Covid News Watch
CDC Tells Pregnant Women to Get COVID Shot, Says ‘No’ Miscarriage Risk + More
CDC Tells Pregnant Women to Get COVID Shot After Study Shows No Increased Miscarriage Risk
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women Wednesday to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a study showed no increased miscarriage risk from the vaccine.
New safety data on 2,500 women showed no increased risks of miscarriage for those who received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. The analysis found the miscarriage rate to be around 13 percent, within the normal range.
Expectant women who are unvaccinated run a higher risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications from the virus, but only about 23 percent have received at least one dose, according to CDC data.
No, the Unvaccinated Aren’t Selfish or Ignorant. Here’s Why I’m Not Vaxxed
I’m not vaccinated against COVID-19. The decision wasn’t a drastic one; I thought of it as a personal decision that every person should make in consultation with a trusted health professional, which is what I did. It didn’t occur to me that this decision merited justification to others.
But that was before the current climate of social and political pressure, before the Delta surge, and before unvaccinated people like me started getting blamed for vaccine-resistant variants. Now I feel that explaining my decision has become necessary.
Exclusive Interview: Mom Whose 14-Year-Old Son Developed Myocarditis After Pfizer Vaccine No Longer Trusts CDC, Public Health Officials
In an exclusive interview with The Defender, Emily Jo, Aiden’s mother, said before her son got the vaccine, she was led to believe his chance of suffering an adverse reaction was “one in a million.”
Aiden, from Georgia, received his first dose of Pfizer on May 12. He had no history of COVID or pre-existing conditions except for asthma. “We were one of the first ones, and I believe that may have been the day the CDC cleared it,” Jo said.
On June 10, several days after his second dose, Aiden woke his mother up at 4:30 a.m. because his chest hurt and he couldn’t breathe.
Fauci Claims Spread of Virus By Unvaxxed Will Lead to More Dangerous Variants, But Experts Say Opposite Is True
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said the continued spread of COVID among the unvaccinated could lead to a more serious disease.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told viewers of NBC’s “Meet the Press”:
“As we’ve said all along this is fundamentally a pandemic among the unvaccinated. That is proven true … One of the problems … is you don’t want people to get sick and to get hospitalized and to die. That is happening now predominantly — overwhelmingly — among the unvaccinated.”
One Million People Have Opted for a Third COVID Booster Shot, CDC Estimates
More than 1 million people chose to get a booster shot after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates.
A CDC internal briefing document reviewed by ABC News shows an estimated 1.1 million people who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine came back for a third, unauthorized booster dose.
The report does not include individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine and then got a booster. Florida, Ohio, California, Illinois and Tennessee had the highest number of people choosing to get a booster shot, according to the document.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s Son Chet Calls COVID-19 the ‘Flu’ in Anti-Vaccine Rant
Despite his parents being among the first COVID-19 cases that captured the attention of the American public, Tom Hanks’ son Chet went on an anti-coronavirus vaccine rant on his social media feeds on Tuesday.
He started off by imploring his followers to get vaccinated and to take the pandemic seriously before shouting, “Psych!”
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said in one video. “I never had COVID, you ain’t sticking me with that motherf—ing needle, it’s the motherf—ing flu, get over it.”
Biden Official Says New Study Is ‘Wake Up Call’ After Pfizer’s Efficacy Plummets to 42% as Delta Variant Takes Hold
A new preprint study that raises concerns about the effectiveness of mRNA COVID vaccines — particularly Pfizer’s — against the Delta variant has caught the attention of top Biden administration officials, Axios reported.
The study found Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was only 42% effective against infection in July, when the Delta variant was dominant. “If that’s not a wake up call, I don’t know what is,” a senior Biden official told Axios.
The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, compared the effectiveness of Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines in the Mayo Clinic Health System from January to July 2021, during which time either the Alpha or Delta variant were highly prevalent.
