IOC relaxes mask rules for medalists — 7:46 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Olympic medalists can now remove their masks — briefly — on the podium after the International Olympic Committee relaxed its health rules.
Recognizing athletes want to smile and show emotion, the IOC is now letting them have 30 seconds of maskless time for photographs.
The IOC says this acknowledges “a unique moment in their sporting career.”
Health protocols agreed to ahead of the Tokyo Olympics to control COVID-19 infections had required all medalists to keep masks on for the whole ceremony.
The new maskless moments require athletes to stay on their own podium steps. Masks must be back on for group photos on the top step.
Macron calls for unity after anti-vaccine protests in France — 7:35 a.m.
By The Associated Press
French President Emmanuel Macron appealed for national unity and mass vaccination to fight the resurgent virus, and lashed out at those fueling anti-vaccine sentiment and protests.
About 160,000 people protested around France on Saturday against a special COVID-19 pass for restaurants and mandatory vaccinations for health workers. Many marchers shouted “liberty!” and said the government shouldn’t tell them what to do.
Visiting a hospital in French Polynesia on Saturday night Tahiti time, Macron asked, “What is your freedom worth if you say to me ‘I don’t want to be vaccinated,’ but tomorrow you infect your father, your mother or myself?”
Positive virus tests knock Rahm, DeChambeau out of Olympics — 3:53 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Jon Rahm tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in two months Sunday, knocking the Spaniard out of the Olympics only a few hours after American golfer Bryson DeChambeau met the same fate.
Rahm’s positive test was announced by the Spanish Olympic committee. It was the second of back-to-back coronavirus shockers that came on the second full day of action in Tokyo. It put a damper on the golf tournament, which is scheduled to begin Thursday, and also offered a stark reminder of the tenuous nature of putting on the Games in the midst of a pandemic.
Olympic golf will be without the last two U.S. Open champions.
IOC encourages medalists not to hug, keep masks on — 3:15 a.m.
By The Associated Press
The IOC is urging Olympic medalists to curb their hugs and keep masks on while on the podium.
Medalists in some swimming events Sunday morning were hugging, sharing the podium top step for photographs and taking their masks off for a time.
Those are potential breaches of rules protecting the Olympics from COVID-19 infections.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams says “we feel for the athletes (but) there are things that unfortunately we have had to make stricter.”
Adams adds “we would urge and ask everyone to obey the rules.”
Tokyo organizers have reported 127 games-related COVID-19 cases, including 14 athletes, in Japan this month.
Europe’s summer tourism outlook dimmed by variants, rules — 3:13 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Chaos and confusion over travel rules and measures to contain new virus outbreaks are contributing to another cruel summer for Europe’s battered tourism industry.
Popular destination countries are grappling with surging COVID-19 variants, but the patchwork and last-minute nature of the efforts as the peak season gets underway threatens to derail another summer.
In France, the world’s most visited country, visitors to cultural and tourist sites were confronted this week with a new requirement for a special COVID-19 pass.
Bryson DeChambeau tests positive for COVID-19, out of Olympics — 10:52 p.m.
By Staff Report
Bryson DeChambeau is out of the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19, USA Golf announced on Saturday night, the latest setback for the polarizing major champion.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed was announced as DeChambeau’s replacement, joining Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele as Americans in the men’s Olympic event, which begins Thursday.
Summer music festivals have returned, just in time for the latest coronavirus surge — 9:26 p.m.
By The Washington Post
A year after summer music festivals were silenced by the coronavirus pandemic, a more infectious variant is showing up to this year’s gatherings like an unwelcome gate-crasher.
As of Friday, the seven-day average for new daily cases in the United States jumped 57 percent from the previous week, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. With the delta variant pushing new infections and hospitalization rates upward, the horns of triumph for summer music festivals are starting to sound more like a sad trombone.
“I would probably not recommend [going],” Maria Alcaide, an infectious-disease specialist who directs the Infectious Diseases Research Unit with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
They waited, they worried, they stalled. Then they got the shot. — 8:25 p.m.
By New York Times
In dozens of interviews Thursday in eight states, at vaccination clinics, drugstores and pop-up mobile sites, Americans who had finally arrived for their shots offered a snapshot of a nation at a crossroads — confronting a new surge of the virus but only slowly embracing the vaccines that could stop it.
The people being vaccinated now are not members of the eager crowds who rushed to early appointments. But they are not in the group firmly opposed to vaccinations, either.
How many people ultimately join this group — and how quickly — could determine the course of the coronavirus in the United States.
After outbreak, Provincetown navigates another summer with COVID-19 — 7:35 p.m.
By Laura Crimaldi and Jack Lyons, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent
Pop-up COVID-19 testing sites. Mask advisories. Vaccination proof required for entry at some businesses.
The highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant is an uninvited guest this summer in Provincetown and its menacing presence is threatening the busy season in this vacation town for the second year in a row and sickening residents despite a high local vaccination rate — just as tourism was beginning to roar back to life.
St. Louis and L.A. now require masks indoors. With cases rising, will other cities follow suit? — 6:37 p.m.
By The Washington Post
Facing a resurgence in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, St. Louis on Friday became the latest major U.S. city to revive its mask mandate, joining Los Angeles in requiring face coverings indoors.
The mandate takes effect Monday and will apply to everyone, even vaccinated people, in indoor public places and on public transportation. It comes a little more than two months after the city lifted the rules, which had been in place since last summer.
Officials said the move was designed to combat the spread of the hyper-transmissible delta variant of the virus, which has caused infections to spike around the country in recent weeks and threatens to upend progress against the pandemic.
Vermont State Colleges to require COVID vaccines of students — 4:19 p.m.
By The Associated Press
The 3,000 students on the residential campuses of the Vermont State Colleges will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester.
The executive committee of the Vermont State College System Board of Trustees voted Thursday to require the vaccines for students at Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College.
Students who are studying online only and will not be on campus will be exempted. The decision will not apply to the Community College of Vermont.
In southwest Missouri, the coronavirus Delta variant and freedom collide — 3:33 p.m.
By Hanna Krueger, Globe Staff
Southwest Missouri has become ground zero for the fourth COVID-19 wave, a disconcerting example of how pandemic fatigue, vaccine hesitancy, and the Delta variant can collide to create an overwhelming eruption of infections.
Its residents are well aware they are in the spotlight nationally for resisting vaccination in the face of all this.
In interviews, few expressed outright skepticism of the virus or spoke derisively about the inoculated masses in some other sections of the country. Most simply viewed vaccinations, as well as masking, as an individual decision.
About 160,000 French protesters reject virus passes, vaccine mandate — 3:22 p.m.
By Associated Press
Some 160,000 people, including far-right activists and members of France’s yellow vest movement, protested Saturday across the country against a bill requiring everyone to have a special virus pass to enter restaurants and mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all health care workers.
Similar protests were held in neighboring Italy.
How to talk to vaccine-hesitant friends and family about getting the shot — 2:01 p.m.
By The Washington Post
There’s evidence that vaccine resistance is hardening. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 29% of Americans said they are unlikely to get vaccinated. That’s up from 24% three months ago.
But experts say there’s still plenty of room to reach friends and family who have held out on getting the shots – it just might take closer listening, a refined message and more patience.
States scale back virus reporting just as cases surge — 1:26 p.m.
By Associated Press
Several states scaled back their reporting of COVID-19 statistics this month just as cases across the country started to skyrocket, depriving the public of real-time information on outbreaks, cases, hospitalizations and deaths in their communities.
The shift to weekly instead of daily reporting in Florida, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota marked a notable shift during a pandemic in which coronavirus dashboards have become a staple for Americans closely tracking case counts and trends to navigate a crisis that has killed more than 600,000 people in the U.S.
Public-health experts are urging the CDC to reconsider masks guidance — 10:21 a.m.
By Fiona Rutherford, Bloomberg
A growing number of public-health experts are urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that even fully vaccinated people wear face masks in public amid the resurgence of virus cases fed by the Delta variant.
Doctors including former surgeon general Jerome Adams say the CDC acted prematurely in May when it announced that fully inoculated Americans would no longer need to wear a mask in most situations. That move was broadly seen as part of efforts to incentivize jabs. The different rules for the vaccinated and unvaccinated and the impression that Americans could let down their guard sowed confusion that has led to a higher rate of infections, according to Adams.
Vietnam locks down capital Hanoi for 15 days as cases rise — 4:46 a.m.
By Associated Press
Vietnam announced a 15-day lockdown in the capital Hanoi starting Saturday as a coronavirus surge spread from the southern Mekong Delta region.
The lockdown order, issued late Friday night, bans the gathering of more than two people in public. Only government offices, hospitals and essential businesses are allowed to stay open.
Nike, Adidas output snarled as COVID-19 shuts Asian factories — 2:11 a.m.
By Bloomberg
Some of the world’s biggest footwear and garment companies are seeing production pinched as factories in Southeast Asia struggle to keep the lights on amid one of the world’s deadliest COVID-19 resurgences.
A number of firms that churn out products for global giants like Nike Inc. and Adidas AG have reported plant suspensions in Vietnam over the past few weeks as authorities impose restrictions to stop the virus. Other industries, such as Toyota Motor Corp. factories in Thailand, also are scaling back as multiple countries in the region see record high cases and deaths.
Delta variant found in Provincetown COVID-19 cluster — 10:10 p.m.
By Katie Redefer, Globe Correspondent
The Delta variant of COVID-19 has been found in samples taken from people sickened in a Provincetown outbreak that infected more than 250, including some who were already vaccinated, officials said Friday.
