With coronavirus infections dropping and 50% of American adults fully vaccinated, many people in the nation are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington predicted last week that virus deaths and cases will continue to plummet through the middle of\u00a0summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Memorial Day weekend will be a test of whether the U.S. can avoid the spikes in infections and hospitalizations that occurred amid, and after, the winter holidays before vaccines were widely available.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home between Thursday and Monday \u2013 a 60% jump compared to last year, but still 6 million people fewer than the pre-pandemic Memorial Day weekend in 2019, according to AAA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“If you are vaccinated, you’re protected, and you can enjoy your Memorial Day,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u00a0Director Rochelle\u00a0Walensky Wednesday.\u00a0“If you’re not vaccinated, our guidance has not changed for you. You remain at risk of infection. You still need to mask and take other precautions.”<\/p>\n
Walensky’s comments come after the CDC mask guidance was revised to say that fully vaccinated Americans can discard masks and the need for social distancing outdoors and in most indoor settings.<\/p>\n
A recent\u00a0survey by the\u00a0American Psychological Association\u00a0found that 49% of Americans feel unsure about the adjustment to in-person interactions once the pandemic ends. Similarly, 46% said they don\u2019t feel comfortable going back to their pre-pandemic life.<\/p>\n
“The return to normalcy is not a quick jump; it\u2019s incremental,”\u00a0Jenny Englerth of Family First Health explained to the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network.<\/p>\n
Also in the news:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u25baCVS is offering a chance to\u00a0win a trip to the Super Bowl, a Bermuda vacation, or cash prizes to bring in more customers for COVID-19 vaccinations.\u00a0Kroger is also offering customers, workers, or individuals who get the shot the chance to win $1 million or free groceries for a year.<\/p>\n \u25baMexico gave emergency use authorization to the Johnson & Johnson\u00a0vaccine, according to the country\u2019s drug regulators.<\/p>\n \u25baOxford University is launching an effort to bring together academic, industry, and government experts from around the world to use the lessons learned from COVID-19 in the fight against future pandemics.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcc8\u00a0Today’s numbers:\u00a0<\/strong>The U.S. has more than 33.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 593,200 deaths,\u00a0according\u00a0to\u00a0Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 168 million cases and\u00a03.5 million deaths. More than 361.2\u00a0million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S.\u00a0and more than 290.7 million have been administered,\u00a0according to\u00a0the CDC.\u00a0More than 132.7 million Americans have been fully vaccinated\u00a0\u2014\u00a040% of the population.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd8\u00a0What we’re reading<\/strong>:\u00a0Numerous studies conducted since last March have shown\u00a0depression spike among college-age young adults\u00a0and an\u00a0increase in anti-depressant drug refills.\u00a0<\/p>\n Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Want more?\u00a0Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter\u00a0for updates to your inbox and\u00a0join our Facebook group.<\/em><\/p>\n President Joe Biden said Wednesday he has asked the intelligence community to report within 90 days on the\u00a0likely origins of COVID-19.<\/p>\n As questions grow\u00a0about whether the virus was the result of an accident in a Chinese laboratory or spread through other means, Biden said in a statement he wants the community, which has been divided over the issue, to “redouble” their investigative efforts.<\/p>\n As of Thursday, the U.S. Intelligence Community has \u201ccoalesced around two likely scenarios,\u201d according to Biden’s statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n While two elements\u00a0of the community lean\u00a0toward the likelihood that the virus emerged from human contact with an infected animal, one leans toward\u00a0the possibility of a laboratory accident. Their assessments are made “with low or moderate confidence.” and the majority of members of the intelligence community “do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other.\u201d<\/p>\n Biden’s order came as intelligence officials informed the White House that they had\u00a0some still-unexamined evidence from Chinese communications databases, senior administration officials told the New York Times.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read more here.<\/strong><\/p>\n – Maureen Groppe<\/i><\/p>\n California is hopping on the trend of cash prizes for vaccinated individuals in hopes that the incentive will stimulate its plateauing vaccination rate.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the state\u00a0is offering the\u00a0nation’s largest vaccine prize money\u00a0\u2014 $116.5 million \u2014 to get millions more inoculated before the state’s reopening next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all in an effort to incentivize and build momentum,\u201d Newsom said.<\/p>\n Ten vaccinated residents 12 years and older\u00a0will have the chance to win\u00a0$1.5 million dollars apiece, and another 30 will win $50,000 each on June 4 and June 11. Anyone 12 and older who has received at least one shot will be eligible, even if they have already received their shot.<\/p>\n The state is also giving $50 grocery or prepaid gift cards to the next 2 million Californians who begin and complete their vaccination, starting Thursday.<\/p>\n 1.9 million people got the vaccine in the last week, and the number of people seeking a first dose has fallen, according to\u00a0the Sacramento Bee. More than 22 million of the state’s 40 million residents have received at least one dose, according to data from the\u00a0California COVID website.<\/p>\n \u201cSome Californians weren\u2019t ready to get their COVID-19 vaccine on Day One, and that\u2019s OK. This program is designed to encourage those who need extra support to get vaccinated and help keep California safe,\u201d Dr. Tom\u00e1s J. Arag\u00f3n, director of the state\u2019s department of public health, added in a statement.<\/p>\n California isn’t the first state to offer vaccine lotteries or cash incentives for vaccinations. Read more about the states that also have.<\/p>\nBiden tells intelligence agencies to step up probe of COVID-19’s origins<\/h2>\n
California to offer $116.5M in vaccine prize money<\/h2>\n