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COVID-19

US hits 70% vaccination rate — a month late, amid a surge

The U.S. on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot in the arms of 70% of American adults — a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory vaccinations around the country. Louisiana ordered nearly everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear masks again in all indoor public settings, including schools and colleges, and other cities and states likewise moved to reinstate precautions to counter a crisis blamed on the fast-spreading variant and stubborn resistance ...

With evictions resuming, tenants scramble for assistance

BOSTON — The eviction system, which saw a dramatic drop in cases before a federal moratorium expired over the weekend, rumbled back into action Monday, with activists girding for the first of what could be millions of tenants to be tossed onto the streets as the delta variant of the ...

Florida hospitals taking steps to battle record COVID surge

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s largest hospital systems are expanding their coronavirus units, limiting visitors and fearing staffing shortages as they deal with the statewide surge that is breaking records set last year for both cases and hospitalizations. Hospitalizations have grown tenfold statewide in just over a month as the more contagious delta variant spreads, with more than 95% of COVID-19 patients unvaccinated, officials said. “It’s an overwhelming demand in the hospitals right now,” said Mary Mayhew, president of the Florida Hospital Association. “Now ...

US employers ratchet up the pressure on the unvaccinated

NEW YORK — Employers are losing patience with unvaccinated workers. For months, most employers relied on information campaigns, bonuses and other incentives to encourage their workforces to get the COVID-19 shot. Now, a growing number are imposing rules to make it more onerous for employees ...

Masks encouraged in New York, but no city or state mandate

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio “strongly” urged even vaccinated people to start wearing masks indoors. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said unvaccinated transit employees in the metropolitan area would undergo weekly virus testing. But both Democrats on Monday resisted calls to impose new mask or vaccination requirements to counter a rapidly climbing number of new COVID-19 infections. De Blasio explained that the city’s “overwhelming strategic thrust” remains getting more people vaccinated. Cuomo said he lacks the legal authority to impose such local mandates on his ...

Mask guidance divides parents heading into new school year

HARTFORD, Conn.— With U.S. health officials recommending that children mask up in school this fall, parents and policy makers across the nation have been plunged anew into a debate over whether face coverings should be optional or a mandate. The delta variant of the coronavirus now ...