Forty-four states are reporting rising coronavirus counts, the lowest number of states in more than a month amid the surge driven by the highly contagious delta variant, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University records shows.
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada and Vermont reported lower numbers of new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Monday compared to the week before. Still, Hawaii, Mississippi and Oregon set new case-count records again Monday, and 38 states again reported rising death tolls.
With so much data indicating the pandemic is far from over, Biden administration health officials are expected to recommend COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second shot, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to USA TODAY.
The official spoke to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly. Booster shots will begin as early as mid-to-late September once the FDA formally approves vaccines.
Also in the news:
►Alabama’s intensive care units are near capacity amid the state’s surge in COVID-19 cases. The head of the Alabama Hospital Association, Dr. Don Williamson, calls the situation “the greatest demand on the ICU system we’ve ever had.”
►Roman Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke, who openly opposed COVID vaccines, is on a ventilator in a Wisconsin hospital with the coronavirus.
►Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said large indoor venues in cities like Las Vegas and Reno will be allowed to opt out of the state’s mask requirements if they verify their guests are vaccinated.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has had more than 36.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 622,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 207.8 million cases and 4.3 million deaths. More than 168.6 million Americans — 50.8% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re reading: Some who got the J&J vaccine seek mRNA boosters. Is it safe to mix? Read more.
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New Zealand under lockdown after one new infection
New Zealand’s 5 million people began a strict lockdown Tuesday that will last at least three days after finding one case of coronavirus. Auckland, where the infected man lives, and Coromandel, where he had visited, face at least seven days of lockdown. Schools and almost all workplaces closed. When people leave home, they are encouraged to wear a mask pending a possible mask mandate that could come as soon as Wednesday. New Zealand has reported just 26 virus deaths since the pandemic began.
“We know that this strategy works, we know that we are a strong team of 5 million, and we know that life will get easier, we just need to keep going,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Vaccine mandates slated for this week: NYC, New Orleans, San Francisco
New York, the nation’s first major city to require at least partial vaccination for indoor activities such as dining and using gyms, will begin to require proof Tuesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday expanded the list of public venues with the requirement: “If we’re going to stop the delta variant, the time is now.” New Orleans’s vaccine mandate for all indoor venues and outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people went into effect Monday. San Francisco full vaccination for indoor activities will be mandated starting Friday.
New York state and D.C. have both become the latest areas to mandate vaccinations for medical workers, with both announcing mandates on Monday. Similar moves were announced previously in California and Washington state.
Tennessee governor orders schools to allow mask opt-outs for students
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Monday announced he is issuing an executive order requiring schools to allow parents to exempt their children from mask mandates, a decision that follows an outcry from some conservative legislators over districts’ masking policies for students. In a statement late Monday, Nashville’s Metro Schools Director Adrienne Battle said the district will continue to require masks for now.
“Universal masking policies, during the pandemic, are a key mitigation strategy to do just that. To allow anyone to opt out of these policies for any reason, other than legitimate medical need, would make them ineffective and would require more students to be quarantined and kept out of the classroom,” Battle said.
Public health, politics and education made for an uncomfortable mix in many parts of the country Monday. Confusion reigned in several Texas school districts after the state Supreme Court stopped mask mandates in two of the largest districts before the first day of school in Dallas. An Arizona judge upheld, at least temporarily, a mask mandate in a Phoenix district despite a new state law prohibiting such requirements. One Colorado county posted sheriff’s deputies in schools on the first day of classes as a precaution after parents protested a last-minute mask mandate.
– Natalie Allison, Nashville Tennessean
Contributing: Elizabeth Weise and Mike Stucka, USA TODAY; Associated Press