An international study shows an upward trend in support for receiving COVID-19 vaccines in several countries compared to the end of 2020, with the biggest increase in Britain and Sweden.  Multinational communication firm Kekst CNC Monday published the results of the survey conducted in six countries – Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and United States. The poll indicated 89% of Britons were in favor of getting vaccinated now, compared to 65% last September.The AstraZeneca vaccine is prepared in the COVID-19 vaccination center at the Odeon Luxe Cinema in Maidstone, Britain, Feb. 10, 2021.In Sweden, 76% of those interviewed were in favor of inoculation, compared to 51% in September 2020.  The study shows that 68% of men worldwide support vaccination, the ratio is lower among women at 55%. Older and middle-aged people have become more likely to get a vaccine since September, the survey found.   The study also shows that 75% of Britons are pleased with the pace of the vaccination campaign in the country, but the ratio drops in the other countries surveyed, to 32% in U.S., 22% in France and 20% in Sweden. Kekst CNC conducted the survey in mid-February over ten days, with samples of 1,000 adults in each country and margin of error of 3.3 percent for all participating counties.   Sunday, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel endorsed the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, voting overwhelmingly to recommend the shot for adults older than 18.  CDC recommendations are not binding but are widely respected by medical institutions and professionals. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky later approved the panel’s recommendations.FILE – Vials of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine candidate are seen in an undated photograph.Sunday’s CDC endorsement came one day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally authorized the use of the one-dose vaccine. Nearly 4 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be distributed and available as early as Tuesday morning, according to a senior administration official. This vaccine, the third to be approved for use in the United States, will be distributed to states, tribes and territories proportional to their populations – the same way the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been distributed. Health officials in the U.S. welcomed the third vaccine, which has been eagerly awaited largely because it requires only one shot, but officials urged Americans to receive whichever vaccine is first available to them, reiterating that all three have proved to be safe and effective. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 85% effective against serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to data from a study that spanned three continents. The shot kept its protection even in the countries where the South African variant is spreading. Johnson & Johnson is also seeking authorization for emergency use of its vaccine in Europe and from the World Health Organization. As of Sunday evening, about 28.6 million Americans have had COVID-19 and more than 513,000 have died from the disease, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center. The U.S. continues to lead the world in the number of coronavirus infections, followed by India with more than 11 million infections and Brazil with more than 10.5 million.
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