Coronavirus Watch: Biden wants federal employees vaccinated

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Thursday, July 29

President Joe Biden is set to announce Thursday afternoon that he will require federal workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine or face regular testing, masking and social distancing measures, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported.

Biden is slated to speak at 4 p.m. ET on the "next steps to get more Americans vaccinated."

The requirements would come just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.

Does that mean you should wear a mask indoors? Here's a county-level map that shows what areas of the country are affected.

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know:

•	For the third straight day, Tokyo saw a record high in new COVID-19 cases as the Olympics were well underway. There were 3,865 reported new cases Thursday, up from 3,177 on Wednesday and double the numbers a week ago.
•	Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told USA TODAY the agency hopes "to be long since done" with granting full approval for a COVID-19 vaccine by its goal date of January 2022.
•	The FDA is allowing a Baltimore factory to resume production after it shut down in April due to contamination problems that forced the company to throw out the equivalent of tens of millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
•	Biden will allow an eviction moratorium to expire Saturday, but he is calling on Congress to extend protections for Americans late on rent due to economic hardships from the pandemic.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has had more than 34.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 611,800 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 196.2 million cases and 4.19 million deaths. More than 163.5 million Americans — 49.3% of the population — have been 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.

What we're reading: With the reopening of American businesses and public spaces, financial forecasters predict a swift economic recovery that may rise above pre-pandemic expectations. Read about it here.

– Ryan Miller, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @RyanW_Miller