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 A sufficient percentage of Americans have now been vaccinated to
avoid lockdowns, Fauci said on ABC's "This Week".
"Not enough to crush the outbreak, but I believe enough to not allow
us to get into the situation we were in last winter," he said.
The average number of new coronavirus cases reported nationwide has
nearly doubled in the past 10 days, according to a Reuters analysis.
https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR
Even if states do not resort to lockdowns again, the spread of the
Delta variant could still threaten the economy.
Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari told CBS'
"Face the Nation" that the Delta variant was "creating a bunch of
caution" among millions of out-of-work Americans and could slow the
U.S. labor market recovery.
The surge in Delta variant cases is also rattling the globe. Parts
of Asia that were previously relatively successful in containing
COVID-19, such as the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, are now
locking down hot spots.
Some are pushing back against new restrictions. From Monday, unarmed
soldiers will help police Australia's biggest city Sydney, checking
that people who have tested positive are isolating.
In France, where the government is fighting a fourth wave of
infections, thousands of people protested for a third consecutive
weekend against the introduction of a mandatory health pass proving
vaccination that will be required for entry to many public venues.
While vaccines remain scarce in much of the world, they are freely
available to anyone 12 years or older in the United States, where
cash prizes, new cars and other incentives have failed to motivate
more than a third of the population to get immunized. (Graphic on
global vaccinations) https://tmsnrt.rs/3tUM8ta
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 "We have 100 million people in
this country who are eligible to be vaccinated
who are not getting vaccinated," said Fauci, who
is also director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases
About 58% of Americans have received at least
one dose of vaccine, ranging from a high of 76%
in Vermont to a low of 40% in Mississippi.
After declining for weeks, the number of
Americans getting vaccinated has started to rise
again.
"The silver lining of this is that people are
waking up to this and this may be a tipping
point for those who have been hesitant,"
National Institutes of Health Director Francis
Collins told CNN on Sunday. "That's what
desperately needs to happen if we're going to
get this Delta variant put back in its place,
because right now it's having a pretty big party
in the middle of the country."
Florida has one of the worst outbreaks in the
nation, based on new cases per capita and has
seen infections rise 50% week-over-week.
However, Governor Ron DeSantis has blocked mask
mandates https://reut.rs/3BZTu3H in the state's
schools, saying parents should decide.
"It just makes common sense in a community where
the virus is spreading, and that's pretty much
all of Florida right now, to do everything you
can to prevent that, which includes mask wearing
for kids in schools," Collins said.
 (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional
reporting by David Lawder; Writing by Lisa
Shumaker; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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