German Nurse Accused of Swapping COVID Vaccines for Saline Solution
A nurse is being investigated by police in Germany for allegedly replacing COVID-19 vaccines with saline solution.
The nurse replaced the vaccines between March and April this year at Roffhausen immunization center in Friesland, northwest Germany, the Friesland district administrator, Sven Ambrosy, said on Facebook Tuesday.
“Today I had the sad duty to inform around 8,600 people who may have been affected that it cannot be ruled out they may have received a saline solution instead of their vaccination at their vaccination appointment. For peace of mind we would recommend people get an additional vaccination,” Ambrosy said.
100 Breakthrough Cases in Massachusetts Have Ended in Death + More
100 Breakthrough Cases in Massachusetts Have Ended in Death
One hundred people who had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus died from the disease in Massachusetts by the end of July, according to the state Department of Public Health.
In about three-quarter of the breakthrough cases, the patients reported having underlying conditions, the department said. The median age of those who died was 82.5 years.
The deaths represent a tiny fraction — about 0.002% — of all fully vaccinated individuals in the state, according to state health officials.
Iowa Is Tossing Thousands of Expiring COVID Shots: ‘We Literally Cannot Give It Away’
Iowa has started tossing out tens of thousands of expiring COVID vaccine doses as demand for the shots continues to sag.
The state has discarded 81,186 doses of the vaccine so far, said Sarah Ekstrand, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health. That includes doses that expired, plus some that were wasted for other reasons, such as when a multiple-dose vial was opened and couldn’t be used up quickly enough.
Ekstrand said Monday that federal officials said states could not return unused vaccines to the manufacturers or donate them to other states or countries. “We have exhausted all options prior to vaccine expiring,” she said in an email to the Des Moines Register.
Amid Growing Calls for Vaccine Mandates, Employers and Employees Weigh Options
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Sunday he believes the U.S. should adopt more COVID vaccine mandates. Collins praised businesses for requiring the shots.
“I am glad to see the president insisting that we go forward requiring vaccinations or, if people are unwilling to do that, then regular testing at least once or twice a week, which will be very inconvenient,” Collins told ABC “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
When asked if it was time for more compulsory COVID vaccine policies, Collins said, “Yeah, I think we ought to use every public health tool we can when people are dying. Death rates are starting up again.”
“That was about as close to a yes as you could get,” Stephanopoulos said. “You clearly believe vaccine mandates could make a difference.”
Chinese Scientist Acquired SARS-CoV-2 in Lab Accident, Emails Obtained Via FOIA Reveal
In what may be the first known case of a lab-acquired infection with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a senior scientist was infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a prestigious laboratory in Beijing in early 2020, according to virologists’ emails obtained by U.S. Right to Know.
The National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention (NIVDC), where the infection is said to have occurred, is a part of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2004, a SARS virus outbreak was traced to a lab–acquired infection from the NIVDC.
The revelation that an experienced scientist was infected with SARS-CoV-2 while working in a premier virology lab in Beijing underscores concerns about the health risks posed by biolabs researching pandemic pathogens, and in particular, facilities operated by the Chinese government.
U.S. Turns to Social Media Influencers to Boost Vaccine Rates
The Associated Press reported:
As a police sergeant in a rural town, Carlos Cornejo isn’t the prototypical social media influencer. But his Spanish-language Facebook page with 650,000 followers was exactly what Colorado leaders were looking for as they recruited residents to try to persuade the most vaccine-hesitant.
Cornejo, 32, is one of dozens of influencers, ranging from busy moms and fashion bloggers to African refugee advocates and religious leaders, getting paid by the state to post vaccine information on a local level in hopes of stunting a troubling summer surge of COVID-19.
Colorado’s #PowertheComeback target audience is especially tailored to Latino, Black, Native American, Asian and other communities of color that historically have been underserved when it comes to health care and are the focus of agencies trying to raise vaccination rates.
