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| New cases of COVID-19 are on the rise this week compared to the previous week as the delta variant spreads throughout the U.S., health officials said Thursday. |
| The weekly average of new daily cases this week was 10% higher, even though cases were down 95% from the nation's peak in January, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing. |
| The delta variant, which is thought to be more contagious, is the second-most prevalent variant circulating in the U.S. and is expected to become the most common "in the coming weeks," Walensky said. |
| It's Thursday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know: |
| • | People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine likely are protected against the delta variant, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNBC. | | • | A 10-week drop in COVID-19 cases in the Europe has ended, the head of the World Health Organization's Europe office said, warning a new wave could loom unless people "remain disciplined" and more people get vaccinated. | | • | About 77% of vaccinated adults said everyone in their household is vaccinated, while 75% of unvaccinated adults said no one they live with is vaccinated, according to a recent survey from Kaiser Family Foundation. | | • | A Washington state lawmaker apologized Wednesday for wearing a yellow Star of David – a symbol forced on Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust – at a speech over the weekend to protest pandemic restrictions. | | • | The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year. | |
| Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 33.6 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 605,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 182.4 million cases and more than 3.95 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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