Cases began ticking upward in Provincetown around the July Fourth holiday and had grown by Wednesday to 256, including 190 Massachusetts residents, 109 of whom live in Barnstable County, Town Manager Alex Morse said.
First match of Olympic beach volleyball canceled because of positive COVID test — 9:38 p.m.
By Associated Press
The very first match of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament has been canceled because a Czech player tested positive for COVID-19.
Markéta Sluková tested positive earlier this week, knocking her and partner Barbora Hermannova out of the Tokyo Games.
31 children test positive for coronavirus at summer camp — 9:21 p.m.
By New York Times
The outbreak at Camp Pontiac, a sleep-away camp in upstate New York, started in the girls’ dormitories. Nurses, worried that young campers were showing symptoms of COVID-19, began administering tests. Last Saturday, one came back positive.
More would quickly follow: As of Thursday morning, 31 of the camp’s 550 campers had tested positive for the virus, said Jack Mabb, the health director of Columbia County, where the camp is located.
None of the children were seriously ill from the virus, Mabb said.
People who are 65 and older or immunocompromised may need COVID vaccine booster shots, Biden officials say — 8:32 p.m.
By New York Times
Biden administration health officials increasingly think that vulnerable populations will need booster shots even as research continues into how long the coronavirus vaccines remain effective.
Senior officials now say they expect that people who are 65 and older or who have compromised immune systems will most likely need a third shot from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, two vaccines based on the same technology that have been used to inoculate the vast majority of Americans thus far. That is a sharp shift from just a few weeks ago, when the administration said it thought there was not enough evidence to back boosters yet.
What to know about the Lambda variant of the coronavirus — 8:11 p.m.
By The Washington Post
The lambda variant of the novel coronavirus has received a flurry of news coverage since it was added to the World Health Organization variant watch list in June. Lambda swept through several South American countries earlier this year and has been detected in parts of the United States, including this week at a major hospital in Houston.
Federal court lifts CDC rules for Florida-based cruise ships — 7:40 p.m.
By The Associated Press
Pandemic restrictions on Florida-based cruise ships are no longer in place under a ruling Friday by a federal appeals court, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seek to fight a Florida lawsuit challenging the regulations.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had temporarily blocked a previous ruling last Saturday that sided with Florida officials, but the court reversed that decision on Friday, explaining that the CDC failed to demonstrate an entitlement to a stay pending appeal.
Where COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising in the US — 7:27 p.m.
By New York Times
As the more contagious delta variant sows more coronavirus infections among the country’s unvaccinated, it has also started to send more unprotected Americans to the hospital, straining health care centers in portions of the Midwest, the West and the South.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are trending upward in 45 states, though levels remain well below previous peaks. In parts of the country with relatively low vaccination rates, including Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Nevada, hospitalizations have increased more rapidly.
Unvaccinated US swimmer sparks debate as Olympics start — 6:01 p.m.
By The Associated Press
A debate is brewing between former gold medalist Maya DiRado and some American swimmers over U.S. medal threat Michael Andrew’s decision not to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as he prepares to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
DiRado sparked the discourse this week with a lengthy thread on Twitter in which she wrote that she’s “disappointed” in Andrew’s decision to compete unvaccinated and his reasoning behind it.
Andrew revealed earlier this month that he isn’t vaccinated after being asked about his status by a reporter.
With its new rules, the NFL is making things harder on unvaccinated players — and that’s a good thing | Tara Sullivan — 5:24 p.m.
By Tara Sullivan, Globe Columnist
The NFL didn’t use the word “mandate”. But it did use the word “forfeit”. And in using the latter, it’s quite clear the league’s intent was the former.
The league wants and expects players to get vaccinated against COVID-19, for the good of their health, for the good of their teammates’ health, for the good of public health, and yes, for the good of their business product.
To which I say: Good for the NFL.
‘I fall heavily on the side of trusting science.’ Matt Damon talks about the importance of getting vaccinated — 5:20 p.m.
By Dana Gerber, Globe Correspondent
In a new interview, Matt Damon spoke about the dangers of COVID vaccine hesitancy and expressed concern for those who are at especially high risk for the virus because they are immunocompromised.
In a video interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Damon, 50, said he knows that many eligible individuals in the US are choosing not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and that puts people who are immunocompromised in greater danger.
586 confirmed cases, 5 deaths, and 9,527 vaccinations. See today’s COVID-19 data from Mass. — 5:05 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Ryan Huddle, Daigo Fujiwara, and Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Massachusetts on Friday reported 586 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 5 new confirmed coronavirus deaths, and another 9,527 vaccinations administered, the Department of Public Health said.
The state also reported that 114 patients with COVID-19 were in the hospital.
Delays, more masks and mandatory shots: Virus surge disrupts office-return plans — 4:28 p.m.