Pfizer Booster Causes Similar Side Effects To Second Dose: Study
Most people who got a booster shot of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine had similar or fewer side effects than they did after the second dose, according to a preliminary study conducted by Israel’s largest health maintenance organization.
Of the 4,500 respondents to the survey, 88% reported “a similar or better feeling” than their reaction to the previous dose, with 31% saying they had localized effects like pain or swelling in the area of injection, according to a statement from Clalit Health Services late Sunday.
About 15% of people had other symptoms like tiredness, muscle aches or fever. Less than 1% reported difficulty breathing or chest pains.
A Snort or a Jab? Scientists Debate Potential Benefits of Intranasal COVID-19 Vaccines
As the world amasses experience with COVID-19 vaccines, something we should have known from the start is coming into sharp focus.
Vaccines that are injected into arm muscles aren’t likely to be able to protect our nasal passages from marauding SARS-CoV-2 viruses for very long, even if they are doing a terrific job protecting lungs from the virus. If we want vaccines that protect our upper respiratory tracts, we may need products that are administered in the nose — intranasal vaccines.
Can they be made? Probably. Will they do what we want them to do, if they are made? Possibly. Is there still room for this type of next-generation product, given the record number of COVID vaccines that have already been put into use? Potentially. Will it be difficult to get them through development? Likely.
Moderna, BioNTech Extend Record Rally Ahead of Booster Plans
Top COVID-19 vaccine makers Moderna Inc. and BioNTech SE are backing off recent record-setting highs amid a rout in biotech stocks Tuesday.
Moderna’s shares whipsawed earlier, rising as much as 2.7% to briefly breach $200 billion in market value before plummeting 6% amid a broader selloff in tech and healthcare stocks. The Nasdaq Biotech Index, which Moderna has a nearly 15% weighting on, slid as much as 2.1%.
Prior to today’s slump, the two companies had each surged more than 480% in the past year to record highs. Pfizer Inc., BioNTech’s partner on the shot, which has a fulsome list of other marketed drugs driving its valuation, closed at a 21-year high on Monday as investors piled into vaccine-tied stocks.
California to Offer Vaccine Incentive to Medicaid Population
The Associated Press reported:
California announced another round of coronavirus vaccine incentives on Friday, offering up to $50 apiece to more than 11 million people in the state who get their health insurance through Medicaid.
The money is part of a new $350 million plan to get more of the state’s Medicaid population vaccinated as the state is seeing a surge of new cases attributed to the delta variant, a more contagious and dangerous version of the coronavirus. Medicaid is the joint state and federal health insurance program for people who are disabled or have low incomes.
No Need Yet to Adapt Pfizer Vaccine for COVID Variants: BioNTech Chief
The first generation vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer works against coronavirus variants such as the Delta strain and does not need to be modified for the moment, the chief executive of German company BioNTech said Monday.
“It is quite possible that in the next six to 12 months, further variants will emerge and that would require adaptation of the vaccine but it is at the moment not yet the case,” Ugur Sahin told journalists.
A decision to make a switch should be made only if it is clear that the vaccine failed to work or is only offering sub-par protection against the virus.
‘Where the Hell Are the Data?’: Biden Officials Grow Frustrated With Lack of CDC Visibility + More
‘Where the Hell Are the Data?’: Biden Officials Grow Frustrated With Lack of CDC Visibility
Axios via Yahoo!News reported:
America is increasingly reliant on data coming from other countries or from drug companies about the coronavirus vaccines‘ effectiveness over time, particularly when it comes to the Delta variant.
Between the lines: Top Biden officials are growing frustrated with the lack of internal visibility into data being collected by the CDC, particularly as they try to deal with Delta’s spread.
25-Year-Old Develops Myocarditis After Moderna Vaccine, Mother Says Doctors ‘Downplayed’ Connection
Christopher Brenner, a healthy 25-year-old from Ohio, was hospitalized with severe heart inflammation after receiving his first dose of Moderna’s COVID vaccine.
