(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 612,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.1 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 57.7% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC on Tuesday, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.
Here’s how the news is developing Friday. All times Eastern:
Jul 30, 5:29 am
New Yorkers getting 1st dose to receive $100 incentive
Starting Friday, New Yorkers who receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at any city-run site will get a $100 incentive.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement during a press briefing Wednesday.
“We will say thank you. We’ll say we’re really glad that you got vaccinated for yourself, for your family, for your community,” de Blasio said. “And here’s $100 to thank you for doing the right thing and to encourage people.”
The mayor said that New Yorkers getting vaccinated will not only get the cash, they’ll also be able to do “everything else that’s wonderful in this city, including the amazing concerts coming up. You can’t go to those concerts unless you’re vaccinated.”
Jul 30, 4:53 am
Japan to extend coronavirus state of emergency covering 3 of Tokyo’s neighboring prefectures
Japan’s government will put in place a coronavirus state of emergency covering three of Tokyo’s neighboring prefectures and Osaka on Monday, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Tokyo and Okinawa’s declarations will remain in place.
The news comes as case numbers in Japan continue to rise amid the Olympics.
As of Friday, there are 3,300 new positive cases in Tokyo, according to the Tokyo government’s COVID-19 information website. Of those 3,300 cases, 88 are severe and two have turned fatal.
Jul 30, 4:22 am
New CDC brief says vaccines may be less effective against delta variant
An internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brief published by the Washington Post Thursday reveals more details about why the delta variant is different to and more concerning than other strains of the coronavirus.
The CDC said the main differences between the delta variant and previous strains is that delta is highly contagious and likely more severe. Plus, breakthrough infections caused by delta may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases.
“This is an incredibly, incredibly contagious version of virus, it’s almost like a whole different virus,” Dr. Ashish Jha said. “And CDC is estimating that it is probably also more deadly.”
Vaccines prevent more than 90% of severe diseases, but may be less effective at preventing infection or transmission of the delta variant, the CDC said. Therefore, there could be more breakthrough infections and more community spread despite people’s vaccination status.
“Current vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe illness and death, but the delta variant is likely responsible for increased numbers of breakthrough infections — breakthroughs that could be as infectious as unvaccinated cases,” Dr. John Brownstein, an ABC News contributor, said. “This internal document highlights the challenge we all now face in combating the most transmissible variant of COVID so far.”
Jul 30, 3:38 am
Number of positive cases at Tokyo Olympics reaches 225
There are now 225 positive COVID-19 cases at the Tokyo Olympics, according to a tally kept by Olympics organizers.
That is an increase of 27 cases since Thursday.
Of those cases, three of them are athletes. Two were in the Olympic Village at the time of their positive case, and one was not.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 14, NY Yankees 0
Kansas City 5, Chi White Sox 0
Detroit 6, Baltimore 2
Toronto 13, Boston 1
Oakland 4, LA Angels 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 3, Philadelphia 1
Atlanta 6, NY Mets 3
Cincinnati 7, Chi Cubs 4
Philadelphia 11, Washington 8
San Francisco 5, LA Dodgers 0
Milwaukee 12, Pittsburgh 0
San Diego 3, Colorado 0
(EUGENE, Ore) — Drew and Kayla Gottfried were heartbroken after they were told that their wedding video had been erased after they tied the knot in 2007.
In a fortunate twist this past spring, Drew Gottfried received a call from their church saying that an old VHS tape had been found in the basement. Astonishingly, it was their wedding video.
For two months, Gottfried kept the secret until July 27, the couple’s 14th anniversary.
On that night, the couple went out to dinner and a movie at a local theater in downtown Eugene, Oregon, where Gottfried surprised his wife with a private viewing of the recovered video.
Kayla Gottfried’s emotional response was caught on camera and has since been viewed 6.1 million times on TikTok.
“How do you have video of this?” Kayla Gottfried said when she was surprised with the video. She told “World News Tonight” that she was happy to have that memory back.
