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| The head of the CDC made the rounds on various networks Wednesday, reaffirming fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear face masks in most situations, but acknowledging local officials may implement stricter policies. |
| "Here in the United States, we're fortunate. We have three vaccines that we know are safe and effective. We have two-thirds of the adult population that is fully vaccinated and really quite protected from the variants that we have circulating here," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday on NBC News' Today show. |
| Walensky's comments come after the World Health Organization this week recommended even vaccinated people continue to wear masks, and Los Angeles health officials recommended all people wear them indoors because of concerns about the delta coronavirus variant, which accounts for more than 1 in 4 cases in the U.S. |
| It's Wednesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know: |
| • | The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a federal moratorium on evictions imposed in response to the pandemic to remain in place. The move came days after the Biden administration extended the moratorium another 30 days, through July 31. Officials told the court the CDC did not intend to extend it again after the end of next month. | | • | Most states around the country are experiencing a vaccination lag, even as vaccines become more widely available. The culprit behind this lag? Most vaccine hesitancy has come from young, rural and lower-income people, according to the CDC. | | • | Last week reflected the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate globally since early Nov. 2020, according to the latest World Health Organization update Tuesday. But the rate of new cases remained similar to the previous week, with over 2.6 million new cases. | | • | South Korea repis reporting its biggest daily rise in new cases in about two months, just a day before it plans to relax its physical distancing rules. | |
| Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 33.6 million COVID-19 cases and 604,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 181.9 million cases and more than 3.9 million deaths. About 54% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 46% 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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