June 14 coronavirus news

Fourteen states have reached the Biden administration’s goal to reach 70% of adults with at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine by July 4, according to data published Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New York is the latest state to reach this threshold, joining California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Washington, DC, has now also vaccinated at least 70% of its adult residents.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said earlier this month that most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions in the state would lift once 70% of adult New Yorkers had received at least a first dose of the vaccine.

Overall, more than 174 million people – 52.5% of the total US population – have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and nearly 145 million people – 43.7% of the US population – are fully vaccinated, CDC data shows.

About 311 million doses of vaccine have been administered in total, about 83% of the 374 million doses that have been delivered. More than 1.3 million doses have been reported administered since Sunday, for a seven-day average of about 1.1 million doses per day. 

Note: Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been administered on the day reported.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that people are “going to have to learn to live with the virus,” adding that that country will have to “manage as best we can” as cases of the Delta coronavirus variant, first identified in India, continue to rise. 

Speaking alongside the Prime Minister at a Downing Street news briefing, the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that “this is a virus that is going to be with us forever.” 

The prime minister’s remarks follow his announcement that the easing of coronavirus restrictions in England will be delayed by a further four weeks until July 19, following a rise in the number of positive cases and, in particular, the growing spread of the Delta variant.

According to Johnson, the Delta variant “is now spreading faster than the third wave that was predicted” by the government in February, with cases growing by “about 64% a week.”

“What we’re trying to do now with this delay is to reduce the current surge. We think we can do that and we think a two-week delay could make a substantial difference and a four-week delay would make even more of a difference in reducing the overall number of deaths,” he said. 

Addressing members of the media, the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Witty, agreed that the delay would help to limit the spread of the virus. 

“Whatever rate of increase we’re seeing now, and would see over the next few weeks, would be significantly increased if we took the next step,” Whitty said. 

“No one thinks that at the end of the four-week delay the risk will be gone. There will still be substantial numbers, there will be substantial numbers in hospitals, and sadly there will be people who will go on to die. The question is a matter of balance,” he added. 

Despite such warnings, the prime minister affirmed that he believes the country will have built up a “wall of immunity around the whole of the population” against coronavirus by July 19, when remaining restrictions across England are set to be lifted. 

“On the basis of the evidence that I can see now, I’m confident that we will be able to go forward with the full step four, the full opening,” Johnson said. 

“Looking at the effectiveness of the vaccines against all variants, I think that we will be able to deliver step four on 19 July,” he added. 

Vice President Kamala Harris toured a pop-up vaccination site at a YMCA in Greenville, South Carolina.

It's the second stop on the first day of her “month of action” tour, as the administration looks to hit their goal of 70% American adults vaccinated by July 4. 

“So, I'm here on behalf of President Joe Biden and myself to say thank you for your leadership. And we encourage you to keep on talking with folks. And let's make sure we all say ‘hey, as a country. It is a good thing for us if we love our country, we're proud of our country, let's roll up our sleeves and get the shot,’” Harris added.

She walked around tables, speaking to workers alongside Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer and Walgreens Healthcare Supervisor Niki Pappos-Elledge. At one point, she witnessed a woman getting her vaccine shot, talking her through it by asking why she made the decision to come today.

Harris reiterated her stance from earlier, that getting a shot was the neighborly thing to do and it was up to Americans to have those talks “over the fence, literally or figuratively,” to keep the vaccinated rate rising. She weighed in fully to the administration's vision that the way to “slow down and then stop this thing from spreading,” meaning Covid-19, is to get as many Americans vaccinated as possible.

Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off a nationwide “month of action” tour in an effort to get currently unvaccinated Americans vaccinated, delivering remarks in Greenville, South Carolina, where she stressed that the vaccines are safe and effective, aiming to combat misinformation people have heard about them.  

“And I know there are folks out there who aren't saying they won't get the vaccine. What they're saying is they're just not sure and a lot of that has to do with the misinformation, or maybe the lack of correct information,” Harris said at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center on Monday, a site that has served as a pop-up vaccination clinic. 

Harris, speaking directly to those Americans questioning the safety or efficacy of the vaccines, noted that while the vaccines began being distributed about one year after the coronavirus outbreak, they have been developed over a decade of research and passed the US Food and Drug Administration’s trials. 

“And so that's the tradeoff, that's the tradeoff. A few hours of feeling a little under the weather, versus risking your life, risking the life of your loved ones. And I'd say given that balance it’s 100% worth it,” Harris added, noting any side effects are minimal compared to the risks of not getting vaccinated at all. 

The vice president also addressed some other barriers that the administration feels have kept people from getting vaccinated, including access, paid time off from an employer, child care and transportation. She pointed to increased pharmacy hours in June, child care partnerships and a deal with Uber and Lyft to take people to get vaccinated free of charge as steps the administration is taking to combat all of those issues.

“From day one, our administration, together with partners around the country, have been working to address those barriers that stand in the way of folks getting vaccinated. And during our ‘We Can Do This’ month of action, we are making a big push to make sure people know what's available to help them,” she said. 

