Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 7-16-2021

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for July 16th, 2021.

The masks are back. Los Angeles County will again require masks be worn indoors even by those who have been vaccinated. California fully reopened its economy June 15 and did away with capacity limits and social distancing.

Africa recorded a 43% jump in COVID-19 deaths last week. Infections and hospitalizations have risen, and, in some places, there are shortages of oxygen and ICU beds. The continent's case fatality rate stands at 2.6% against the global average of 2.2%.

The head of the World Health Organization admitted it was premature for them to rule out a lab in China as the origin of the coronavirus. China’s being asked to be more transparent in the search for the virus’ origins but has instead struck back aggressively, suggesting the search should continue, but in other countries.

You hear in the American media it’s almost exclusively the unvaccinated who are dying of COVID. So why has Public Health England reported that most COVID deaths there are currently among the vaccinated? They not only say it, they say that’s to be expected. The risk of dying from COVID doubles every seven years older a patient is. This variation means vaccines don’t reduce the risk of death for older people so much that it falls below the risk for younger demographics. The problem with that explanation of course is infections are highest in younger age groups right now.

Maybe your Nikes are about to get more valuable on the resale market. A South Korean shoemaker became the second major Nike supplier to suspend production in Vietnam. It shut down three of its factories near Ho Chi Minh City due to an outbreak. The factories employ almost 42,000 workers and will stay closed until July 20. Factories in Vietnam produced about half of all Nike brand footwear in fiscal 2020.

In the United States cases were up 111%, deaths are up 5%, and hospitalizations are up 22% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.

There are now 4,921,028 active cases in the United States.

The five states with the most new cases: Florida 7,011. Texas 3,611. California 3,439. Missouri 2,882. And Louisiana 1,500.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Dimmit, TX. Baxter, AR. Taney, MO. Karnes, TX. Dallas, MO. Wright, MO. Douglas, MO. Perry, AR. Marion, AR. And Greene, MO.

There have been 608,387 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related.

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s been fully vaccinated: Vermont at 66.6%, Massachusetts at 62.8%, and Maine unchanged at 62.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama unchanged at 33.4%, Mississippi at 33.6%, and Arkansas at 35.1%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 48.2%.

The 5 countries with the largest recent 24-hour increase in the number of fully vaccinated people: Taiwan up 11%. Saudi Arabia 10%. And Lebanon, Malaysia, and Zambia 4%.

Globally, cases were up 26% and deaths up 2% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since June 21.

There are 12,496,431 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: Indonesia 56,757. Brazil 52,789. The U.K. 48,553. India 39,072. And the United States 36,674.

There have now been 4,065,528 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide.

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