NIAID's Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the Biden administration is "sticking with" its recommendation for a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine eight months after receiving the original shots.
Why it matters: Fauci's statements on ABC's "This Week," come as the U.S. sees an uptick in COVID cases, largely due to the highly infectious Delta variant, and after the Biden administration announced it would begin offering booster shots to stay ahead of declining vaccine effectiveness.
An unvaccinated elementary school teacher in California infected more than half of her students with COVID-19, ultimately resulting in a community-wide outbreak in Marin County, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
Why it matters: The outbreak, which took place in May, highlights the stakes surrounding a debate across the U.S. among school districts considering implementing stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus, like universal masking in schools.
Israel on Sunday expanded its coronavirus booster shot program to include anyone over the age of 12, AP reports.
Why it matters: Israel has seen a surge in COVID cases, due in large part to the Delta variant, and now has one of the world's highest rates of infection. The country was already offering booster shots to people over 30 years old.
India recorded more than 45,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, a day after it tallied a two-month high amid a new surge in infections, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: The surge is being largely driven by the southern state of Kerala after it hosted a major festival this month. The state's tally on Saturday made up nearly 70% of the country's new daily infections.
Oregon health officials have arranged to send refrigerated trucks to two counties for storing bodies due to a surge in COVID-19 deaths, AP first reported on Saturday.
Driving the news: Tillamook County Emergency director Gordon McCraw wrote in a request that the county's only funeral home "is now consistently at or exceeding their capacity [of nine bodies]," per AP.
80% of Singapore's population of 5.7 million people has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the island city-state's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced Sunday.
Why it matters: Singapore has one of the world's highest coronavirus vaccination rates, and the milestone means the government can continue loosening restrictions and prepare to allow fully vaccinated travelers from some other nations to visit.
Hospitals in New Orleans near capacity from a surge in coronavirus cases are bracing for Hurricane Ida, which is expected to hit Louisiana on Sunday.
The big picture: New Orleans is currently experiencing a severe virus outbreak, according to city data. About 68% of all hospital beds and 84% of all ICU beds in Louisiana are filled as Ida is approaching, Business Insider reports.
Those infected with the Delta variant are twice as likely to be hospitalized as people with the Alpha strain, according to a study published in The Lancet on Friday.
By the numbers: The study evaluated more than 43,300 coronavirus cases that took place from March 29 to May 23, with approximately 74% of individuals who were unvaccinated.
Younger Latinosare much more likely than their non-Hispanic counterparts to provide financial support to family members during the pandemic, despite barely having savings or emergency funds of their own, per an Ipsos/Bank of America poll.
Why it matters: People of color have borne the brunt of the pandemic’s economic fallout, and Latinos also have a higher ratio of COVID-19 infection and death than other groups when compared with white non-Hispanics, per CDC data.