In an exclusive interview with The Defender, Christopher’s mother, Deborah Brenner, said she was frustrated when cardiologists initially pretended everything with her son was fine, and later refused to acknowledge his heart inflammation was caused by the vaccine.
The U.S. Hasn’t OK’d Boosters for Those Who Got the J&J Vaccine. But Some Are Getting One Anyway.
In early April, Mark Dinan got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a middle school campus near his home in East Palo Alto, California. He felt fortunate to get a “one-and-done” shot, and the side effects were mild.
But this summer, as the delta variant of the coronavirus started to spread across the United States, he grew increasingly concerned.
He read about a study that suggested the one-dose J&J vaccine might be less effective in fending off coronavirus variants than two-dose mRNA shots. He was especially troubled by one of the findings: the one-dose AstraZeneca vaccine, which is similar to the J&J shot, showed only about 33% efficacy against symptomatic disease caused by delta. What if he was vulnerable?
FDA Approval of the COVID-19 Vaccine Could Mean More People Will Get Vaccinated for an Unexpected Reason
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is currently only authorized for emergency use in the United States, but its full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could happen within weeks.
The ramifications could alter the course of the pandemic in several ways.
First, full approval of a COVID-19 vaccine could persuade more people to get vaccinated.
More than 30% of the eligible population in the United States still hasn’t gotten a vaccine.
Over 900 People Have Gotten Third COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Before FDA Recommendation
An Associated Press review of a database run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that U.S. health care providers have reported the additional inoculations but the full extent of people who received them is unknown, as reporting to the database is voluntary. It’s also unknown if every person who received a third shot was trying to get it as a booster.
“I don’t think that anyone really has the tracking” in place to know how widespread people receiving third doses is, said Claire Hannan, executive director for the Association of Immunization Managers.
COVID-19 in Iceland: Vaccination Has Not Led to Herd Immunity, Says Chief Epidemiologist
While data shows vaccination is reducing the rate of serious illness due to COVID-19 in Iceland, the country’s Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason says it has not led to the herd immunity that experts hoped for. In the past two to three weeks, the Delta variant has outstripped all others in Iceland and it has become clear that vaccinated people can easily contract it as well as spread it to others, Þórólfur stated in a briefing this morning.
The current social restrictions will remain in place until Aug. 13. The Chief Epidemiologist says the government must make the final call on next steps in response to the current wave of infection. Health authorities have sent a formal memorandum to the government expressing concern about the heavy strain on the healthcare system cause by the current record rate of infection.
‘The Vaccination Queen’: Nurse Practitioner Takes Covid Shots House to House in Puerto Rico
Abigail Matos-Pagán entered a bright-blue house in Mayagüez earlier this summer and was met by Beatriz Gastón, who quietly led the way to her mother’s small room. Matos-Pagán had come to provide a COVID-19 vaccine for Wildelma Gastón, 88, whose arthritis and other health concerns confine her to bed.
Wildelma Gastón asked for her rosary to be placed on her chest and motioned to her “good arm,” where Matos-Pagán injected a first dose of the Moderna vaccine. The Gastón household, made up of five family members, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Though the vaccine had been available for months, Wildelma had been unable to reach a vaccination site.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker, Puerto Rico’s vaccination rate in March was one of the lowest among U.S. states and territories despite receiving more than 1.3 million vaccine doses. The rollout highlighted disparities in access to medical services, and the challenges of tracking and reaching remote citizens, such as Wildelma.
Anderson AFB Sends 77 Freezers to Vietnam to Store COVID-19 Vaccine
Anderson Air Force Base’s 36th Contracting Squadron said Monday it has finalized a $691,000 contract to provide Vietnam with COVID-19 relief.
Under the contract, the squadron has partnered with the government of Vietnam to purchase and send 77 ultra-low temperature freezers, worth $691,000, the base announced in a press release.
