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| The average of new daily cases dropped below 15,000 Monday for the first time since the early weeks of the pandemic, and deaths and hospitalizations have also continued their precipitous decline. |
| Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, credited the 300 million-plus vaccination shots already administered across the nation for the encouraging numbers. Still, experts say a summer surge could emerge in states lifting restrictions despite lagging in vaccination rates. |
| "Threats remain," warned Andy Slavitt, who on Wednesday leaves his post as White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response. "We must push harder so more Americans can return to normal life and the peace of mind that come with being vaccinated." |
 | | SOURCE Johns Hopkins University data | | USA TODAY | |
| It's Tuesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know: |
| • | Joints for jabs? The Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board said this week it will allow state-licensed cannabis retailers to "provide one joint to adult consumers who receive COVID-19 vaccination at an in-store vaccination clinic." | | • | Nearly 200,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses will expire June 23 in Ohio, Gov. Mike Dewine said. "For Ohioans who have been waiting to get their vaccine, I urge you to take action now," DeWine said in a news release. | | • | A large trial for the Novavax vaccine is about to end in the U.S., and the biotech company's research president said it anticipates filing for authorization in the U.S. in the third quarter, NPR reported. | | • | The hypothesis claiming the coronavirus leaked from a Wuhan lab is "plausible" and deserves further investigation, a report on the origins of COVID-19 from a U.S. government laboratory said, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the classified document. | |
| Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 33 million COVID-19 cases and 598,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 173 million cases and more than 3.7 million deaths. Nearly 52% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 42% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. |
| Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines. |
| – Grace Hauck, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck |
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