Delta variant surges across U.S. South; political leaders clamp down again
More than 10,000 patients were hospitalized in Florida as of Sunday, surpassing that state s record. Louisiana was expected to break its record within 24 hours, prompting Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, to order residents to wear masks again indoors.
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Joseph Ax and Nathan Layne / Reuters | 6:40 pm, Aug. 2, 2021 ×
An MTA worker is seen wearing a mask on the subway after The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a mandatory coronavirus vaccination or weekly test mandate for employees in New York City, New York, U.S., August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Mask mandate reinstated in San Francisco Bay Area amid surge
JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press
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1of5FILE In this March 4, 2021 file photo Gen Til wears a protective face mask while working out at Planet Granite climbing gym in San Francisco. Health officials in San Francisco and six other Bay Area counties announced Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 that they are reinstating a mask mandate for all indoor settings as COVID-19 infections surge because of the highly contagious delta variant.Jeff Chiu/APShow MoreShow Less
2of5FILE In this Dec. 22, 2020 file photo, signs advising facial covering requirements are shown as travelers stand in line at a Delta Air Lines desk at San Francisco International Airport during the coronavirus pandemic in San Francisco. Health officials in San Francisco and six other Bay Area counties announced Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 that they are reinstating a mask mandate for all indoor settings as COVID-19 infections surge because of the
FLORIDA (REUTERS) - Covid-19 hospitalizations in Louisiana and Florida have surged to their highest points of the pandemic, leading overwhelmed doctors on Monday (Aug 2) to plead with the unvaccinated to get inoculated against the Delta variant.
More than 10,000 patients were hospitalized in Florida on Sunday, surpassing that state s record. The surging Delta variant led Louisiana s governor to reinstate a statewide indoor mask mandate, with that state expected to break its record on Covid-19 hospitalizations within 24 hours. Hospitalizations in Arkansas are also soaring and could eventually break records.
Doctors in Louisiana who spoke during a Monday press conference with Governor John Bel Edwards pleaded with citizens to get vaccinated, warning that hospitals were overwhelmed and their ability to treat any patient was hamstrung.
A mandate to wear face coverings in indoor public places is back for millions of residents even those fully vaccinated in the San Francisco Bay Area as the highly contagious Delta variant causes a spike in new Covid-19 cases.
Health officers from San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo and Sonoma counties and the city of Berkeley announced the decision in a joint briefing Monday, joining similar mandates in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Yolo counties that require masks indoors.
The reinstated order affects more than 7 million residents of the Bay Area and will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
Southern US States Set Records for COVID Hospitalizations
Voice of America
03 Aug 2021, 16:05 GMT+10
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 are surging in the Southern United States with some states seeing record numbers of patients as the country faces a wave of coronavirus infections fueled by the delta variant.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Monday that looking ahead to Tuesday s reported hospitalization numbers, there are more hospitalizations than at any other point in the pandemic.
Edwards did not give the exact number of hospitalized patients, but said it was more than the official count of 1,984 that health officials announced Monday at noon.
The news follows Florida s announcement Sunday that more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the state, surpassing Florida s record.