News

San Francisco’s ABC News affiliate reports: Health officers from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and the city of Berkeley announced a mask mandate Monday afternoon, requiring every resident to wear a face mask indoors in public settings, regardless of vaccination status. “Across the Bay Area region we are seeing COVID-19 cases surging and hospitalizations …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: As confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards reinstituted an indoor mask mandate on Monday requiring residents to wear face coverings in schools, churches, businesses and any other public spaces. “It has been clear that current recommendations on their own haven’t worked,” said Edwards, who already has signed …

The New York Times reports: As concerns grow over a rise in coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Germany will offer vaccine booster shots to older people and people with underlying health conditions starting in September, according to a draft plan that is expected to be announced on Monday. The issue of booster shots has been hotly …

ABC News reports: In a closed-door session Tuesday with the House Appropriations Committee, acting D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee said a third officer who responded to the U.S. Capitol’s riot has died. According to testimony, Contee said D.C. Metro Police Officer Jeffery Smith and Howard Liebengood, a U.S. Capitol Police Officer, both “took their own lives in the …

The New York Times reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio urged vaccinated New Yorkers to return to wearing masks indoors on Monday as the city battled a new wave of coronavirus cases, but he stopped short of issuing a mask mandate. “We want to strongly recommend that people wear masks in indoor settings even if you’re vaccinated,” Mr. de Blasio said. …

CNN reports: Years after Kathy Griffin shaved her head in solidarity with her sister who was undergoing chemotherapy, the comedian and actress has announced she has lung cancer. “I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer,” Griffin began a note posted Monday on her verified Instagram account. “I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my …

Gallup reports: In a dramatic shift from last month, more Americans now say the coronavirus situation in the U.S. is getting worse (45%) rather than better (40%). In June, a record 89% said the situation was getting better, while only 3% said it was getting worse. The current survey marks the first time since January that more U.S. adults have …

The Associated Press reports: A day after the state recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke a previous record for current hospitalizations set more than a year ago before vaccines were available. The Sunshine State had 10,207 people hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to data reported to the U.S. Department …

The Local Italy reports: The website of Lazio, the Italian region that includes Rome, was down on Sunday after being hit by a cyber attack, meaning that people could no longer use it to book a Covid vaccine. The President of the Lazio region, Nicola Zingaretti, wrote on his Facebook page: “A massive hacker attack against LazioCrea computer systems that …

“I think maybe I’m trying to look on the bright side of this. What’s 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 to say, ‘OK, it’s time,’ I hope that’s what’s happening. “That’s what desperately needs to happen if we’re going to …

CNN reports: A person who attended a St. Louis County Council meeting last week where officials voted to overturn a mask mandate has tested positive for Covid-19, officials said Saturday. “Out of an abundance of caution it is recommended that anyone who attended the council meeting quarantine for the next nine days and monitor their symptoms,” the St. Louis health …

West Palm Beach’s ABC News affiliate reports: A husband and wife remain hospitalized on Friday at Jupiter Medical Center after contracting COVID-19. They both did not get vaccinated, and the wife is now sharing their story, hoping more people will take the virus seriously. Her husband has been put on a ventilator and is in critical condition. Juan is a …

Axios reports: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they’d support federal, state or local governments requiring everyone to get a coronavirus vaccine, according to a new survey conducted by The COVID States Project. Why it matters: This kind of blanket mandate hasn’t even been proposed, at any level of government. But more piecemeal requirements are rapidly becoming more popular, and the …

The Daily Beast reports: A popular tourist attraction in New York City may shut down for good after a 14-year-old boy leapt to his death on Thursday—while his loved ones apparently looked on. Stephen Ross, the billionaire chairman of The Related Companies, the global real-estate firm that is behind Hudson Yards, says the development’s marquee art installation might close for …

The Wall Street Journal reports: More drivers have engaged in risky behaviors, like speeding and driving under the influence, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Compounding the problem, safety officials say, these drivers often leave their seat belts unbuckled, raising the potential for deadly consequences. More than half of all crash fatalities last year involved unbelted drivers or occupants, according to the …

The New York Daily News reports: Broadway audiences, performers and staff will have to provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19 and wear face masks inside the theater at least through October, the Broadway League announced Friday. The policy, which applies to all 41 Broadway theaters in New York City, will require guests to be fully vaccinated, meaning they must show …

“Anyone who’s not vaccinated and who did not have COVID previously, the Delta variant is so contagious that you’re going to get it. It is just a matter of time. “If you have prior immunity you do have some protection, but more and more data are telling us that that protection is not so good against Delta. “Remember, you can …

The Associated Press reports: Daryl Barker was passionately against a COVID-19 vaccination, and so were his relatives. Then 10 of them got sick and Barker, at just 31, ended up in a Missouri intensive care unit fighting for his life. “I was strongly against getting the vaccine,” Barker said through labored breathing. “Just because we’re a strong conservative family.” He …

The Washington Post reports: The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document that argues officials must “acknowledge the war has changed.” It captures the struggle of the nation’s top public health agency to persuade the public to embrace vaccination and …

The Verge reports: “Sugar dating” apps will not be allowed on the Android Play Store from September 1st, Google has announced as part of a series of policy changes for the platform. The change, which was first reported by Android Police, specifically prohibits apps relating to “compensated sexual relationships.” Other changes coming to the platform include a new crackdown on …