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'Steady increase' in vaccines in past month, White House says

PHOTO: A nurse adjust the shirt of a patient after administering a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a three-day vaccination clinic at Providence Wilmington Wellness and Activity Center on July 29, 2021, in Wilmington, Calif.
2:04
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Breakthrough COVID-19 infections explained
By Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, Morgan Winsor, Marlene Lenthang
Last Updated: August 1, 2021, 6:05 PM

The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 613,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

MORE: CDC backtracks on masks guidance for vaccinated people, schools
MORE: Statistics show the stark risks of not getting vaccinated against COVID-19

Just 57.9% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC on Tuesday, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission -- vaccinated or not -- wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

Latest headlines:

  • US reports another huge single-day increase in cases
  • Florida sees largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases ever
  • Delta variant leaves vaccinated, unvaccinated with similarly high viral loads: CDC 
  • Florida gov. says parents can decide if their kids wear masks in school
  • 6 passengers test positive on cruise ship
Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.

Aug 01, 2021 6:05 PM

'Steady increase' in vaccines in past month, White House says

The number of vaccinations has been increasing since the week of July 5, White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar announced Sunday.

Sunday just in: +816K doses reported administered over yesterdays total, including 517K newly vaccinated. Since the week of July 5, there has been a steady increase in the number of people who are getting vaccinated in the US.

— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) August 1, 2021

Aug 01, 2021 4:49 PM

'Things are going to get worse' with COVID, Fauci warns

The nation's top infectious disease expert is warning that "things will get worse" in the pandemic as the rate of COVID-19 cases continues to surge.

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an interview on “This Week” that while he does not believe the pandemic is worsening to the point where lockdowns will be necessary again, "We are seeing an outbreak of the unvaccinated," based on the seven-day average, which "has gone up substantially."

.@jonkarl: "Is this pain and suffering, for the most part, pain and suffering for those that have not been vaccinated?"Dr. Fauci: "From the standpoint of illness, hospitalization, suffering and death—the unvaccinated are the much more vulnerable." https://t.co/nMNCqjID0Y pic.twitter.com/KHaIkBKbQX

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 1, 2021

"From the standpoint of illness, hospitalization, suffering and death, the unvaccinated are much more vulnerable because the vaccinated are protected from severe illness, for the most part, but when you look at the country as a whole. And getting us back to normal, the unvaccinated, by not being vaccinated, are allowing the propagation and the spread of the outbreak which ultimately impacts everybody," Fauci said.

Read more here.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle


Aug 01, 2021 12:20 PM

Israel to offer 3rd COVID-19 booster shot to older citizens: Reports

Israel's ministry of health has instructed that a third dose of vaccine should be administered to those over 60, beginning Sunday, Aug. 1, Israeli media is reporting.

The third jab will be given to those who have received the second dose at least five months ago. People who have recovered from COVID-19 will not be given the third dose.

Israel's prime minister and the minister of health are expected to speak on this Sunday morning.

<i

ABC News' Bruno Nota


Jul 31, 2021 9:36 PM

US reports another huge single-day increase in cases

The United States has reported over 100,000 new COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 101,171 new COVID-19 cases reported to the CDC on July 30.

The last time the U.S. saw over 100,000 cases reported in a single day was nearly six months ago on Feb. 6.

PHOTO: Chantel Powell gets a COVID-19 PCR test in order to travel later this week at a Miami-Dade County testing site, Monday, July 26, 2021.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Chantel Powell gets a COVID-19 PCR test in order to travel later this week at a Miami-Dade County testing site, Monday, July 26, 2021.
Marta Lavandier/AP

On Friday, the CDC reported that the U.S. saw 86,000 cases in the previous 24 hours. That total had been the largest since Feb. 12, as the country began to come out of the surge seen in late December 2020 and early January.

Officials have said the delta variant is driving the increase in cases and continue to push the unvaccinated to get the shot.


Jul 30, 2021 2:45 PM

6 passengers test positive on cruise ship

Six passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas ship have tested positive for COVID-19 during routine testing, the cruise line said Friday.

PHOTO: In this March 31, 2020, file photo, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Adventure of the Seas sits anchored off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
ZUMA Wire via Newscom, FILE
In this March 31, 2020, file photo, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Adventure of the Seas sits anchored off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
ZUMA Wire via Newscom, FILE

Four of the passengers -- who were not traveling together -- are vaccinated. The other two are unvaccinated minors who were traveling together, the cruise line said.

One person has mild symptoms. The other five have no symptoms, the cruise line said.

"The guests were immediately quarantined, and their immediate travel party and all close contacts were traced and all tested negative," Royal Caribbean said. "Each guest and their immediate travel parties disembarked in Freeport, The Bahamas, and separately traveled home via private transportation."

This cruise started in the Bahamas on July 25. Everyone over 16 must be fully vaccinated and test negative before boarding, the cruise line said.

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney


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