Nearly One-Third Of Americans Are Now Fully Vaccinated

The Wall Street Journal: 30% Of Americans Fully Vaccinated 
Newly reported coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose slightly, while vaccination efforts made further gains, with 30% of the country’s population now fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The U.S. reported more than 57,000 new cases for Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University that was published early Friday. The data may update later. Thursday’s figure was up from Wednesday’s total of 55,125, but marked the sixth consecutive day of new cases below the 60,000 mark. Not all states report data on new cases daily. (Hall, 4/30)

The Washington Post: People Seeking Coronavirus Vaccine Appear Eager To Receive Johnson & Johnson 
A blue card sat on the windshield of Josh Woolvin's black Hyundai Tucson on Tuesday, a spot of color in the sunshine at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It signaled to nurses at this drive-by immunization clinic that Woolvin and his mother, Debbie Shipp, wanted Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine, not their other choice, Pfizer-BioNTech's two-shot regimen. Both selected Johnson & Johnson for its one-and-done convenience, a preference that outweighed their concerns about the extremely rare blood clots that prompted a 10-day pause in use of the vaccine.“I’d rather deal with the side effects than die” of covid-19, Woolvin said. (Molloy, Bernstein, Sellers and Anderson, 4/29)

Houston Chronicle: Half Of Texas Adults Have Now Had At Least One Shot Of The COVID Vaccine
Half of Texans 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, inching the state closer to herd immunity against the coronavirus. A Houston Chronicle analysis of federal data shows 10.9 million people in Texas who are 18 and older have been injected with at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The 50 percent milestone comes four months after the Texas Department of State Health Services opened vaccine eligibility to the phase 1B group, or those 65 and older or with chronic health conditions. (Wu and Rubio, 4/29)

KHN: The Vulnerable Homebound Are Left Behind On Vaccination
It was April, more than three months into the vaccination campaign against covid-19, and Jim Freeman, 83, still had not gotten his first dose. Freeman had been eligible for months as part of the 75-and-older target group deemed most vulnerable to death and serious illness in the pandemic. But he could not leave his home to make the journey to one of the mass-vaccination sites in San Mateo County. Freeman, who has Parkinson’s disease, has extremely limited mobility and no longer can walk. (Gold, 4/30)

The Boston Globe: Now That 16- And 17-Year-Olds Are Eligible For COVID Vaccine, Some Families Are Divided Over Whether It Makes Sense
Less than two weeks after 16- and 17-year-olds became widely eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, the debate over the wisdom of getting the shot is growing complicated in households across Massachusetts. Take, for example, Natasha Megie-Maddrey, a Lynn lawyer who is used to crafting an argument. She is, however, on the losing end of a heated one in her own home about whether her teenaged children will get the vaccine. Megie-Maddrey just got her second shot, but her husband has not been vaccinated and is “dead set” against it, she said, citing a mistrust of the medical system rooted in the infamous Tuskegee study that withheld treatment for decades to Black men with syphilis. (Lazar, 4/28)

Axios: COVID-19 Vaccine: Fauci Shoots Down Joe Rogan's "Incorrect" Comments 
White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci during an interview with NBC's "Today" on Wednesday shot down podcast host Joe Rogan's suggestion that young people do not need to get the coronavirus vaccine. "That’s incorrect," Fauci said. "You're talking about yourself in a vacuum. You're worried about yourself getting infected and the likelihood that you're not going to get any symptoms. But you can get infected, and will get infected, if you put yourself at risk." (Gonzalez, 4/28)

CNN: Full FDA Approval Of Covid-19 Vaccines Could Help Fight Vaccine Hesitancy, Officials Say
As a condition of the emergency use authorizations issued for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, those companies are expected to work toward asking the US Food and Drug Administration for full approval -- and some health officials are hoping it will happen soon. These vaccines have been in use since mid-December under emergency use authorizations, known as EUAs. During the pandemic, real-world data have shown the vaccines are effective against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. (Howard, 4/29)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

