VACCINATIONS

Joshua Kimmich denied he was an "anti-vaxxer" after expressing unease about long-term side effects.

A Florida battalion chief has been fired for refusing to discipline workers who hadn’t gotten a COVID-19 vaccine in violation of a requirement for county employees.

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.

It's obvious that more-vaccinated places have fared better in the fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

The White House said last week was the strongest week of first-time vaccinations since early June.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging Germans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the more people get the shot “the more free we will be again.”

The weekly average of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in Illinois continues to decline even as the supply of vaccines remains steady.

A U.S. health panel said late Friday it’s time to resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine despite a very rare risk of blood clots.

First- and second-graders line up for Salk Polio vaccine shots on April 23, 1955. Regardless of where anyone stands on the matter, we know that vaccinations have been protecting us from diseases for decades. In 1921, the United States recorded 206,000 cases, which resulted in 15,520 deaths, according to the History of Vaccines website. According to the CDC, polio was once one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. Since 1979, there have been no polio cases that originated in the U.S.

The city’s share of the doses — 60% of the total allocated to the United Center — will be made available to people 65 and older, front-line workers in essential industries and those who qualify under state rules based on preexisting health conditions, with the exception of smokers. The city, which gets its own vaccine supply from the federal government, has not opened up its other vaccination sites to people under 65 with underlying health conditions — a point of contention with the state.

“This is not easy work. If it was easy, we would have done it already,” Lightfoot said at a news conference to talk about COVID-19 vaccinations. “But I’m personally involved, and I’m confident we will get to the right place and be able to present something to the City Council for a vote as soon as we are able.”

12/14: CBSN AM Hospitals expected to start vaccinations; New Honduras caravan heading to U.S. border.

This comes after the FDA granted emergency use authorization for Pfizer and Bio-N-Tech’s vaccine on Friday. This is just part of an overall plan to distribute 40 million vaccine doses by the end of the year. The focus will then be on how soon the U.S. can get to what is called herd immunity among the population. “So we need to have immunized about 75% or 80% of the U.S. population before herd immunity can really be established. Even after the first few million doses of the vaccine are administered, you can still expect pushes for social distancing and mask wearing until herd immunity is achieved.

And this week on FACE THE NATION, breaking news this morning as the massive operation to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans is officially underway. ALEX AZAR (Health and Human Services Secretary/@SecAzar): Good morning, Margaret. Do it right, do it measured, get the job done right, anticipate problems, but know they're going to be hitches and hiccups as we go and we will work to solve it. ROBERT GARRETT: Well, so far, Margaret, they're-- they're holding up well. I think that's a-- a-- a concerning harbinger for the challenges they're going to face with the vaccine in that last-mile challenge.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that aired Sunday, December 13, 2020, on "Face the Nation." MARGARET BRENNAN: Operation Warp Speed told Pfizer to ship out just short of three million doses this week. AZAR: So- so they're about- they're about 6.4 million doses. And we're shipping half of the remaining, so that's 2.9 million doses going out. That was actually the new part, which said we have 900 million doses under guaranteed contract for the United States.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. As kids head back to school theres a real concern about their health beyond the coronavirus and its something parents can control. Duval County was above the national average when it came to vaccinations but now the numbers are so low that health officials are concerned it could lead to another health crisis. This is not a political issue, Dr. Pauline Rolle, director of the Duval County health department, said. Its not just a Duval issue, this is a worldwide issue and so everyone is put at risk by children not being vaccinated appropriately, Rolle said. There are several options through the county health department to get free vaccines.

Stay-at-home orders and virtual learning meant to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have also lowered the number of families using immunizations services, local health officials said. Just because your student isnt attending in-person school doesnt mean you should skip routine vaccinations, Duval County health officials said. We understand there has been a lot of confusion out there due to the pandemic, said Dr. Pauline Rolle, Interim Health Officer and Medical Director of the Department of Health in Duval County. According to county health officials, the best defense against preventable diseases is vaccination. Vaccines help develop the bodys ability to fight germs, which cause certain infectious diseases.

At Memorial Hospital’s pediatric emergency room on Thursday, nurses screened visitors and patients at the entrance. If you need help with WJXT’s or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801.

Measles outbreak prompts school to keep students home Vaccinations almost wiped out measles. But a recent trend in vaccination waivers is believed to have contributed to a new outbreak in southern California. At least one school is now telling certain students to stay home as a way to prevent the outbreak from spreading. Ben Tracy reports.