USA TODAY
Concern about the highly transmissible delta COVID-19 variant and its spread among the unvaccinated continues to grow as U.S. cases rise, but positive news about vaccines ability to fight the virus keeps coming.
Thursday, Johnson & Johnson said its one-dose shot protects against the delta variant, citing lab tests of vaccine recipients blood. And amid concerns their shot might require a booster, the company said its immune response lasts eight months and counting.
Public health experts say the variant poses the most danger in regions where vaccinations are sparse.
The variants “are able to find any gaps in our protection,” Dr. Hilary Babcock of Washington University at St. Louis said, pointing to how hospital beds and intensive care units in Missouri’s least-vaccinated southwestern counties suddenly are filling mostly with adults under 40 who never received the shots.
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July 1, 2021
New cases of COVID-19 are rising at an accelerating rate, and the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease continues to spread. In response, the health departments of St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis are jointly issuing the attached Public Health Advisory.
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The public health authorities are urging all eligible residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Individuals who are not vaccinated are at risk of illness and severe complications (including death) due to the Delta variant, which is more easily transmitted than the original version of the virus. The health departments also are revising recommendations related to masks and face covering for vaccinated individuals. For vaccinated individuals, the health departments advise residents to wear masks or other face coverings whenever they are indoors with other people whose vaccination statu
St. Louis issues advisory recommending masks be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status
Floodwaters from a swollen Mississippi River take over the Gateway Arch grounds on June 7, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
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UPDATED 2:30 PM PT – Friday, July 2, 2021
Health officials in St. Louis have advised their residents to return to wearing masks indoors regardless if they’ve been vaccinated or not. County and city officials issued a health advisory on Thursday over concerns of the new Delta COVID-19 variant, saying masks should only be removed when eating or drinking.
The move comes after Los Angeles County issued a similar advisory. Additionally, the World Health Organization has once again recommended masks be worn indoors.
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Today: The White House is sending surge teams to hot spot communities in an attempt to blunt the spread of the delta variant. St. Louis is recommending everyone wear masks indoors, and Oklahoma s Medicaid expansion took effect.
We’ll start with the administration:
White House to send surge teams to delta variant hot spots
The White House is readying COVID-19 surge teams to send to communities with low vaccination rates to help combat the rapidly spreading delta variant of the coronavirus, officials announced Thursday.
The teams will work with local public health authorities to conduct contact tracing, and will distribute supplies as needed or requested by states, such as therapeutics and additional tests.
J&J says vaccine works against delta variant; WHO pushes Western nations to accept travelers with Chinese vaccines: COVID-19 updates msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.