*Iceland, the island nation with a population approximating Tampa’s, is abolishing all domestic COVID-19 restrictions. Icelandic officials have reported that 87 percent of those 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose.
* “Breakthrough” infections in May in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s approximately 0.1 percent. In short, nearly all U.S. COVID deaths now are unvaccinated.
* Multiple surveys continue to find that about a third of Americans have no immediate plan to get vaccinated. The reasons vary from an exaggerated threat to immunity scenarios to “freedom” rationales. Obviously, no vaccine yet for vanity or stupidity.
* The Delta variant, the most transmissible variant out there, puts the non-vaccinated at an even greater risk.
* According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of miles driven decreased, yet traffic deaths rose 7 percent. It’s because of people driving faster on emptied highways.
* “The pandemic exacerbated all of the inequities we had in our country—along racial lines, health lines, social lines, economic lines. All of the drivers of gun violence pre-pandemic were just worsened last year.”–Shani Buggs, assistant professor with the University of California at Davis’ Violence Prevention Research Program.
* Missouri has the highest rate of new COVID-19 infections in the country. In a recent four-day period the number of new cases increased 72 percent.
* 6 billion: the number of meetings people joined using Google Meet from March 2020 to March 2021.
* In expectation of a post-pandemic nursing shortage, USF’s College of Nursing plans to boost its number of graduates by about 24 percent over the next two to three years.
* The first cruise to depart a U.S. port with passengers in 15 months: Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge cruise ship—from Port Everglades. The ship, with a capacity of 2,900, departed at 40 percent capacity. Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean, requires passengers to be vaccinated on cruises OUTSIDE of Florida. Those departing from Florida, said Celebrity Cruises, will have at least 95 percent of passengers and crew vaccinated.