The Know Daily - Thursday 17 August 2023

_{Thursday 17 August ∙ Read in 5m 10s ∙ Listening to Kylie}

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Fifteen Magellanic penguins have been released back into the Atlantic Ocean after spending time at an animal rehabilitation centre in Argentina. The creatures had been rescued from beaches along Buenos Aires after showing signs of malnourishment and hypothermia. This heartwarming video captures the moment the group returned to open water.

💉 Calls for private Covid jabs

Leading scientists have called on the UK government to allow people who are ineligible for the autumn booster programme to buy the Covid vaccine privately.

Tell me more.
At present, the vaccine is only available on the NHS - and earlier this month, the government announced that the autumn booster programme would cover fewer people than in previous drives. The age limit has been raised from 50 to 65 and above, with some younger vulnerable groups also eligible.

This is a different situation to flu jabs, which are also available for individuals and employers to buy for around £15 from high street pharmacies.

So what are some scientists now calling for?
Speaking to The Guardian in a personal capacity, Prof Adam Finn, a member of the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said that the jabs should be available commercially. He also suggested that some employers might want to offer vaccines to staff.

The calls come amid an uptick in Covid cases and concern over the potential impact of another autumn or winter wave on the NHS.

Is there anything else I should know?
If Covid vaccines were to be made available privately in the UK, there are concerns over how widely accessible they would be. In the US, where private jabs could be offered as soon as this autumn, Moderna has said that it expects to price its vaccine at about $130 (£102) - and such prices would simply be unaffordable for many people.