June 18 coronavirus news

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the state will lift all pandemic health restrictions on July 1.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, the state has been broadly open for the past few months but “opening day” is set for two weeks from now. That means businesses may once again operate at 100% capacity and limitations on both indoor and outdoor mass gatherings will be gone.

Masks have not been required in New Mexico for vaccinated individuals since May 14, but businesses may still require them if they choose.

As of Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health reports 59.4% of eligible New Mexicans are completely vaccinated.

New Jersey has surpassed its goal of getting 4.7 million people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before June 30, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday. 

The state’s original version of the goal was 4.7 million fully vaccinated adults, which amounts to roughly 70% of New Jersey’s total eligible adult population. However, as younger and younger residents have become eligible to receive Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, Murphy has since tweaked the goal from 4.7 million fully vaccinated adults, to “individuals who live, work, or study in New Jersey.”

Since New Jersey’s first resident received their initial Covid-19 vaccine dose on Dec. 15, new confirmed cases have plummeted from 4,000 to 5,000 cases a day to roughly 200, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. Hospitalizations similarly dropped from roughly 3,500 to the 300 range during the same period. 

According to Murphy, communities under the 50% mark for fully vaccinated eligible residents are “disproportionately communities of color,” underscoring that the vaccine equity gap still remains an issue.

Next week, the department will be sending “vaccine ambassadors” to high-risk counties to work with local leaders to get more residents vaccinated, Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said, reiterating that more work still needs to be done.

President Biden said there was still work to be done in making sure more people of color get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Biden went on to urge Americans to get fully vaccinated to protect against Covid-19 variants, particularly the Delta variant.

"The new variant will leave unvaccinated people even more vulnerable than they are a month ago. This is a serious concern especially because of what experts are calling the Delta variant. It's a variant that is more easily transmissible, potentially deadlier, and particularly dangerous for young people. But the good news is we have the solution. The science and the data are clear — the best way to protect yourself against these variants are to get fully vaccinated," he said.

President Biden commemorated distributing 300 million Covid-19 shots in 150 days during a speech at the White House Friday.

He continued: 

"In fact, if you remember, a lot of people were skeptical that we could even get 100 million shots in my first 100 days, into people's arms, but we did it."

So far, 44.7% of US population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19; which represents 148.5 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Covid-19 dashboard.

Here are some more data points on vaccinations in the US:

Vice President Kamala Harris stressed that there is still much work to be done in order to reach the Biden administration’s goal of having 70% of Americans with at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by July 4, a date a little more than two weeks away.

The vice president told the crowd that only 42% of Georgians have received at least one shot. 

“So we know what the numbers tell us. We got to get those numbers up. We can do better,” she said. 

Harris addressed a slew of barriers that the administration feels have kept people from getting vaccinated, including access, paid time off from an employer, child care and transportation. She pointed to increased pharmacy hours in June, child care partnerships and a deal with Uber and Lyft to take people to get vaccinated free of charge as steps the administration is taking to combat all of those issues.

The vice president also said that misinformation is a major issue that needs to be addressed, telling the crowd that those who question the efficacy of the vaccines should be assured that the vaccines went through rigorous testing standards to ensure that they are safe.

“So when people say ‘oh, it seems like this vaccine just came about overnight,’ no it didn't, it actually is the result of many, many, many years of research. And then they also went through what we call the FDA clinical trials, so that they would be ensured to be safe, where they were tested on a whole lot of people. All of that to say, we can say with confidence that vaccines are safe. They are safe, and they are free, and they are effective,” Harris said.

She added that while she did feel some side effects after receiving her second dose of the vaccine, the trade-offs — being able to speak in a crowded room without a mask and returning to a more normal lifestyle — are “100% worth it.”

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she anticipates the Delta coronavirus variant that was first discovered in India will be the "predominant variant in the months ahead" in the United States.

The two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are highly effective against the variant, Walensky said, and studies are underway on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The CDC elevated the Delta variant to a variant of concern this week. The variant, also known as B1.617.2, accounts for 99% of new coronavirus cases in the UK, according to the latest data from Public Health England.

Walensky also said “we’re doing everything we can” to meet President Biden’s goal of having 70% of US adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4. According to the CDC, only 53% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

In some states and counties with low vaccination rates, Walensky said officials are connecting with leaders in communities to be vaccine advocates.

Time frames for booster shots are also being examined and will be discussed in next week's meeting at the CDC, Walensky added.

"We're carefully monitoring and have numerous studies, over 20 studies now, looking for breakthrough infections, should they be happening, and that's exactly the science we're monitoring just right now," she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris greeted workers at a pop-up vaccination site at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta Friday.

There, she asked how they help those who have hesitations about vaccines, and they told her they explain it is a responsibility to help protect others in the community. 

Harris arrived at a second stop a few minutes later, where she met George Mitchell, who was receiving his vaccine. She thanked him for being there and the room cheered after he was jabbed and received a sticker.

“That’s wonderful,” Harris said as Mitchell was seated in a waiting area.

Harris thanked a vaccinator for the work she is doing, discussing the importance of instilling confidence in the vaccine.

Harris then addressed a small, socially distanced group. (It was not immediately clear whether these were also people receiving vaccines or if these were medical staffers.)

“What you are doing truly is about leadership,” she said, adding that getting vaccinated is about loving thy neighbor and loving your community.

Sen. Raphael Warnock Warnock, who is also the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, said that Harris “preached a great sermon today,” to which the group said, “Amen.”

California health officials announced the launch of a new website where residents can access a digital version of their Covid-19 vaccination cards that can be used as proof of immunization, but said the electronic record would not be mandated to use.

“While CDPH recommends that vaccinated Californians keep their paper CDC card in a safe and secure place, we recognize that some people might prefer an electronic version,” California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a briefing Friday. “If one of the state’s nearly 20 million vaccinated Californians misplaces their paper card, the Digital Covid-19 Vaccine Record provides a convenient backup.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom mentioned the electronic records plan earlier this week, but said it would not be a “vaccine passport” or required to use.

Amy Tong, state Chief Information Officer and director of the California Department of Technology, assured that the system follows national standards for security and privacy and is built by the state.

By entering the name, date of birth, e-mail address or phone number that was associated with the vaccine record, residents will be able to pull up their digital vaccination card that has the same information shown on the paper card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained Tong.

The website will also generate a QR code which makes all the details readable by a QR scanner. People are encouraged to take a screenshot so they can bring it up any time they want to and have it available, Tong said. 

“We achieved our goal to quickly produce an intuitive portal that offers Californians another way, and an easier way, to access their own Covid-19 immunization history,” added Tong.