Queen Elizabeth II urges public to "think about other people" and get vaccinated
From CNN's Max Foster in London
In this undated handout photo provided by Buckingham Palace on February 25, Britain's Queen Elizabeth smiles on a video call with the four health officials leading the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccination in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Buckingham Palace via AP
Queen Elizabeth II has urged people to get Covid-19 vaccinations while adding that her own jab "didn't hurt at all."
"It is obviously difficult for people if they've never had a vaccine; they ought to think about other people rather than themselves," she said in a video call with health officials leading the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the United Kingdom.
Britain's monarch and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, received their vaccinations at Windsor Castle on January 9.
"It was very quick, and I’ve had lots of letters from people who have been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine," the Queen said. "And the jab -- it didn’t hurt at all."
The 94-year-old monarch was meeting with the four senior officers overseeing the vaccine rollout in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Nearly 19 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of the vaccine, in one of the world's fastest rollouts.
The heir to the throne, Prince Charles, tested positive for coronavirus and went into isolation in March last year. The 72-year-old later said he was lucky to only experience mild symptoms, adding he'd "got away with it quite lightly."
The UK has recorded more than 4 million cases of Covid-19 and 122,303 deaths, the highest in Europe.
5:11 a.m. ET, February 26, 2021
Majority of US adults have been or want to get vaccinated as soon as possible, poll finds
From CNN Health's Ashley Ahn
Cars are lined up at the mass Covid-19 vaccination site at Dodger Stadium on February 23 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images
More than half of Americans said they have already gotten at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine or want to get vaccinated as soon as possible, the Kaiser Family Foundationreported Friday.
A survey by the foundation found that 55% of polled US adults have either received a shot or say they want to get vaccinated as soon as possible. That’s up from 47% in mid-January and 34% in early December. Friday’s KFF Vaccine Monitor report also showed that compared to December, all surveyed demographic groups now have more desire to be vaccinated.
The KFF Vaccine Monitor survey, conducted from February 15 to 23, included 1,874 adults with oversamples of about 500 Black adults and 500 Hispanic adults.
Black and Hispanic adults and people 18 to 29 are most likely to say they want to “wait and see” how the vaccine works among the general public before they get it. More than a third of Black adults and 26% of surveyed Hispanic adults say they want to wait and see, compared to 18% of surveyed White adults.
The survey found 22% of those polled will either “definitely not” get vaccinated or only get the vaccine if required for work, school, or other activities. This remains consistent with the figures recorded in January and December, suggesting this group holds firm views.
Republicans, essential workers not in health care, and individuals living in rural areas were most likely to say they will “definitely not” get vaccinated.
“While there has been an overall shift towards greater enthusiasm for getting a COVID-19 vaccination, the demographic groups that are the most enthusiastic, most cautious, and most resistant remain similar to those reported in January,” the researchers wrote in the report.
In light of the anticipated US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 single shot vaccine, the poll found that about a quarter of individuals who wish to “wait and see” before being inoculated said they would be more likely to get a vaccine that requires only one dose.
The poll found serious side effects to be people’s biggest concern about receiving the vaccine, with over half of unvaccinated individuals sharing this concern.
About one-third of unvaccinated people also say they feared they could get Covid-19 from the vaccine -- something that is biologically impossible -- missing work due to side effects or paying out of pocket. These fears were more prevalent among Black and Hispanic adults.
10:19 p.m. ET, February 26, 2021
South Korea extends social distancing measures as vaccinations begin
From CNN’s Gawon Bae and Jake Kwon in Seoul
A health care worker at a nursing hospital in Ansan City is receiving an AstraZeneca vaccine on the first day of South Korea’s inoculation campaign on February 26. Gyeonggi Province
South Korea began its vaccine rollout on Friday as health authorities extended current social distancing measures and bans on gatherings of five or more people until March 14, according to Health Ministry Spokesperson Son Young-rae.
Son emphasized that people should still abide by the measures while the government strives to safely and effectively form herd immunity. He urged people to trust the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine as explained by health authorities and actively receive it.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited a vaccination clinic on Friday to encourage medical workers on the frontline of vaccination and anti-virus work as he inspected the preparedness and operations, according to the presidential Blue House.
South Korea reported 406 new Covid-19 cases from Thursday, increasing the total to 88,922, according to KDCA. Four fatalities were added, bringing the death toll to 1,585.
2:37 a.m. ET, February 26, 2021
FDA advisers to consider third possible Covid-19 vaccine Friday
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Vials of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine are seen at the Klerksdorp Hospital as South Africa proceeds with its inoculation campaign on February 18. Phill Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images
US Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisers are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the potential emergency authorization of a third coronavirus vaccine for the US, this one made by Johnson & Johnson's vaccine arm Janssen Biotech.
It's the next step in a process that could end with the new vaccine's rollout early next week. As with the two currently authorized vaccines, advisers and federal agencies are meeting over a weekend to try to get the vaccines to the US public as soon as possible.
The FDA has already considered the advanced, Phase 3 clinical trial testing data presented by Janssen and says it shows the vaccine is safe and effective. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee or VRBPAC is made up of vaccine experts and other medical professionals, industry and consumer representatives who will consider presentations from FDA about its findings, as well as from Janssen.
They'll also hear the latest from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the spread of the virus, including worrying new variants, and on the CDC's surveillance for any safety worries from the currently authorized vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
After weeks of sharp declines, new Covid-19 cases are beginning to flatten
From CNN's Eric Levenson, Christina Maxouris and Theresa Waldrop
After six straight weeks of declines in new Covid-19 cases in the US, that number has started to plateau, even as hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop.
The 7-day average of daily new cases was just over 72,000 on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, a total that is relatively unchanged from last Thursday. Compare those numbers to the previous Thursday, February 11, when the US averaged about 102,000 new cases per day.
Experts say it is too soon to tell whether this one-week flattening represents a small blip or the beginning of a broader issue.
"I've been watching this and have been wondering the same thing," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN. "We have not seen widespread increases, but there is that flattening. We'll have to monitor this closely. The other thing we have to track is how the new variant is doing and whether that's part of the reason."
