Can the US keep vaccinating fast enough?
The pace of vaccinations has slowed as the Delta variant becomes the dominant US strain; Japan has declared a state of emergency. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. Ariana Drehsler/AFP/Getty Images - After barely missing his goal of achieving a 70 percent adult vaccination rate by July 4, President Joe Biden is pleading with Americans to receive a Covid-19 vaccination. But as daily vaccine numbers dwindle from their springtime peaks, the voluntary approach seems to be nearing a ceiling. [The New York Times / Michael D. Shear and Noah Weiland]
- The divide between states with high vaccination rates and those with low ones can be fairly neatly mapped onto political divides between blue states and red states. Vaccine campaigns are lagging in the South, Midwest, and the Rockies, as areas with high numbers of Trump supporters reject the vaccines. [Bloomberg / Josh Wingrove]
- As of July 4, about two-thirds of the country had received at least one dose of the vaccine. The unvaccinated adult population is most heavily concentrated among people ages 18 to 29. [CNN / Deirdre McPhillips and Priya Krishnakumar]
- According to polling data, 95 percent of Democrats either already are or want to get vaccinated; the same is true for only 50 percent of Republicans. Partisanship has become the most consistent divider of pandemic health behaviors. [Vox / German Lopez]
- Complicating the matter is the emergence of the delta variant, which is now the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the United States. Delta appears more transmissible and may cause more severe health outcomes, particularly among younger people. [Reuters / Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason]
- All three of the major Covid-19 vaccines in the US have demonstrated effectiveness against Delta variant infection. But among the unvaccinated, delta has raised the risk of contracting the virus, particularly in areas with lots of unvaccinated people. [The Guardian / Victoria Bekiempis]
- Dr. Anthony Fauci said he fears the emergence of the Delta variant will bifurcate America into two nations: one protected due to vaccines, and one struggling with case surges. [The Washington Post / Lindsey Bever and Joel Achenbach]
No spectators for Tokyo Olympics - The Tokyo Olympic Games will open in two weeks. But because Japan has declared a state of emergency in Tokyo due to the coronavirus, no spectators will be allowed into the venues. [The Associated Press / Mari Yamaguchi and Stephen Wade]
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the state of emergency will be in place from July 12 to August 22, covering the entire duration of the Olympics. Olympics officials expressed regret that they would not be able to offer the spectator experience, particularly for those who already purchased tickets. [The Washington Post / Simon Denyer]
- After months of relatively low case numbers, the case count in Japan rose this week to its highest level since May, with more than 2,000 new cases reported on Wednesday. Just over 15 percent of the Japanese population is fully vaccinated. [BBC]
- Before the declaration, capacity at the venues had been set at 50 percent, or up to 10,000 people. But immense challenges still face the Tokyo Olympics, including the safe travel of over 11,000 athletes and thousands of trainers, officials and personnel. [CNBC / Jessica Burszytnsky and Jabari Young]
- Inside the Olympic bubble, athletes, coaches, team officials, and other people designated as "level one" will receive daily testing. One of the main goals for Olympics officials is to limit contact between those involved in the Games and Japanese citizens. [Yahoo! Sports / Henry Bushnell]
Richard Branson's space tourism company's first fully-crewed spaceflight, which includes the billionaire, is expected to launch this Sunday — nine days ahead of fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos's trip. [The Wall Street Journal / Alistair MacDonald] - Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, turned himself in to serve a 15-month prison sentence for contempt over a failure to testify to corruption allegations against him. [Slate / Elliot Hannon]
- A settlement between over a dozen states and Purdue Pharma over its role in worsening the opioid crisis will require the Sackler family, which controls the company, to cough up $4.325 billion. [The Boston Globe / Priyanka Dayal McCluskey]
- HBO Max's "Gossip Girl" reboot begins streaming today. [The New York Times / Alexis Soloski]
Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. "We're going to tiptoe around mandates. It's like, come on. I'm kind of over that. I want to make sure that people I deal with don't have it so I don't transmit it to my granddaughter." Here's a look ahead at what's to come for Vox Conversations: Vox's Sean Illing welcomes colleague Jamil Smith to the podcast as an additional regular host. They talk about what drew each of them into journalism, their shared craft of interviewing, and about what qualities make for great conversations. Plus, they share some of the ideas and upcoming guests they're looking forward to in the coming weeks. Look for new episodes of Vox Conversations twice a week, starting Monday, July 12. [Spotify / Sean Illing and Jamil Smith] This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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