By New York Times
When companies began announcing tentative return-to-office plans this spring, there was a sense of optimism behind the messages. COVID cases were dwindling in the United States as the vaccine rollout picked up pace.
In recent days, that tone has suddenly shifted. The delta variant, a more contagious version of the coronavirus, is sweeping through the country. Less than half of Americans are fully vaccinated, exacerbating the situation.
It all adds up to a difficult calculation for America’s business leaders, who hoped the country would already be fully on a path to normalcy, with employees getting back to offices.
In watching breakthrough infections, keep an eye on severe COVID cases, experts say — 4:10 p.m.
By Emma Platoff, Globe Staff
As COVID-19 cases begin to tick up in Massachusetts, including among those who have been vaccinated, experts say the most important breakthrough cases to watch are those that bring serious illness or death.
Such severe cases are by far the exception and not the rule, data show, as the vaccines in use in the US have proven highly effective at preventing serious disease.
But as public health officials weigh the current surge in cases nationwide, particularly those tied to the now-dominant Delta variant, they say infections in vaccinated individuals who aren’t experiencing symptoms are far less cause for concern than the potential risks to the unvaccinated.
Some Florida hospitals have more COVID patients than ever before — 2:21 p.m.
By The New York Times
A month ago, the number of COVID-19 patients admitted at two University of Florida hospitals in Jacksonville was down to 14. Now more than 140 people are hospitalized with the virus, a tenfold increase over five weeks — and the highest number of COVID patients this system has seen since the start of the pandemic.
Debra Wells, 65, was among those admitted to one of the hospitals earlier this month when what she thought was a cold grew worse and worse until she could not breathe. “I said, ‘Lord, I feel like I’m dying,’” she recalled.
Like most of the patients that hospital officials say they are admitting in Jacksonville and other fast-filling medical facilities in pockets around the country, Wells was unvaccinated. She had worried, she said, that the shots were not safe.
In Singapore, 75 percent of COVID infections are among vaccinated and partially vaccinated people, report says — 2:08 p.m.
By Nick Stoico, Globe Correspondent
Vaccinated individuals accounted for three-quarters of Singapore’s COVID-19 infections in the past four weeks, the latest numbers showing the potential for the disease — and in particular the highly contagious Delta variant — to spread even among those who’ve been inoculated against it, according to a report by Reuters on Friday.
About 44 percent of the 1,096 locally transmitted infections in the past 28 days in Singapore were among people who had been fully vaccinated and 30 percent were among those partially vaccinated. About 25 percent of cases were among unvaccinated individuals, according to the report.
Vaccinated individuals who tested positive for the coronavirus showed either mild symptoms or none at all, Singapore’s health ministry reported, according to Reuters.
COVID explodes in Cancun, Los Cabos as new wave hits Mexico — 1:46 p.m.
By Bloomberg
A third coronavirus wave fueled by the highly contagious delta variant is battering two of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations on opposite coasts, Los Cabos in the Pacific and Cancun in the Caribbean.
In Cancun, cases have soared to a point where the Hard Rock Hotel has set aside two floors for guests with symptoms. Some hotels say they offer discounts for those in quarantine until they’re no longer contagious.
In Baja California Sur, where Los Cabos is located, authorities are again rushing to add beds to strained hospitals, which reached 75% capacity last week before improving to 62% on Thursday. Beaches in the town of La Paz were ordered closed, though local media show many ignoring the order.
Waiting to exhale: COVID-19′s resurgence has many on edge — 12:58 p.m.
By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff
This is not the worry-free summer many envisioned as recently as Memorial Day, full of long-awaited travel, joyous family reunions, and idyllic evenings in favorite restaurants.
Since July 4, there’s been a steady drumbeat of discouraging COVID-19 news: Infections are climbing rapidly across the country. Hospitalizations in several Southern and Western states are spiking, too. Vaccinations rates have dwindled. And communities from Cambridge to Los Angeles county are advising or mandating a return to masks, even for vaccinated people.
The highly contagious Delta strain of the virus, estimated to be responsible for recent outbreaks on Cape Cod and at least 83 percent of cases nationwide, has cast a long shadow.
Jacques Cabaret announces it will require proof of vaccination for those who do not want to wear masks — 11:50 a.m.
By Maria Elena Little Endara, Globe Correspondent
Jacques’ Cabaret announced in a Facebook post on Friday that patrons who do not want to wear masks will be asked for proof of vaccination starting August 6.
The celebrated gay bar known for its rollicking drag shows said the new policy is due to the uptick in coronavirus cases, apparently fueled by the Delta variant.
“If you would like to be maskless at shows we are asking that you show your vaccination card at the door to receive a stamp. If you do not wish to show your vaccination card or are not vaccinated, we will be requiring that you remain masked throughout the night,” read the post.
The business also stated that they will be providing masks and hand sanitizer to those who do not have them or need them.
