Nearly three out of four Americans above the age of 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This report produced by Chris Dignam.
The United States on Monday crossed a milestone long-awaited by the Biden administration as 70% of American adults received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, nearly a month after the country missed the president's July 4th goal.
The milestone comes as more Americans rolled up their sleeves for shots as the average number of new coronavirus cases reported nationwide has nearly doubled in the past 10 days, according to a Reuters analysis, with the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading rapidly and infecting mostly unvaccinated people.
CUOMO: "You either have to get a vaccine or a weekly test." On the heels of Joe Biden's decision to require federal workers to show proof of vaccination or be subject to regular testing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that all employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority workers from his state must be vaccinated by Labor Day or submit to weekly testing.
In Louisiana – one of the hardest hit states in the latest surge – Governor John Bel Edwards is reinstating a statewide mask mandate for vaccinated and unvaccinated people indoors, including schools.
Meanwhile, in Florida, where cases and hospitalizations have also exploded, Governor Ron DeSantis has taken a different tack, resisting both mask and vaccine mandates, and even issuing an executive order last week that bars schools from requiring face coverings when classes resume this month.
Florida has one of the worst outbreaks in the nation and about one-quarter of the country's hospitalized COVID patients, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
But some local governments in Florida have sought to impose public health measures despite DeSantis’ opposition.
Orange County, home to Disney World, has ordered all employees to get vaccinated, with an Aug.
