Psaki criticizes policy in states blocking masks – KIRO 7 News Seattle

WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Jen Psaki criticized policies in states such as Texas and Florida that have moved to block employers and proprietors from implementing mask or vaccine requirements to curb the coronavirus.

Those two states are among several facing surging cases from the delta variant. “I think the fundamental question we have is, ‘what are we doing here?’” Psaki asked.

Biden planned to speak Tuesday about U.S. strategy to slow the spread of the coronavirus at home and abroad, noting that “we’re all in this together.”

Earlier, the White House announced the U.S. had shipped more than 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 60 countries.

Biden has promised the U.S. will be the “arsenal of vaccines” for the world, and it has shipped the most vaccines abroad of any donor nation. While notable, the 110 million doses donated largely through a vaccine program known as COVAX represent a fraction of what is needed globally.

The White House says the U.S. will begin shipping half a billion doses of Pfizer vaccine it has pledged to about 100 low-income countries at the end of August.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— New York City: Vaccination proof needed for indoor events, dining, gyms

— WH: US shipped abroad more than 110M doses of vaccines

— China orders mass coronavirus testing for Wuhan

— 1st cruise ship docks in Puerto Rico since start of pandemic

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— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have surged to record levels.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported Tuesday that 2,112 mostly unvaccinated people are in hospital beds struggling with the coronavirus illness.

The state’s previous peak of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 2,069 patients in early January, after holiday gatherings spurred a spike in cases. But the highly contagious delta variant of the virus is propelling record-breaking numbers of hospitalizations at a faster pace.

Health officials say the influx of COVID-19 patients is damaging the ability of hospitals to care for people with heart attacks, injuries from car accidents and other health conditions.

The Louisiana Department of Health says 89% of the people hospitalized with COVID-19 aren’t vaccinated.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina can’t lawfully require students and staff to wear masks on campus this fall despite increasing cases of coronavirus, according to the state’s top prosecutor.

Last week, university officials announced they’d require face coverings at all times inside all campus buildings, unless in one’s own residence hall room, private office or eating inside campus dining facilities.

That decision, interim President Harris Pastides wrote, was in accordance with current recommendations from public health officials.

But in a letter sent Monday to Pastides and obtained by The Associated Press, state Attorney General Alan Wilson wrote the university’s mask mandate “is likely not consistent with the intent of the Legislature.”

A budget proviso that went into effect July 1 prohibits the state’s public colleges, universities and school districts from using any appropriated funds to institute mask requirements.

The proviso, wrote Wilson, was “intended to prohibit the mandatory wearing of masks.”

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RALEIGH, N.C. — More North Carolinians came in for a COVID-19 vaccine last week than on any given week in the past two months, according to state health officials.

The more than 74,000 newly vaccinated individuals are offering an encouraging sign that residents are increasingly taking seriously threats posed by the more contagious delta variant and understanding the benefits of the free and effective vaccines.

A push to get young adults vaccinated before the upcoming school year and a growing number of employers requiring their workers to get the shot is likely fueling the improvement.

Vaccine providers at dozens of sites across North Carolina are currently providing $25 to residents who come in for a shot and drivers who bring people in for their initial dose. At a Tuesday news conference, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper says his administration will raise that amount to $100 for people who get the shot starting Wednesday, as President Joe Biden had recommended. Drivers will still qualify for the $25.

The CDC shows major transmission of the virus throughout North Carolina. In all but seven of the state’s 100 counties, the CDC is recommending people wear masks in indoor public settings, even if they’re already vaccinated.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cattle owners in Tennessee have incentives to inoculate their herd.

But Tennessee officials aren’t planning to offer any incentives for people to get their coronavirus shot, despite having some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country.

The state has reimbursed farmers nearly half a million dollars over the past two years to vaccinate their herds against respiratory and other diseases. Gov. Bill Lee says he doesn’t think the state should offer people incentives for COVID-19 inoculations.

Vaccination rates for COVID-19 hover at 39% in Tennessee vs. 49% nationally for the fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, Tennessee’s COVID hospitalizations have more than tripled over the past three weeks.

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JERUSALEM — Israel will require all people arriving from the United States and 17 other countries to quarantine starting next week as the country grapples with a coronavirus surge.

The Health Ministry issued a travel warning on Tuesday, saying all individuals — vaccinated and unvaccinated — arriving from 18 countries must fully quarantine for 14 days effective Aug. 11. If a person tests negative for coronavirus after seven days, they can be released from quarantine.

The countries are the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Iceland, Greece, Ukraine, Eswatini, Botswana, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Malawi, Egypt, Czech Republic, Cuba, Rwanda and Tunisia.

They join a list of 24 other countries with various existing travel restrictions due to the pandemic, including the U.K., Brazil, India, Russia and Turkey.

The Israeli Health Ministry recorded 3,834 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the highest daily count topping a monthlong acceleration in new infections. Serious cases of COVID-19 have grown from 19 in mid-June to at least 221 despite the country’s rapid vaccination campaign.

More than 57% of the country’s 9.3 million citizens have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Israel had secured a large supply of the Pfizer vaccines in exchange for trading medical data.

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NEW YORK — Meat processer Tyson Foods will require all of its U.S. employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, becoming one of the first major employer of frontline workers to do so amid a resurgence of the virus.

Tyson, one of the world’s largest food companies, announced Tuesday that members of leadership team must be vaccinated by Sept. 24 and the rest of its office workers by Oct. 1. Its frontline workers must be vaccinated by Nov. 1, although the company said the specifics were being negotiated with unions.