“As leaders in this community, we feel that it is our responsibility to keep our spaces as safe as possible for all patrons, performers, and staff,” Jacques said in the post.
Associated Press poll finds 45% of unvaccinated Americans say they will definitely not get a shot — 10:53 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Most Americans who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 say they are unlikely to get the shots and doubt they would work against the aggressive delta variant despite evidence they do, according to a new poll that underscores the challenges facing public health officials amid soaring infections in some states.
Among American adults who have not yet received a vaccine, 35% say they probably will not, and 45% say they definitely will not, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just 3% say they definitely will get the shots, though another 16% say they probably will.
With increasing COVID cases and low vaccination rates in Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey says ‘it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks’ — 9:54 a.m.
By Maria Elena Little Endara, Globe Correspondent
In candid comments on Thursday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said she doesn’t know what will help bring up the vaccination rates in her state.
“Folks supposed to have common sense. It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down,” said Ivey in an interview.
Alabama currently has the lowest vaccination rate in the country with 34 percent of its population fully vaccinated.
The state is currently experiencing a surge in cases, averaging 1,133 new cases daily, a 311 percent jump from two weeks ago.
Back in May, Ivey signed a bill that prohibits private businesses and public institutions from requiring COVID-19 “vaccine passports” to access services. The law bars such places from refusing those not inoculated against the coronavirus.
When asked if it is her responsibility to get the situation under control Ivey responded, “I’ve done all I know how to do.”
Pfizer shot halts severe illness in Israel, only 39% effective in preventing infections — 8:38 a.m.
By Bloomberg
Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine provided a strong shield against hospitalization and more severe disease in cases caused by the contagious delta variant in Israel in recent weeks, even though it was just 39% effective in preventing infections, according to the country’s health ministry.
The vaccine, developed with BioNTech SE, provided 88% protection against hospitalization and 91% against severe illness for an unspecified number of people studied between June 20 and July 17, according to a report Thursday from the health ministry.
Delta variant outbreak pops travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand — 6:18 a.m.
By The Washington Post
New Zealand has suspended a travel bubble with Australia for two months as an outbreak of a hyper-transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus threatens the nation’s earlier success in containing the pandemic.
More than 200,000 people have flown between New Zealand and Australia since the quarantine-free travel corridor opened in April. But a delta variant outbreak that started in Sydney in mid-June has “materially changed the risk profile,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters Friday. The small island nation has worked hard to eliminate the virus from its shores, Ardern said, “and we will not risk that.”
At least 100 US athletes unvaccinated as Olympics begin — 3:37 a.m.
About 100 of the 613 US athletes descending on Tokyo for the Olympics are unvaccinated, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s medical chief said hours before Friday night’s opening ceremony.
Medical director Jonathan Finnoff said 567 of the American athletes had filled out their health histories as they prepared for the trip, and estimated 83% had replied they were vaccinated.
In venue fit for head of state, Japan PM seeks Pfizer doses — 2:30 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Japan’s prime minister met with Pfizer’s CEO in an unusually high-profile setting Friday to make sure the drugmaker would deliver the COVID-19 vaccine as promised by this fall as the nation faces supply concerns and a growing outbreak.
Pfizer Inc. CEO Albert Bourla, who is in Tokyo to attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Olympics, was greeted by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the Akasaka Palace state guest house, usually used to welcome heads of state. Suga’s special hospitality for Pfizer’s leader comes as Japan is seeing its vaccination drive slow as local officials pressure the central government for speedier and stable deliveries.
COVID at the Games: Another 19 people test positive — 1:35 a.m.
By The New York Times
Tokyo 2020 organizers on Friday reported an additional 19 coronavirus cases among people connected to the Olympic Games, including three athletes.
The organizing committee did not name those who were infected. But one of the athletes, who resides in the seaside Olympic Village, was identified as a close contact of a beach volleyball player from the Czech Republic who had also tested positive this week.
Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising? — 12:27 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?
It depends on your situation, but masking in public can provide another layer of protection and help prevent the virus from spreading to others who aren’t protected.
An easing of safety precautions and the large number of people who remain unvaccinated in many regions are contributing to the spread of cases around the world.
L.A.’s fully-vaccinated people made up one-in-five COVID-19 infections — 9:44 p.m.
By Bloomberg
Los Angeles County’s top health official said fully vaccinated people made up one-in-five Covid-19 infections in June and warned that the figure may rise in July with a higher level of community transmission.
Those who have had the full dose of the vaccines made up 20% of cases last month, up from 11% in May. The percentage also climbed as more people were inoculated, increasing the base of fully-vaccinated residents. The “vast majority” of those vaccinated who tested positive had no symptoms or very mild illness, said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director.
CDC director warns this is ‘pivotal moment’ in battling Delta variant, says some hospitals reaching capacity — 8:29 p.m.
