COVID-19 live updates: Fully vaccinated Americans can soon travel to the UK

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(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 summer surge as the delta variant spreads.

More than 611,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 57.6% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a mask in public, indoor settings.

Worldwide, COVID-19 has killed over 4.1 million.

Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:

Jul 28, 11:27 am
Health care workers in NY state-run hospitals must get vaccinated

All patient-facing health care workers in New York’s state-run hospitals must get vaccinated, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.

“There will be no testing option,” Cuomo said.

Giving a major address and making an announcement at the virtual ABNY meeting. Watch live: https://t.co/hA1rgMefcG

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 28, 2021

In addition, beginning Labor Day, all state employees will be required to either be vaccinated or get tested weekly.

Jul 28, 11:05 am
Florida hospital seeing an all-time high of COVID hospitalizations

Baptist Health, a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, said it now has over 400 COVID-19 patients, an all-time high.

The unvaccinated make up at least 97% of the patients, hospital president and CEO Michael Mayo said.

“Northeast Florida has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s never been as bad as it is now,” Mayo said in a statement.

Jul 28, 10:02 am
Fully vaccinated Americans can soon travel to the UK

Fully vaccinated Americans can travel to the United Kingdom without quarantining as of Aug. 2, the U.K. announced Wednesday.

We’re helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK 👪

From 2nd August at 4am people from these countries will be able to come to the England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they’re fully vaxxed 💉

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 28, 2021

The new rule also applies to those traveling to the U.K. from the European Union.

Jul 28, 8:54 am
New mask order in Las Vegas

Nevada is implementing an indoor mask mandate in counties with substantial or high transmission. The mandate includes Clark County, home to Las Vegas, and Sin City’s casinos and hotels.

The emergency directive, a result of the new CDC guidance, goes into effect Friday, state officials said.

Jul 28, 8:14 am
Masks now recommended in US Senate

Following the new CDC guidance, the Capitol attending physician is recommending that senators and U.S. Senate staff wear face masks.

Jul 28, 8:05 am
Vaccinated people with breakthrough infections could pass COVID to the immunosuppressed: CDC director

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, spoke to “Good Morning America” Wednesday about why the CDC has reversed its guidance on masks for vaccinated people.

She said the agency felt it was important that vaccinated Americans “understand that if they happen to be one of those breakthrough infections, which was more likely in areas with a huge amount of transmission and disease, that those people could potentially pass it on to somebody, a loved one, who is immunosuppressed.”

Walensky said the mask guidance was changed because of the “new science that demonstrated for those who are vaccinated, that they could in fact transmit if they are one of those rare breakthrough infections.”

The Office of the Attending Physician is now requiring all members and staff to wear “medical-grade” masks throughout the House of Representatives unless members are speaking in the hall of the House or individuals are alone.

Members and staff will once again be prohibited from stepping on the floor to vote without a mask, or risk incurring fines.

The new guidance follows the CDC’s latest recommendations and will not be in effect on the Senate side.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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