Just under half of its U.S. workforce — about 56,000 employees — have been vaccinated after the company staged more than 100 vaccination events since February, the Springfield, Arkansas, company says. It plans to continue with those events and offer a $200 bonus for all frontline workers who receive a vaccine.

In a memo to employees, CEO Donnie King expressed alarm about the rise of the delta variant and made clear the vaccine requirement was needed to overcome persistent hesitancy to get the shots.

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JACKSON, MISS. — The number of people receiving doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Mississippi is increasing as new cases surge in the state.

Around 53,000 people received either a first or second dose of the coronavirus vaccine the week of July 25-31, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. That’s after the state reported a low of around 20,000 vaccinations for the week of July 4-10.

The last time vaccination rates were so high was April 25 to May 1, when 55,638 people were inoculated.

Mississippi is ranked among the least vaccinated states in the country. Around 1.2 million people in the state of 3 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Mississippi’s department of health reported the state had nearly 5,000 new confirmed cases over the weekend. That’s more than six times the number of new cases — 796 — reported three weeks ago on July 12.

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DETROIT — Unionized auto workers in the U.S. will go back to wearing masks in all factories, offices and warehouses starting Wednesday because of the spreading delta coronavirus variant.

The decision by a task force of representatives from General Motors, Ford, Stellantis and the United Auto Workers was announced on Tuesday. It includes all workers regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated.

The move comes just under a month after vaccinated union workers were allowed to shed their masks. But the union says in a statement the decision was made for worker safety due to a change in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask guidelines. The statement says the delta variant’s “alarmingly high” transmission rate is making the return of masks necessary.

The task force encourages all workers to get vaccinations so mask requirements can be relaxed. About 150,000 factory workers from all three companies wore masks at work from May 2020 until the requirement ended July 12.

“We will continue to closely monitor this situation to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep our families, members and employees safe,” the union said in a statement.

Last week, the CDC changed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where cases are surging.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida has risen to an all-time high of 11,515 patients.

The figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show 2,400 of those patients are in ICU beds. The previous day, the data showed there were 10,389 COVID-hospitalizations in the state.

The new number breaks a previous record for current hospitalizations set more than a year ago before vaccines were available. Last year, Florida hit its previous peak on July 23, with 10,170 hospitalizations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis insisted the spike will soon abate and he won’t impose any business restrictions or mask mandates.

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NEW YORK — New York City will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for indoor activities.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the move Tuesday, the first big city in the U.S. to impose such restrictions.

The new requirement starts Aug. 16. It applies to indoor dining, gyms and indoor entertainment venues.

De Blasio said Monday he was making “a strong recommendation” that everyone wear a mask in public indoor settings but stressed that the city’s “overwhelming strategic thrust” remained getting more people vaccinated.

Official data indicates about 66% of adults in New York City are f

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Carnival Mardi Gras has docked in Puerto Rico — the first cruise ship to visit the U.S. territory since the start of the pandemic.

Some cautiously celebrated Tuesday’s visit. The ship arrives as Puerto Rico is reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases blamed on the delta variant. It’s also seeking to restart its tourism sector, which depended on record numbers of cruise ship passengers visiting in recent years.

Executive director of Puerto Rico’s Tourism Company Carlos Mercado tells The Associated Press the government has taken precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including allowing only the fully vaccinated to disembark.

He says the ship was traveling at 70% capacity, with some 4,500 people aboard. He estimates a total of 3,500 will disembark.

Mercado noted 95% of the ship’s passengers are vaccinated, with children younger than 12 making up the majority of those not inoculated.

The Carnival Mardi Gras departed Port Canaveral, Florida, and Puerto Rico was its first stop. Some 1.9 million cruise ship passengers visited Puerto Rico in 2019, a record for the island, said tourism spokeswoman Astrid Rolón.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida school district that voted last week to require masks when in-person learning resumes now says it will comply with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order preventing mask mandates in schools.

The Broward County Public Schools board unanimously voted last week to require students, teachers and staff — even those who are vaccinated — to wear facial coverings inside schools when classes begin Aug. 18.

But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order empowering the state’s Board of Education to withhold funding from districts that enforce a mask mandate. DeSantis says he wants parents to decide whether their children should wear a mask to school. He also claimed the outbreak is seasonal.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Japan is donating 1.4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Sri Lanka, which has been facing a severe shortage of AstraZeneca vaccine to complete the second dose.

The Japanese donation follows a personal request made by Sri Lanka president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the Japan prime minister Yoshihide Suga, said a statement from the president’s office.

The first of consignment — amounting to 728,460 doses — was flown into the Indian ocean island nation on July 31, under the COVAX Facility. The next batch of AstraZeneca vaccines will arrive on Aug. 7.

Sri Lanka has been facing a shortage of more than 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine after the producer in the neighboring India failed to deliver the promised shots amounting to nearly 13 million, because of the surge of the virus in India. The nation has experienced a sharp increase of positive cases and deaths since April because of the celebrations and shopping by the people during the traditional new year festival.

Sri Lanka’s total cases have reached 313,769 and 4,571 confirmed deaths.

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WASHINGTON — The White House says the U.S. has shipped more than 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 60 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia.

President Joe Biden was expected to discuss that milestone and more Tuesday in remarks about the U.S. strategy to slow the spread of the coronavirus abroad. The president’s announcement will come amid a rise in infections in the U.S., fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.

Biden has promised the U.S. will be the “arsenal of vaccines” for the world, and it has shipped the most vaccines abroad of any donor nation. While notable, the 110 million doses donated largely through a vaccine program known as COVAX represent a fraction of what is needed globally.

The White House says in a statement the U.S. will begin shipping at the end of August the half a billion doses of Pfizer vaccine it has pledged to 100 low-income countries.

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