The Duchess of Cambridge has received her first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as the UK expands its vaccination program to include younger residents.
Prince William’s wife, formerly known as Kate Middleton, 39, was shot at London’s Science Museum, a mass vaccination center near the couple’s home at Kensington Palace. This is evident from a photo posted on their Twitter feed.
Middleton got her shot on Friday, a few weeks after her husband, Prince William, who signed COVID-19 last year. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles are among other members of the royal family who received public shots to encourage vaccinations. The UK is a world leader in vaccination.
“Yesterday I received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Science Museum in London. I am very grateful to everyone involved in the rollout – thank you for all you are doing,” she wrote on social media.
Also in the news:
►Department of Veterans Affairs lifted all size collecting, mask and social distancing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals at national veterans cemeteries in time for Memorial Day weekend.
► Oklahoma state agencies cannot require mask or coronavirus vaccination if they are allowed to enter a state building or office under an executive order signed by Governor Kevin Stitt.
►CVS offers the opportunity to win a trip to the Super Bowl, a Bermuda vacation or cash prizes to attract more customers for COVID-19 vaccinations. Kroger offers customers, employees, or individuals with the chance to win $ 1 million or free groceries for a year.
►The Missouri Supreme Court is overturning guidelines to state courts aimed at protecting the safety of employees and the public during the coronavirus pandemic. Court officials said the restrictions would be lifted June 15 as national and local COVID-19 cases have declined and vaccines are effective and available, the Jefferson City News Tribune reported.
►The European Union Medicines Agency approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15 year old children. This makes it the first vaccine to be approved for this age group in the EU.
►Eli Lilly suspended distribution of its monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 in eight states due to concerns that it may not be as effective against virus variants. The break is not related to the safety of the treatment.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 33 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 594,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global total: over 170 million cases and 3.5 million deaths. More than 134 million Americans have been fully vaccinated – 40.5% of the population.
📘 What we read: COVID-19 cases occurred again in some ICE prisons. Critics say ICE failed to vaccinate inmates.
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Compulsory vaccines for universities are being examined
About 400 colleges plan to vaccinate students who want to study in person. However, this demand could conflict with Republican lawmakers. The state of Indiana recently passed law banning the use of “vaccination cards”. Indiana University argued that the law didn’t apply to the university, but the attorney general disagreed. So far, the university has stuck to its vaccine needs, even if the conservative legislature continues to urge it to drop the mandate. This could be a recurring theme as the new school year approaches.
– Chris Quintana
Can your boss request that you be vaccinated? Yes.
Businesses can request their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 without breaking the laws of the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency said. Companies can also offer their employees incentives to be vaccinated or to document the vaccination, “as long as the incentives are not compulsory,” says a statement by the EEOC. The updated EEOC guidelines indicate that employers must make “reasonable accommodation” for workers who are not vaccinated because of a disability, religious belief or pregnancy.
– Julia Thompson
Almost 60,000 Arkansas coronavirus doses nearing expiration
Nearly 60,000 doses of Arkansas’ allocation of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine is nearing its expiration date and would have to be discarded if not used by the end of June, according to a state health official. Johnson & Johnson doses administered to date include 11,150 doses from May 1 through Friday – an average of less than 400 per day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“What we’ve done is take them ‘to different vaccination sites’ so that the doses that were previously leaked can be used,” state epidemiologist Jennifer Dillaha told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “States everywhere are in a similar situation of not ordering cans.”
Vietnam says the new variant is highly contagious
Vietnam has discovered a new variant of the coronavirus that laboratory tests suggest could spread more easily than other variants of the virus, said Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long. Scientists who have studied the virus’s genetic makeup say the variant is a mix of strains first found in India and the UK, Long said. Long said the new variant could be responsible for a surge in cases in Vietnam, as the country has confirmed more than 3,500 new cases and 12 deaths in recent weeks. The surge has resulted in nationwide bans on religious events and other large gatherings, as well as the closure of public parks and non-essential businesses such as restaurants, bars, clubs and spas.
Tennessee hat shop under attack for Star of David ‘Not Vaccinated’ patch
A hat seller in Nashville, Tennessee removed an Instagram post after fueling controversy over social media over the sale of a patch that looks like the Jewish Star of David. HatWRKS, run by milliner Gigi Gaskins, posted a photo of a woman wearing a bright yellow star sticker with the words “Not Vaccinated”. Social media users responded with the hashtag #HateWorks and called the patch anti-Semitic and “disgusting”. The original Instagram post had thousands of comments before it was removed.
Approximately 6 million Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust when the Nazis forced Jews to identify themselves with a yellow six-pointed star. The company responded with an Instagram statement that it didn’t mean minimizing the horrors of the Holocaust.
– Sandy Mazza, Nashville Tennessean