The contract fulfills the government of Vietnam and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health’s official request for the storage units based on their acquisition of 31 million Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines due to arrive by Aug. 30.
Austin, Texas, Activates Emergency Alert System in Response to COVID Surge
Austin, Texas, activated its emergency alert system to warn the public of a “severely worsening COVID-19 situation” as area hospitalizations continue to surge. In an alert sent via text, city authorities wrote “the COVID-19 situation in Austin is dire. Healthcare facilities are open but resources are limited due to a surge in cases.”
Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in a press release on Saturday that the situation in the Texas capital is “critical.” Walkes said hospital bed availability and critical care is “extremely limited in our hospital systems, not just for COVID-19 patients, but for anyone who may need treatment.”
“Our hospitals are severely stressed and there is little we can do to alleviate their burden with the surging cases,” Walkes said. “The public has to act now and help or we will face a catastrophe in our community that could have been avoided.”
‘Odds Are High’ FDA Will Approve COVID Vaccines for Kids Under 12 During Next School Year + More
‘Odds Are High’ FDA Will Approve COVID Vaccines for Children Under 12 During Next School Year
About five months after the vaccines were made available to the public, emergency use authorization was opened up to children as young as 12.
This week the surgeon general announced that the ‘odds are high’ that The Food and Drug Administration would approve COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12 during the next school year …
During a recent episode of the ‘Skimm This’ podcast, Surgeon General Murthy was asked during a lightning round of questions, “What are the odds that a vaccine for kids under 12 will be approved during the next school year?”
“I think the odds are high,” he responded, despite his inability to elaborate further.
VAERS Latest Data Include 2 New Reports of Teen Deaths Following COVID Vaccine, as Total Reports of Deaths Exceed 12,000
Data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed the total number of reports (including foreign and U.S.) of deaths following COVID vaccination, across all age groups, surpassed 12,000.
The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S.
Every Friday, VAERS makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed.
Physician Speaks Out Against ‘Vaccine Mandates for All’ — Especially Children and Those With Natural Immunity
Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and editor-in chief of MedPage Today, is pushing back against the growing drumbeat for mass vaccinations and COVID vaccine mandates.
In an interview with U.S. New & World Reports, Makary said mandating vaccines for “every living, walking American” is not well-supported by science. Makary also expressed concerns about the two-dose vaccine regimen for adolescents.
Makary’s interview this week took place as more public and private employers join the vaccine mandate chorus — the federal government is requiring the jab for federal employees, hundreds of colleges are requiring proof of vaccination for students, the U.S. Department of Defense is gearing up to require COVID vaccines for military members, New York is mandating the vaccine for indoor businesses and some of America’s largest employers are requiring employees get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs.
Challenge to Indiana University Vaccine Mandate Reaches Supreme Court
A lawyer representing Indiana University students asked the Supreme Court Friday to block the school’s vaccine mandate that is set to take effect this fall while the appeals process plays out.
The filing marks the first time the justices have been asked to weigh in on the issue as private and public entities are increasingly requiring vaccines in the wake of a new surge of the virus caused by the Delta variant.
The university requires students to be vaccinated unless they qualify for exemptions. If they are exempted, they must wear masks and undergo testing twice a week.
Biden Team’s Misguided and Deadly COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy
The Biden administration’s strategy to universally vaccinate in the middle of the pandemic is bad science and badly needs a reboot.
This strategy will likely prolong the most dangerous phase of the worst pandemic since 1918 and almost assuredly cause more harm than good – even as it undermines faith in the entire public health system.
Four flawed assumptions drive the Biden strategy. The first is that universal vaccination can eradicate the virus and secure economic recovery by achieving herd immunity throughout the country (and the world). However, the virus is now so deeply embedded in the world population that, unlike polio and smallpox, eradication is unachievable. SARS-CoV-2 and its myriad mutations will likely continually circulate, much like the common cold and influenza.