Harris urged community leaders in the room to continue to encourage others to get vaccinated in order to meet President Biden’s goal of 70% of Americans having at least one dose of the Covid vaccine by July 4, something the US is currently not on pace to do.

A new study by Public Health England (PHE) has found that two doses of a coronavirus vaccine is “highly effective against hospitalization” from the Delta (B.1.61.2) variant, originally identified in India. 

According to PHE, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been found to be 96% effective against hospitalization after two doses, while two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have proven to be 92% effective against hospitalization.

“These are comparable with vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization from the Alpha variant,” PHE said in a statement on Monday, adding that further research is being undertaken to establish the level of protection vaccines offer against mortality from the Delta variant.

“As with other variants, this is expected to be high,” PHE said. 

The study carried out by PHE included 14,019 cases of the Delta variant – 166 of whom were hospitalized – between April 12 and June 4, and focused on emergency hospital admissions in England.

PHE’s head of immunization, Dr. Mary Ramsay, described the findings as “hugely important” in confirming that vaccines offer “significant protection” against hospitalization from the Delta variant. 

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock added that the country’s vaccination program is continuing “at pace” and has already saved thousands of lives. 

Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Greenville, South Carolina, today kicks off a nationwide tour aimed at reaching still-unvaccinated Americans, highlighting vaccine accessibility, encourage vaccinations, and “mobilize grassroots vaccine education and outreach efforts.”

At her first stop today, Harris is currently being introduced by NAACP State Conference President Brenda Murphy and NAACP Greenville President Reverend J.M. Fleming. According to the White House, the local NAACP chapter in Greenville has been hosting clinics and activating their community to get vaccinated.

The vice president will deliver remarks to NAACP organizers at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center, which has served as a pop-up clinic, before they begin a canvassing session aimed at educating local residents on vaccination. 

From there, Harris will tour a pop-up vaccination site at the local YMCA, which has been offering free child care to parents getting vaccinated, before a closed press meeting with community leaders on voting rights, another part of the vice president's policy portfolio. 

Some context: Today’s stops mark the first leg of Harris' national tour of the South. The White House says there are plans in the works for the first lady, the second gentleman, and members of the Cabinet to join the administration’s tour to communities across the country. 

The tour is part of the administration’s “National Month of Action,” aimed at getting 70% of US adults at least one Covid-19 shot by July 4 by partnering with “national organizations, local government leaders, community-based and faith-based partners, businesses, employers, social media influencers, celebrities, athletes, colleges, young people, and thousands of volunteers across the nation.”

Later this week, Harris will travel to Atlanta for her second stop on the tour.

Gov. Phil Scott says Vermont is the first state to vaccinate over 80% of its population over the age of 12 against Covid-19. 

"Now here's the news many have been waiting to hear, and I've been waiting to deliver for 15 months: now that we hit 80% – effective immediately, I'm lifting all remaining state pandemic restrictions. The state of emergency, will formally end at midnight, June 15," Scott said on Monday. 

"Why? Because it's safe to do so," Scott said. 

On Facebook, Scott said "Vermont has been a leader throughout this once-in-a-century crisis," but added the work in his state is note done. 

"We will continue to vaccinate as many Vermonters as we can, because every shot given today, tomorrow, and the weeks to come, is just as important as the ones we administered yesterday," he said. "When vaccines are approved for younger Vermonters in the months ahead, we will be ready." 

Authorities have received more than 3,000 reports of unruly airplane passengers this year, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN on Monday.  

The sharp spike in misbehaving and even violent passengers includes 2,300 reports that passengers refused to comply with the federal requirement to wear face masks on airplanes. The mandate also applies to other modes of group transportation such as buses.  

The FAA said it has identified potential violations so far in 465 of the 3,000 cases and has begun enforcement action in 57 cases.  

The agency has publicly released details of 23 incidents and announced proposed fines totaling more than $400,000. The largest single fine was proposed as $52,500.   

The latest high-profile unruly passenger was an off-duty Delta Air Lines flight attendant who allegedly used the plane’s intercom system and assaulted two other flight attendants.  

Read more about this here.

Residents of Viana, a small town in southeastern Brazil, are taking part in a new coronavirus study in which medical researchers are trying to vaccinate all of the town's adult population ages 18 to 49 against Covid-19, but with only half the typical dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine. 

In the study, most of Viana’s adult population will be given two half-doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine three months apart – the usual timespan in which AstraZeneca doses are administered in Brazil. The researchers from Brazil’s Fiocruz Foundation are examining whether a half-dose can provide enough protection against the virus, and then compare its efficacy with the full dosage.

The study aims to vaccinate 35,000 people, around 85% of Viana's population.

The town was chosen for its closeness to the metropolitan region of Vitoria, Espirito Santo state’s capital, which is a Covid-19 hotspot.

The first round of vaccinations is expected to take two days, to be administered on Sunday, June 13 and Monday, June 14, and will be done using AstraZeneca doses donated by the Brazilian health ministry.