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New coronavirus cases rose in all 50 states for the fourth day in a row on Sunday a seven-day moving average, an ominous run that has not been seen since the spike in spring 2020.
In some states the increases have been alarming. New cases in Rhode Island nearly tripled each week, according to a US TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data. The hikes in Maine and Vermont were almost as great. New cases in Massachusetts, Alaska, and Kentucky have more than doubled their case numbers in a week; Minnesota, Florida and Texas were right behind.
The weekly rolling average for cases in the United States nearly tripled in the past month. The number of deaths has also risen sharply – 24.7% from its low point two weeks ago.
A new poll suggests reasons why some people might refuse to be vaccinated – 90% of respondents in a YouGov poll who refuse to be vaccinated fear possible side effects of the vaccine more than they fear COVID-19 itself. Fewer than one in ten vaccine objectors trust Dr. Anthony Fauci and only one in five trust the CDC. And one in five believes the government is using vaccines to microchip the population.
Fact check:COVID-19 vaccines do not cause magnetic reactions or contain tracking devices
Also on the news:
►US stocks, which traded at record highs for the past few days, fell sharply in early Monday trading as concerns the pandemic worsen at hotspots around the world. Global stocks also fainted.
► Right-wing British commentator Katie Hopkins was deported from Australia on Monday after bragging on social media about planning to break quarantine rules. Hopkins was scheduled to appear on a reality TV show and was in mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine in Sydney.
►European officials released figures from Our World in Data showing that 55.6% of EU citizens received at least one dose compared to 55.4% in the US. It was the first time that EU numbers exceeded those across the Atlantic. Canada’s vaccination rate is now also higher than that of the US.
📈Today’s numbers: There have been more than 34 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 609,000 deaths in the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The global totals: More than 190.5 million cases and 4 million deaths. According to the CDC, more than 161.2 million Americans – 48.6% of the population – have been fully vaccinated.
📘What we read: Cuba sent doctors abroad amid the pandemic. Now its own rise in COVID has triggered historical protests.
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US Olympic gymnast tested positive
Kara Eaker, a deputy of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, tested positive for COVID, coach Al Fong confirmed in a text message to USA TODAY Sports. The alternate Leanne Wong, who trains with Eaker, is also in quarantine after being classified as close contact, Fong said. The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games is scheduled for Friday.
U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff announced on Sunday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and announced that she would be retiring from the Tokyo Olympics a few days before the Games begin. Olympic organizers announced on Sunday that three residents of the Olympic village, including two athletes, had tested positive for COVID-19, although arrival logs were initially clarified.
ACLU calls for mercy for inmates sent home during the pandemic
A bipartisan group of criminal justice advocates is calling on President Joe Biden to pardon and commute sentences given to federal prisoners who were allowed to serve their sentences at home because of the pandemic but now have the option to return to prison. Lawyers have urged Biden to use his powers aggressively, citing his campaign promise to reduce federal prisons.
“This is your opportunity to give thousands of people who are already safely out of prison a second chance to reintegrate into society, reconnect with loved ones, get a job and get back to school go, “said the letter from 20 interest groups on Monday. including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and NAACP.
2 more Texas Democrats tested positive
Two other Democratic state of Texas lawmakers who fled to Washington, DC to prevent the passage of a restrictive GOP-backed electoral bill tested positive for COVID-19, according to the leadership of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, despite them have been vaccinated. This increases the total to five.
A group of MPs took a private plane to Washington, DC, to campaign in Congress to pass federal electoral reform. However, lawmakers drew some criticism after photos appeared from the plane showing them traveling without masks. The federal pandemic guidelines require masks to be worn on commercial flights, but not on private aircraft.
New mantra: mask AND vax
More experts are calling for vaccinated people to mask themselves as COVID rises across the country. Nearly 5,500 fully vaccinated people have been hospitalized or have died of COVID-19, among the more than 160 million people who were fully vaccinated, the CDC reports. “Instead of cheating OR masking it, the emerging data suggests that CDC should advise numbing and masking it in areas of (increasing) cases and positivity until we see the numbers go down again,” the former US -General surgeon Dr. Jerome Adams said on Twitter.
“If I’m in an area where I think there might be a lot of unvaccinated people, I’ll be careful when wearing my mask indoors,” said current US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy to CNN.
“Spreads like wildfire”: General surgeon spreads misinformation
Public health officials for the Biden government targeted social media platforms like Facebook on Sunday for perception that they were stopping misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. It comes two days after the President himself said that internet untruths “kill people”. Alerted by the rising coronavirus infections across the country and frustrated by ongoing conspiracy theories about the pandemic, public health officials are more insistent on criticizing the media and technology platforms that they claim are threatening the public.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the federal government’s top health advisor, said on Sunday that “misinformation is still spreading like wildfire in our country, supported by technology platforms”.
– Matthew Brown
Boris Johnson in quarantine on the eve of the UK lifting of restrictions
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will self-isolate for 10 days after contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. His office’s announcement on Sunday undid an earlier statement that unlike most people, he would not be quarantined. Johnson met with Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Friday, who later tested positive for COVID-19. Contact persons from positive cases usually have to self-isolate for 10 days. Johnson contracted the disease in April 2020 and spent several days in the hospital before making a full recovery.
The UK government is still planning to lift any remaining legal restrictions on social contact and other public health measures on Monday, despite the UK registering more than 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the first time in six months and a terrible warning from The UK UK Government’s chief medical advisor.
Contribution: The Associated Press