Moderna Presses for COVID-19 Boosters as Federal Health Officials Warm to an Extra Dose for Some People
The level of protection provided by Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is nearly as high at six months as it is right after vaccination, but the company said vaccinated people will still need booster shots before the end of the year.
“A dose three of a booster will likely be necessary to keep us as safe as possible through the winter season in (the) Northern Hemisphere,” Moderna President Stephen Hoge told investors, according to a FactSet transcript of the company’s Thursday earnings call.
Hoge cited the widely circulating delta variant, which is more than two times as contagious as the original strain of the virus, and the company’s understanding that vaccine-induced immunity may wane.
Potential Military Vaccine Mandate Brings Distrust, Support
The Associated Press reported:
Since President Joe Biden asked the Pentagon last week to look at adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the military’s mandatory shots, former Army lawyer Greg T. Rinckey has fielded a deluge of calls.
His firm, Tully Rinckey, has heard from hundreds of soldiers, Marines and sailors wanting to know their rights and whether they could take any legal action if ordered to get inoculated for the coronavirus.
“A lot of U.S. troops have reached out to us saying, ‘I don’t want a vaccine that’s untested, I’m not sure it’s safe, and I don’t trust the government’s vaccine. What are my rights?’” Rinckey said.
FDA Expected To Recommend Boosters for Immunocompromised Americans Within Weeks: Source
Within the next few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to recommend a plan for immunocompromised Americans to get a COVID-19 booster shot, a senior government official familiar with the agency’s planning told ABC News on Thursday.
The plan is expected by early September, if not sooner, the government official said.
New CDC-Funded Pilot Program in Georgia Uses Public Art to Increase Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccination
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported:
To help build confidence in and increase demand for COVID-19 vaccination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and several other organizations on an innovative community initiative leveraging local artists as trusted vaccine messengers.
The COVID-19 Georgia Arts pilotexternal icon is a unique collaboration between CDC, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, DPH, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) Georgia, and two local arts organizations – Dashboardexternal icon and Living Wallsexternal icon – to increase vaccine uptake through public art. A series of recently launched art installations and events will continue throughout August in select neighborhoods in cities including Atlanta, Savannah, and Athens. Some of the events – which focus on communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 – will feature pop-up vaccination sites, providing convenient opportunities to access COVID-19 vaccines.
After Months of Vaccine Incentives, Nation Changes Course
Life may be about to get tougher for the unvaccinated — and it’s not only because of their significantly increased risk of getting COVID-19 and becoming very sick.
A rising chorus of states, cities and private sector titans have implemented new vaccine requirements for their employees and patrons. It marks a new, less negotiable phase in the fight against the coronavirus, after months of cajoling and material goodies leading the vaccination campaign.
Will NC Minors Who Want a COVID-19 Vaccine Need a Parent’s Consent? Bill is Headed to the Governor.
Winston Salem Journal reported:
On Thursday, North Carolina’s General Assembly approved Republican-sponsored legislation that would require parental consent for 12- to 17-year-olds to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The state House fast-tracked House Bill 96, which passed on a 106-5 vote.
All five members of the Forsyth County House delegation voted for passage — Republicans Donny Lambeth, Lee Zachary and Jeff Zenger, and Democrats Amber Baker and Evelyn Terry.
Senators voted 42-0 Tuesday for HB96, which began as legislation to expand the number of vaccines and medications pharmacists can administer.
First 16 and 17-Year-Olds (in UK) Begin to Get Vaccine Invites
Sixteen and 17-year-olds across the UK are now being invited to book their Covid vaccine.
GPs in England have been told they can contact this age group, while invites are also being sent out in Wales.
In Northern Ireland, walk-in centres are now open to older teenagers, and in Scotland they can register their interest online.
Meanwhile, new figures show most patients in hospital with COVID in England continue to be unvaccinated.
The opening of vaccinations to 16 and 17-year-olds in England comes amid a drive to encourage young people to get jabbed.
