The United Kingdom will be winding down COVID-19 booster shots for the healthy, as the government moves away from its "pandemic emergency response" approach..Brits 16 to 49 had previously been able to get three COVID-19 jabs. But as uptake has been dwindling, the UK Health Service Agency will end the third dose offer on Feb. 12, 2023. .The government is also preparing to end the offer of two initial vaccine doses over the coming months. This means unvaccinated Brits who are under 50 will not be able to get a COVID-19 jab unless recommended by a medical professional..Health officials are planning for a more targeted vaccination strategy, in which only vulnerable individuals receive a COVID-19 vaccine when there is a medical need..According to the UK government, the campaign of COVID-19 boosters for the young and healthy is being cancelled because of a reduced uptake. Since April 2022 less than .1% of eligible Brits under 50-years-old have gotten a third dose..Almost 13.7 million 16-49-year-olds received three doses of the COVID-19, vaccine while 19.8 and 21.3 million people had their second and first doses, respectively..This news comes on the same day the United States Food and Drug Administration proposed a recommendation that Americans receive an annual COVID-19 vaccine each fall, similar to the current recommendations for flu vaccines. .Meanwhile, Florida governor Ron DeSantis recently called for the state's legislature to make permanent existing prohibitions on mask mandate for schools and vaccine mandates for local governments and businesses..READ MORE: Denmark ends general vaccination for those under 50.And back in September 2022, Denmark also ended general COVID-19 vaccination for people under 50-years-old, months after ending vaccination for those under 18-years-old. The Danish Health Authority said the purpose of Denmark's vaccination program aimed to protect those most likely to experience severe health outcomes from the disease..Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada told the Western Standard they are actively monitoring the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines in order to ensure their "benefits continue to outweigh the risks of the disease."."PHAC and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization are constantly reviewing all of the available data and will update their guidance in light of the evolving evidence and the latest science related to COVID in the Canadian public health context," they said.
