AP -
July 1, 2021
President Joe Biden came up well short on his goal of delivering 80 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to the rest of the world by the end of June as a host of logistical and regulatory hurdles slowed the pace of U.S. vaccine diplomacy. … It’s not for lack of doses. All the American shots are ready to ship, the White House said. Rather, it’s taking more time than anticipated to sort through a complex web of legal requirements, health codes, customs clearances, cold-storage chains, language barriers and delivery programs.
HealthDay -
July 1, 2021
Compared with the previous five-year averages for April, screening tests received by women through CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program for underserved women were 87% lower for breast cancer and 84% lower for cervical cancer in April 2020. Declines in breast cancer screening ranged from 84% among Hispanic women to 98% among American Indian/Alaskan Native women.
Gallup -
July 1, 2021
8% name COVID-19, down from 15% in May. 22% cite government; 11%, race relations. Uptick in Gallup's Economic Confidence Index to +1 from -7 in May. … With Americans feeling increasingly optimistic about the coronavirus pandemic, just 8% now mention it as the most important problem in the U.S., the lowest point since it began.
NBC News -
July 1, 2021
Doctors are beginning to notice Covid-19 cases that look more like a very bad cold, especially in areas of the country where the highly contagious delta variant is quickly spreading. While shortness of breath and other lung issues remain among the most worrisome Covid-19 symptoms, it appears upper respiratory complaints — marked by congestion, a runny nose and headache — may be increasing.
TODAY -
July 1, 2021
Director of the CDC Dr. Rochelle Walensky is encouraging vaccinated people looking for guidance about wearing a mask in public to follow local policies. "We know that the WHO has to make guidelines and provide information to the world," … "There are places around the world that are surging, and so as the WHO makes those recommendations, they do so in that context."
AP -
July 1, 2021
California broadly reopened its economy barely two weeks ago and since then an especially contagious coronavirus variant has spread among the unvaccinated, a development that has health officials on edge and already has prompted Los Angeles County to strongly recommend everyone resume wearing masks inside. The nation’s most populous state is averaging close to 1,000 additional cases reported daily, an increase of about 17% in the last 14 days.
Yahoo! Finance -
July 1, 2021
New weekly jobless claims fell back below the 400,000 level for the first time in three weeks, resuming improvements after a brief bump higher in initial filings.
CNN -
June 29, 2021
In many parts of the country, if you want your child to be immunized against Covid-19 by the time classes start, you need to act fast. … It takes five weeks to be fully vaccinated with Pfizer's vaccine, the only one authorized for adolescents ages 12 to 17. That means, for example, Atlanta students need to get their first shot by July 1 to be fully immunized by the first day of school on August 5.
ABC News -
June 29, 2021
The vaccination drive is lagging far behind in many Amish communities across the U.S. following a wave of virus outbreaks that swept through their churches and homes during the past year. … While their religious beliefs don’t forbid them to get vaccines, the Amish are generally less likely to be vaccinated for preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough.
Gallup -
June 29, 2021
29% say pandemic is done; 71% say it is not. 62% say lives "somewhat" back to normal; 54% say lives not disrupted now. 40% do not expect their lives will ever be normal again.
NBC News -
June 29, 2021
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Monday that Puerto Rico will receive nearly $4 billion in federal education pandemic relief funds to help boost the U.S. territory’s fight against Covid-19. The announcement was made during Cardona’s official three-day trip to Puerto Rico, the first for a Biden administration Cabinet member. It marks the first time the island has full access to those funds.
ABC News -
June 29, 2021
Disney Cruise Line is postponing its first test cruise since the pandemic brought the cruise industry to a standstill after a handful of participants had inconsistent test results for COVID-19, the company said Monday. The Disney Dream had been scheduled to set sail Tuesday from Port Canaveral, Florida, with 300 employees who had volunteered for the “simulation” cruise. But the trip was postponed until next month, pending approvals …
AP -
June 29, 2021
Britain’s new health secretary said Monday he is confident that England is on track to remove the country’s remaining coronavirus restrictions on July 19, stressing that the rapid vaccination rollout is “breaking the link” between soaring infection numbers and serious illnesses and deaths. … widespread concerns about a third surge in infections in the U.K. driven by the spread of the more contagious delta variant. Government figures on Monday showed another big spike in infections, with 22,868 confirmed cases.
AP -
June 25, 2021
Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine. An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations.
CNN -
June 25, 2021
A growing number of people -- now more than one in 10 -- have missed their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine in the United States, a cause for concern as the more transmissible Delta variant gains a foothold. As of June 16, about 88% of those who received one dose of vaccine and were eligible for their second -- recommended 21 days after the first Pfizer/BioNTech shot or 28 days after the first Moderna shot -- had completed their two dose series, according to data shared with CNN by the CDC. That's down from a 92% completion rate earlier in the year.
The Atlantic -
June 25, 2021
At the end of January, reports that yet another COVID-19 vaccine had succeeded in its clinical trials—this one offering about 70 percent protection—were front-page news in the United States, and occasioned push alerts on millions of phones. But when the Maryland-based biotech firm Novavax announced its latest stunning trial results last week, and an efficacy rate of more than 90 percent even against coronavirus variants, the response from the same media outlets was muted in comparison.