The US has reached a"landmark day" in the COVID-19 pandemic as 60% of American adults have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
"We recognize ZIP code is a stronger predictor of health," Nunez-Smith said. Meeting people where they are and bringing vaccines to communities seem to be working, she said. But the need to vaccinate more Americans to help stop the virus from resurging in the future is far from met. CVS pharmacy and Target said they will no longer require fully vaccinated guests to wear masks inside their stores unless mandated by local leaders, joining other businesses that have dropped mask mandates for those who have gotten their shots.
The order continues to require mask wearing on public transit, in schools, health care facilities and state-owned buildings and facilities. Carney's announcement did urge those ineligible for a vaccine to continue wearing masks, including children over 2 years old. But experts are worried about the rapid changes and say that without verification systems, parts of the country are now having to rely on an honor system to ensure unvaccinated Americans are masking up -- a system that some say does not work.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an order Monday eliminating a mask requirement for outdoor public spaces but kept a masking requirement for indoor public spaces and workplaces. "This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change, while we continue the relentless focus on delivering vaccines, particularly to underserved communities and those that were hard hit throughout this pandemic," Ghaly said.Rural Americans have an increased risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19, yet vaccination rates in these areas lags behind cities.In September, the rate of COVID-19 in rural counties surpassed the rate of Covid-19 in urban counties.
For example, if people are directly offered a vaccine, they will often agree to get the shot, she said.
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