By The Washington Post
The delta variant, which was first detected in India, now represents more than 83% of cases circulating in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The delta variant is more aggressive and much more transmissible than previously circulating strains. It is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses we know of and that I have seen in my 20-year career,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters.
“We are yet at another pivotal moment in this pandemic, with cases rising again and some hospitals reaching their capacity in some areas,” Walensky added. “We need to come together as one nation, unified in our resolve to protect the health of ourselves, our children, our community, our country and our future with the tools we have available.”
Janey’s announcement that students must wear masks met with the backing of the Boston Teachers Union — 8:15 p.m.
By Jeremy C. Fox, Emma Platoff, and Danny McDonald Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff
In one of the first signs the resurgence of COVID infections is causing concern among officials, Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday said all public school students in the city will be required to wear face masks when they return to classes in September.
Already this week, officials in Cambridge, Provincetown, and Nantucket urged residents and visitors to wear masks in indoor public spaces as new outbreaks have been reported; Cambridge, for example, said that 42 percent of the 83 confirmed and probable infections in July so far are “breakthrough” cases involving people who are fully vaccinated.
The case numbers and official responses in Massachusetts are still modest compared to other parts of the country where infections are rising sharply.
Biden is soon facing the biggest test of his presidency: will he bring back the masks? — 6:06 p.m.
By James Pindell, Globe Staff
In the coming weeks, the Biden administration faces probably the toughest decision yet of the presidency, presenting a possibly unexpected test of his COVID-19 response just weeks after celebrating America’s progress against the virus over Fourth of July weekend.
Among Biden officials, the question is quickly being asked what could be done to stem this surge before it spreads even further.
Why even vaccinated people are getting ‘breakthrough’ infections — 5:32 p.m.
By New York Times
A wedding in Oklahoma leads to 15 vaccinated guests becoming infected with the coronavirus. Raucous Fourth of July celebrations disperse the virus from Provincetown, Massachusetts, to dozens of places across the country, sometimes carried by fully vaccinated celebrants.
As the delta variant surges across the nation, reports of infections in vaccinated people have become increasingly frequent — including, most recently, among at least six Texas Democrats, a White House aide and an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
477 confirmed cases, 6 deaths, and 9,232 vaccinations. See today’s COVID-19 data from Mass. — 5:10 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Ryan Huddle, Daigo Fujiwara, and Amanda Kaufman Globe Staff
Massachusetts on Thursday reported 477 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 6 new confirmed coronavirus deaths, and another 9,232 vaccinations administered, the Department of Public Health said.
The state also reported that 118 patients with COVID-19 were in the hospital.
Acting Mayor Janey says BPS students will wear masks in the fall — 4:38 p.m.
By Danny McDonald, Globe staff
Acting Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday afternoon said Boston Public Schools students will be required to wear masks when they return to classrooms in the fall, in a bid to continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Janey revealed the safety precaution during a City Hall news conference where two new members of the School Committee were sworn-in. She said masks currently are required in all municipal buildings and noted that some children are not yet eligible for the vaccine. Students in summer school and other city programs are currently wearing masks.
COVID increase in hot-spot US states is forecast to worsen — 3:51 p.m.
By Bloomberg
The recent rise in Covid-19 cases shows no signs of abating in the U.S. states that have fueled the uptick as the delta variant proliferates.
Nationally, cases are likely to rise to 306,909 for the week ending Aug. 14, up 39% from last week, according to an ensemble of forecasts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Surges are expected in some states where case rates are among the worst. Florida rates are seen climbing to 62,744 cases per week, more than half the state’s winter peak. The trend looks similar in Missouri, where the governor this week announced a new vaccine incentive program.
The numbers reflect a concerning next chapter in the pandemic, one in which more transmissible variant cases spread through unvaccinated sections of the U.S. Testing and mask use are on the decline, and those infected skew younger.
NFL teams face potential forfeits for COVID-19 outbreaks — 3:01 p.m.
By Nicole Yang, Globe Staff
A coronavirus outbreak among non-vaccinated players and/or staff members could result in a forfeit this season, the NFL announced Thursday in a memo to teams.
In the memo obtained by the Globe, the league outlined its operating principles regarding the coronavirus for the upcoming season and included the following sentence in bold: “We do not anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that cannot be rescheduled within the current 18 weeks of the regular season.”
If a game cannot be rescheduled and is canceled because of a coronavirus outbreak among non-vaccinated individuals, then the club with the outbreak will have to forfeit the contest. For playoff seeding, the forfeiting team will be credited with a loss and the other team will be awarded a win.
What is a COVID-19 vaccine ‘breakthrough’ case? — 2:15 p.m.
By The Associated Press
A breakthrough case is when a fully vaccinated person gets infected with the coronavirus. A small number of such cases are expected and health officials say they’re not a cause for alarm.
COVID-19 vaccines work by teaching the body to recognize the virus. So if you’re exposed to it after vaccination, your immune system should be ready to spring into action and fight it.
