Coronavirus vaccine news, updates and information for 5-28-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for May 28th, 2021.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Data from Johns Hopkins shows average daily Covid case counts in the U.S. are at less than half the level recorded at the start of May. The country is seeing an average of 23,407 new infections per day over the past week. The U.S. reports an average of 1.7 million daily vaccinations, and nearly 50% of the population has received one dose or more. Case counts have not been this low since June 2020.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Melbourne, Australia was set to enter its fourth lockdown yesterday as concerns grow over the rapid spread of infections from a variant. This one will be seven days. Victoria’s Acting Premier said, “Unless something changes, this will be increasingly uncontrollable.”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The incentives continue. California is giving away the country's largest pot of vaccine prize money — $116.5 million — to get more people inoculated before the state fully reopens next month. The prize includes $1.5 million each for 10 Californians. And yes, those who’ve already gotten partially or fully vaccinated are eligible.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Lisa Shaw, a news presenter for BBC Newcastle, died at 44 after being treated for blood clots and bleeding and after getting the AstraZeneca shot. But now, German scientists think they know more about why these blood clot issues happen. The cold viruses used by some vaccines to insert the spike protein of COVID-19 into the nucleus of the cell can, in some people, cause bits of the proteins to enter the nucleus and break up. Those fragments enter the bloodstream and can cause clotting. The European Medicines Agency said they know of 169 such cases after 34 million doses.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>From the “oh the irony” department. For over a year, we’ve been on pins and needles about a virus that attacks the respiratory system and could kill us. But new research shows that in 2019, smoking killed almost 8 million people and more people started smoking. An all-time high of 1.1 bil