta variant. It is found in Europe and also locally in Sweden," agency director general Johan Carlson told a news conference.
The Delta variant, first identified in India, is believed by UK epidemiologists to be 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant which was previously dominant in Britain, in part because vaccines are less effective against it.
So far, only 71 cases of the variant have been confirmed in Sweden but it has prompted the agency to step up contact tracing. The delta variant accounts for around 90% of new cases in the UK.
EU warns against using AstraZeneca shot in people with capillary leak syndrome
Europe's medicines regulator said on Friday its safety committee has advised that people who have previously had capillary leak syndrome must not be vaccinated with AstraZeneca and Oxford University's covid-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria.
$1 million North Carolina Vaccine Lottery: how to enter and sign up
North Carolina has joined a growing list of states enticing residents to get vaccinated using one-million-dollar cash prizes and university scholarships.
When will California announce new Vaccine Lottery winners and how many?
California will announce the next 15 winners in the "Vax for the Win" state covid-19 vaccine lottery Friday, 11 June, in run-up to the grand prize next week.
China invites Taiwanese to get vaccinated
China's government said on Friday that it welcomed Taiwanese to come and get vaccinated against covid-19 and called on Taiwan to remove obstacles and allow its people to receive the "highly effective" Chinese shots.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly offered to send vaccines to the island, which is battling a spike in domestic infections but has expressed concern about the safety of Chinese shots and has not cleared them for use.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement two Chinese-made vaccines had been granted emergency use authorisation by the World Health Organization and its shots were in use or approved by more than 90 countries, showing their safety and efficacy.
Taiwan people can come to China to get vaccinated against covid-19, provided they strictly comply with China's pandemic control measures, the office said.
It urged Taiwan's government to "quickly remove artificial obstacles for mainland vaccines being sent to Taiwan and allow the broad mass of Taiwan compatriots to receive the safe and highly effective mainland vaccines".
About 62,000 Taiwanese had been vaccinated in China as of May 31, it added, though many Taiwanese live and work there already.
Only 3% of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received at least one shot, though millions of doses are on order. Japan donated 1.24 million AstraZeneca Plc shots last week and the United States has pledged 750,000 doses, which have yet to arrive.
Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP
Dating apps add "vaccine filter"
It's always taken two to tango, but in the age of the covid-19 pandemic that applies equally to two shots as apps add a vaccine filter for punters to check the status of a prospective date.
Raab: UK does not condone 'vaccine diplomacy'
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday there was no doubt some countries were using vaccines as diplomatic tool to secure influence, and that Britain does not support so called 'vaccine diplomacy'.
Asked in a Reuters interview whether he was concerned that China and Russia could use vaccines in exchange for influence in parts of the world, he said: "There's no doubt there's some of this is going about, and we don't support vaccine diplomacy, let alone blackmail.
"We think that we've got a moral duty, but also a strong vested interest in getting the world vaccinated," he said, speaking on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Cornwall, England.
"We would only think it was responsible to be promoting vaccines that the WHO has sanctioned as safe to distribute.
"But it's a team effort. And we want the countries like China and Russia to come together to tackle the problems of pandemic, but also climate change, and also to respect the basic principles of international law."
Photo by: IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTRY / AFP
Which countries will receive the covid-19 vaccines donated by the US?
Joe Biden has unveiled the next stage in the United States’ effort to tackle the pandemic globally, announcing that his administration will donate 500 million doses of covid-19 vaccines over the next year.
The move comes after Biden had faced increased pressure to do more to provide coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations, as the global vaccination effort is weighted heavily in favour of developed countries.
William Gittins brings you the latest on global vaccine donations.
Biden explains vaccine donation plans
As pressure mounts for the US to share its vaccine surplus with the world, President Joe Biden has struck a deal with vaccine giant Pfizer to buy another 500 million doses that would be distributed to lower-income countries, according to a person familiar with the plan.
The deal calls for 200 million doses delivered this year and distributed through the global COVAX vaccine facility. Another 300 million would be delivered in the first half of 2022.
J&J's vaccine expiration date extended by FDA
Johnson & Johnson said Thursday that US regulators extended the expiration date on millions of doses of its covid-19 vaccine by six weeks.
The company said a Food and Drug Administration review concluded the shots remain safe and effective for at least 4 1/2 months. In February, the FDA originally authorized J&J’s vaccine for up to three months when stored at normal refrigeration levels.
Thursday’s announcement comes after state officials warned that many doses in storage would expire before the end of the month.
Vaccine expiration dates are based on information from drugmakers on how long the shots stay at the right strength. J&J said the FDA added six weeks based on data from ongoing studies assessing the vaccine’s stability.
Curious how the four most widely available vaccines work to protect you against covid-19? Watch this short explainer released by the United Nations.
Which states are farthest from reaching the president's goal of having 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July?
Thirteen states have surpassed the seventy percent benchmark, but some have yet to make it past fifty percent, including:
Mississippi: 44.7%
Alabama: 46%
Louisiana: 46.7%
Wyoming: 47.9%
Tennesse: 49.8%
West Virginia: 49.9%
US Covid-19 Vaccine Passport: can kids travel without a vaccine?
This June, more than five times as many travelers have gone through a TSA checkpoint compared to the figures from 2020. However, the numbers are still down significantly from their pre-pandemic levels.
In early May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine for US residents between the ages of twelve and fifteen. Since its approval, more than 10.5 million of the nation’s youngest eligible residents have received at least one dose of the mRNA vaccine. Children under twelve cannot receive a shot to protect them against covid-19, meaning a vaccine passport is out of the question.
Read our full coverage for more details on keeping children safe while traveling this summer.
Covid-19 vaccine news: welcome
Hello and welcome to our dedicated live blog on covid-19 vaccines for Friday 11 June 2021.
Here we aim to keep you fully up to date with all the latest news and updates on the global coronavirus pandemic, and the development and rollout of vaccines across the US and around the world.