In studies, the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna were around 95% effective at preventing illness, while the one-shot Johnson & Johnson shot was 72% effective, though direct comparisons are difficult. So while the vaccines are very good at protecting us from the virus, it’s still possible to get infected with mild or no symptoms, or even to get sick.
New cases of COVID creep upward in Rhode Island — 1:42 p.m.
By The Associated Press
New cases of COVID-19 have ticked up slightly in Rhode Island following weeks of declines.
Updated numbers released by the state on Thursday show the percentage of positive coronavirus tests increased to 1% this week, up from half a percentage point the week before.
In addition, the number of new cases per 100,000 residents increased too, from 15 last week to 29 this week.
See the latest Rhode Island COVID-19 case rates, hospitalizations and more.
CDC advisers to discuss additional coronavirus doses for vulnerable patients — 12:54 p.m.
By The Washington Post
A federal advisory panel will discuss the need for additional coronavirus shots for patients with fragile immune systems at a meeting Thursday, amid growing concerns about waning immunity in vulnerable populations.
Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which makes vaccine recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are expected to discuss an additional dose for immunocompromised patients.
These patients include U.S. adults who are organ transplant recipients, people on cancer treatments, and people living with rheumatologic conditions, HIV and leukemia. They are more likely to become seriously ill from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus and might more frequently spread the virus to others, experts say.
Baker says he plans no changes in COVID-19 policies amid a rise in cases — 12:14 p.m.
By Christina Prignano, Globe Staff
Governor Charlie Baker said on Thursday that he has no plans to change COVID-19 rules as the state is seeing a rise in cases, possibly due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.
“We’re not looking at changing any of our existing rules or policies,” Baker said during a media availability. “We have a set of statewide standards and they’re based on what we see on a statewide basis, and if communities believe they need to pursue strategies that are more effective and appropriate to them, then they should do so.”
Appearing at the first of a series of events on Cape Cod, which is seeing a cluster of cases even among fully vaccinated people, Baker praised the high vaccination rate in Massachusetts and said an uptick in cases is not as concerning as it would have been earlier this year.
“The difference between the impact of COVID on those that are vaccinated and those who aren’t is stark and profound,” he said.
CDC director calls Delta variant “one of the most infectious respiratory viruses” — 12:07 p.m.
By Maria Elena Little Endara, Globe Correspondent
During a White House COVID briefing on Thursday, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky called the Delta variant “one of the most infectious respiratory viruses” she’s ever seen in her career.
“The Delta variant is spreading with incredible efficiency and now represents more than 83 percent of the virus circulating in the United States,” said Walensky.
Walensky urged Americans to get vaccinated and placed emphasis on working together to contain the spread of the variant.
“If you are not vaccinated please take the Delta variant seriously. This virus has no incentive to let up, and it remains in search of the next vulnerable person to infect,” said Walensky.
COVID cases in the US are on the rise with the current 7-day case average being 37,674, a 52.5% increase from the prior 7-day average of 24,710.
Cambridge officials urge residents to wear masks as COVID cases climb — 11:52 a.m.
By Nick Stoico, Globe Correspondent
City officials in Cambridge are reporting a rise in new COVID-19 cases and are urging residents, whether they are vaccinated or not, to wear masks and practice social distancing “where transmission is likely and when around unvaccinated people, including young children.”
There have been 83 confirmed and probable cases reported in Cambridge so far in July, the city said in a statement Wednesday, with 42 percent of those cases being among people who are fully vaccinated, which are known as “breakthrough” cases.
“With 19 new cases being reported yesterday, it’s clear this #DeltaVariant is on the rise, and we need to be very cautious,” Cambridge Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon wrote in a tweet Thursday.
American tourists are back in Europe, but so are COVID restrictions — 10:33 a.m.
By The Washington Post
Weeks after popular destinations like Greece, France, and Spain reopened to U.S. travelers, they are putting new restrictions into place amid a rise in coronavirus cases. In some cases, those measures will limit the venues where unvaccinated visitors can go.
In Greece, which was early to welcome tourists back in May, officials said last week that public indoor spaces would only be accessible to fully vaccinated people through at least Aug. 31.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that unvaccinated people who want to dine indoors, go to shopping malls or cinemas, or take planes or trains, would need to show proof of a recent negative coronavirus test or infection and recovery. He said the steps were an effort to “put restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone.”
EU pledges 200 million COVID vaccine doses to poor countries — 9:31 a.m.
By The Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said Thursday it will donate more than 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to middle and low-income countries before the end of the year.
That’s double the initial amount that the 27-nation bloc had planned to deliver, mainly through COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to provide shots to poorer parts of the world.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU “takes its responsibility in helping the world fight the virus, everywhere. Vaccination is key – that’s why it is essential to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines to countries worldwide.”
According to the EU, COVAX has so far delivered 122 million doses to 136 countries.