WJCT 89.9 FM: Clinical Trial For COVID Vaccine For Kids Beginning In Jacksonville 
A clinical trial of the Novovax coronavirus vaccine gets underway next week in Jacksonville for children 12 to 17 years-old. Dr. Michael Koren is with the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research,  which is leading the study, which is seeking participants. Parents can enroll their children in the study at jaxresearch.com. Koren said Thursday on "First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross" that Novovax differs from other vaccines currently in use. (Hoskinson, 4/29)

Fox News: Swollen Lymph Nodes Following COVID-19 Vaccination Could Mean You Already Had Virus, Study Suggests
Since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, public health officials have warned of the possible side effects following vaccination, such as pain at the injection site, fever, or muscle aches, among others. But a new study suggests that some recipients may experience swollen lymph nodes after receiving the jab, a side effect that the researchers found was more common among those who already had a coronavirus infection. Researchers in a study recently published to the preprint server medRxiv analyzed some 947 health care workers in the United Kingdom who received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. About 265 of those health care workers had already been infected with the novel virus prior to vaccination, the study authors said. (Farber, 4/28)

KHN: Despite All The Talk, Covid Vaccination Does Not Infect People With Shingles 
Posts are showing up all over social media tying covid-19 vaccinations to shingles and other painful skin disorders. The source of one such post was Alex Berenson, an author and vaccine critic whose posts are sometimes cited for misinformation. Berenson posted — first on Twitter, which then found its way to Facebook — a photo of a man covered in a severe rash. The man, according to the post, blamed the skin outbreak on a covid vaccination he had weeks earlier. The post also included unsubstantiated information purported to be from the man’s doctors, indicating a likely diagnosis of a type of rash usually triggered by medications or infections, such as herpes simplex. It led Berenson to draw the conclusion that “for #Covid vaccines, shingles and even more dangerous and painful skin conditions may be the new thrombocytopenia.” That is a reference to a low blood platelet condition reported among some people who experienced blood clots after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (Appleby, 4/30)

Anchorage Daily News: Here’s What Epidemiologists Know So Far About Alaska’s COVID-19 ‘Vaccine Breakthrough’ Cases
A relatively small group of Alaskans who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have since tested positive for the coronavirus. They are referred to as “vaccine breakthrough” cases — and are rare compared to the total number of people fully vaccinated, health officials say. By late last week, 310 breakthrough cases had been detected in Alaska, out of the more than 250,000 Alaskans who are considered fully vaccinated. A new report released this week by the state health department analyzed the first 152 breakthrough COVID-19 cases identified in Alaska between February and March. (Berman, 4/29)

KQED: In California, Known Infections After Vaccination Are Very Low So Far
California and Bay Area health officials are tracking cases of people who have contracted COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated. As of April 21, nearly 1,400 Californians have been identified since Jan. 1 as falling into this category, the state Department of Public Health says. That equates to just 0.01% of fully vaccinated people in California. Health officials say breakthrough cases are fully expected because the vaccines don’t protect people 100%. While the state Department of Public Health is not sharing details on how mild or serious these cases were, some Bay Area counties are. (Klivans, 4/29)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Effort To Bring Vaccine To New Orleans' Homeless Shows Challenge That Lies Ahead
Two plastic tables were set up underneath the Pontchartrain Expressway on Thursday morning, sandwiched between lines of tents in the middle of a homeless encampment that spans about 10 blocks on the border of the Warehouse District and Central City. On top of the tables, masks, sanitizer and clipboards were lined up neatly. Thirty-three shots of Moderna vaccine were loaded up, with another 167 on standby. The goal was to inoculate as many people who frequent the 100-tent encampment as possible. (Woodruff, 4/30)

Axios: Top Cuomo Aide In Charge Of Vaccines Resigns 
Larry Schwartz, a close adviser to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) charged with overseeing the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, resigned Wednesday, the New York Times reports. Although Schwartz said he originally expected to leave the role in mid-May, his early departure coincides with a state legislature rule change that would have required financial disclosures and a two-year lobbying ban, the Times notes. (Rummier, 4/29)