The CDC recommended this week that fully vaccinated people wear masks in indoor public settings if they are in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 transmission levels. NAM Y. HUH AP YOUNGSTOWN — The delta variant has initiated the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., just weeks after most states abandoned the last of their pandemic-inspired public health measures. The wave's epicenter currently stretches from MIssouri to Florida, but the delta variant has taken hold in Ohio, too. For the third time in the last seven days, Ohio's new confirmed COVID-19 cases topped 1,000. Before July 28, the state had not reported daily confirmed case totals exceeding 1,000 since early May.