The EU said it is also providing assistance to African countries to help them manufacture vaccines and medicines in order to reduce the continent’s dependence on imports.
Guinea pulls out of Tokyo Olympics, citing coronavirus — 9:00 a.m.
By The Associated Press
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — The African country of Guinea has pulled out of this year’s Olympics, keeping five athletes from competing at the Tokyo Games.
Minister of Sports Sanoussy Bantama Sow made the announcement in a letter Wednesday addressed to the president of the Guinean Olympic committee, blaming the virus and its variants.
“Due to the resurgence of COVID variants, the government, concerned with preserving the health of Guinean athletes, has decided with regret to cancel Guinea’s participation in the 32nd Olympics scheduled for Tokyo,” the statement said.
Tokyo hits 6-month high in cases before Olympics — 8:55 a.m.
By The Associated Press
TOKYO — Tokyo has hit another six-month high in new coronavirus cases, one day before the Olympics.
The 1,979 new cases Thursday are the highest since 2,044 were recorded on Jan. 15.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the International Olympic Committee have been determined to hold the Olympics despite the pandemic. Suga placed Tokyo under a state of emergency on July 12, but daily cases have sharply risen.
Spectators are banned from all Olympic venues in the Tokyo area, with limited audiences allowed at a few outlying sites.
The emergency measures, which largely involve a ban on alcohol sales and shorter hours for restaurants and bars, are to last until Aug. 22, after the Olympics end on Aug. 8.
About 23% of Japanese are fully vaccinated, considerably short of the level believed necessary to have a meaningful effect on reducing the risk in the general population.
Japan has reported about 853,000 cases and 15,100 confirmed deaths, most of them this year.
‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Alabama doctor talks about treating unvaccinated COVID patients, says they ‘beg’ for vaccine — 7:02 a.m.
By Brittany Bowker, Globe staff
An Alabama doctor is speaking out about treating unvaccinated coronavirus patients, encouraging those who haven’t gotten the shot to do so and warning that “it’s not too late, but someday it might be.”
Dr. Brytney Cobia, a physician at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, published an emotional post to her Facebook on Sunday, reflecting on the “very serious” COVID cases she’s seeing at the hospital.
“I’m admitting young healthy people to the hospital with very serious COVID infections,” she said. “One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.”
Nantucket advises face masks indoors as COVID-19 cases rise — 11:36 p.m.
By Jeremy Fox, Globe staff
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise on Cape Cod and the Islands, Nantucket’s Health and Human Services Department issued an advisory Wednesday asking all residents and visitors to wear face masks indoors in public locations when physical distancing isn’t possible.
The advisory applies to those who have been vaccinated as well as those who haven’t, Nantucket officials said.
Provincetown COVID-19 cluster grows to 256 confirmed cases, town manager says — 6:48 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe staff
A COVID-19 cluster in Provincetown that prompted officials there to issue an indoor mask-wearing advisory earlier this week has grown to 256 confirmed cases, a town official said.
On Monday, town officials said from July 1 through July 16, 132 positive COVID-19 cases had been identified, a “vast majority” in fully vaccinated people. But as of Tuesday, the number of cases had nearly doubled, Town Manager Alex Morse wrote in a Facebook post. Officials are investigating the vaccination status of those who tested positive, he said.
33 people test positive for COVID-19 at West Yarmouth nursing home, health officials confirm — 2:21 p.m.
By Alexandra Chaidez, Globe correspondent
The spread of COVID-19 on Cape Cod grew more alarming Tuesday with news that 33 cases of the virus have been reported in a nursing home in West Yarmouth, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed.
Twenty-four residents and 9 staff members at Maplewood at Mayflower Place in West Yarmouth have tested positive for the virus since July 10, a DPH spokesperson confirmed in an email to the Globe on Tuesday.
Cape Cod is weathering a surge in COVID cases at the height of tourism season, including many among vaccinated people — 7:25 p.m.
By Kay Lazar and Camille Caldera, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent
State officials dispatched teams of health workers to Cape Cod and issued new safety guidance amid worrisome signs Tuesday that COVID cases are on the rise across the renowned summer playground.
Despite having one of the most vaccinated populations in the state, Cape Cod now has the highest rate of new COVID cases in Massachusetts. Health officials are battling an outbreak in Provincetown that has infected at least 132 people since July 1 — most of them vaccinated — as well as a cluster in a Yarmouth nursing home, where as many as 33 residents and staff are infected, many of them already vaccinated, too.
Other Cape communities, including Barnstable, Falmouth, and Truro, are also reporting a recent rise in cases, prompting a flurry of actions from state health officials, including the deployment of hundreds of rapid COVID test kits to health care providers and stricter staff COVID testing rules for Cape nursing homes. State health officials also are closely tracking the new cases, many of them tourists who live in other parts of Massachusetts and beyond.
