US Passes 70% Vaccination Milestone; White House Stresses Job Not Done

AP: US Hits 70% Vaccination Rate — A Month Late, Amid A Surge
The U.S. on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one COVID-19 shot into 70% of American adults -- a month late and amid a fierce surge by the delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory vaccinations around the country. In a major retreat in the Deep South, Louisiana ordered nearly everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear masks again in all indoor public settings, including schools and colleges. And other cities and states likewise moved to reinstate precautions to counter a crisis blamed on the fast-spreading variant and stubborn resistance to getting the vaccine. (Catalini, 8/3)

The New York Times: The U.S. Finally Hits Its 70 Percent Vaccination Goal — Four Weeks Late
There was no celebration at the White House. The announcement today was made on Twitter by Cyrus Shahpar, the COVID-19 data director for the Biden administration. “Let’s continue working to get more eligible vaccinated!” Mr. Shahpar wrote. The White House had hoped to announce the 70 percent vaccination benchmark four weeks ago. Mr. Biden initially used Independence Day to declare a victory of sorts over the pandemic and some kind of return to normal life. (Paybarah, 8/2)

NBC News: U.S. Hits 70 Percent Covid Vaccination Goal — A Month Later Than Biden Had Hoped To
The goal was ambitious, but Monday's development is a good step, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. "We’ve said from the beginning: Even when we set this goal, our work would not be done even when we reached it, and so we're forging ahead," she said. (Helsel, 8/2)

When will the pandemic end? Officials across the US look for a way out —

Axios: White House Hosting First-Of-Its-Kind Global Summit On COVID-19 
The Biden administration is planning a first-of-its-kind, global leader-level summit focused on ending the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for future pandemics, sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios. The summit is meant to rally the international community to step up its pledges for vaccine distribution and public health resources as the Delta variant surges. It will be held virtually during next month's U.N. General Assembly. (Mucha, 8/2)

Billings Gazette: Pandemic Could Last 3 To 5 Years If Recommendations Are Ignored, Say Health Officials
As of Monday, Billings Clinic was caring for 18 COVID patients with four patients on ventilators, two of whom are in their 30s, said Director of Patient Safety and Infection Control Nancy Iversen. Billings Clinic is also caring for five out-of-state COVID patients. “We’re seeing younger people right now in the hospital and that’s because of Delta,” Iversen said. Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) reported on July 28 that there are 112 cases of the Delta variant in Montana, up from 65 cases the previous week. Of those cases, 18.1% were hospitalized. The week ending July 17, DPHHS reported that of the 26 COVID samples sequenced, 20 were the Delta variant. (Schabacker, 8/2)

The New York Times: ‘X’ Marks The Spot: Officials Map A Route Out Of The Pandemic 
At their regular pandemic response meetings over the past year, officials in Suffolk County, N.Y., found themselves returning, again and again, to questions of geography. “One of the common questions I used to get was, ‘Where is it bad?’” said Dr. Harsha Rajashekharaiah, the senior project coordinator for the county’s Covid-19 response. “Where is the Covid transmission bad? Where is the testing bad? Where should we improve? Where should we invest our resources?” To find answers, Dr. Rajashekharaiah used geospatial data, brandishing brightly colored maps that pinpointed the exact neighborhoods where cases were rising or where testing rates were lagging. (Anthes, 8/1)