“Break out those old family videos and relive those special moment with your loved ones often,” she said.
Although he’s also happy to have the video back, Gottfried shared a message that the present is just as important as the past.
“Enjoy your life, the moment you’re in, with your families. Whatever they are — birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, get-togethers,” said Gottfried. “Just enjoy your time with your family. Be present and be there.”
Get ready to hear Metallica as you’ve never heard them before.
Last fall, it was revealed that the metal legends had recorded an orchestral version of their song “Nothing Else Matters” for the upcoming Disney movie Jungle Cruise. Now, with the pandemic-delayed film set to finally be released this Friday, we’ve gotten our first preview of what Disney Metallica sounds like.
Brief snippets of the track can be heard in a new Jungle Cruise teaser, which Metallica tweeted Thursday. According to the band, you’ll hear “Nothing Else Matters” not once, but twice in the film.
“It was an honor to work with renowned, legendary [composer] James Newton Howard as we reimagined the song by performing his arrangement and creating a rendition we like to think is fit for an excursion through the Amazon,” Metallica says.
You’ll be able to hear the recording in full when the Jungle Cruise soundtrack drops tomorrow alongside the film, which will screen in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News.
Planning to watch @JungleCruise in theaters or on Disney+ Premier Access tomorrow? Keep an ear out for a totally new and different version of “Nothing Else Matters,” appearing twice in the film! Check out this sneak peek. #JungleCruisepic.twitter.com/APbKEk7d1h
When your shoes clash with your wine…ugh, so embarrassing, right? Well, Jon Bon Jovi is here to save you from that fashion faux pas.
As Wine Spectator reports, Hampton Water rosé, the acclaimed wine created by the New Jersey rocker and his son, Jesse Bongiovi, is teaming with the Italian sportswear brand Superga to create Hampton Water-branded shoes. According to Jesse, he first encountered the Superga team at a wine event; they “hit it off,” he says, and that led to the idea for the footwear.
The limited-edition “Superga x Hampton Water 2750 Cotu Classic 2021” is a canvas sneaker with a hand-painted Hampton Water logo. It also has the words “Hampton Water” stitched across the heels and comes with two colors of dip-dyed shoelaces — one in “rosé pink,” of course, and the other in “Mediterranean blue.”
Two hundred pairs are now available for pre-order, via Superga’s website for $99. The official release date is August 30, which means you won’t be able to spend Summer 2021 sipping Hampton Water in your Hampton Water sneakers. But there’s always 2022, and maybe Bon Jovi will be back on the road by then.
Previously, Hampton Water teamed with the high-end candy brand Sugarfina to sell a line of branded rosé-flavored gummies.
(NEW YORK) — The SEC has officially offered the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma invitations to join the conference starting on July 1, 2025
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey gave the news to the presidents of both schools during a video conference.
“Today’s unanimous vote is both a testament to the SEC’s longstanding spirit of unity and mutual cooperation, as well as a recognition of the outstanding legacies of academic and athletic excellence established by the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas,” said Commissioner Sankey in a statement. “I greatly appreciate the collective efforts of our Presidents and Chancellors in considering and acting upon each school’s membership interest.”
The announcement comes after the conference voted in favor of extending invitations. At least three-fourth of the 14 schools in the conference needed to approve of the move.
On Monday, the two schools issued a joint statement saying that they notified the Big 12 that the schools will not renew their grant of media rights in 2025.
“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” the statement said. “The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements. However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletics programs for the future.”
The following day, the schools sent a letter to Sankey asking for invitations to the conference.
(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 611,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.1 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 57.6% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC on Tuesday, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Jul 29, 4:00 pm
Biden calls on states to offer $100 to those who get vaccinated
President Joe Biden is urging local governments to offer $100 to those who get vaccinated with funding from the American Rescue Plan.
Biden will also announce Thursday that all federal government employees and outside contractors will be asked to “attest to their vaccination status,” and those who aren’t vaccinated must social distance, get tested once or twice a week and wear a mask at work no matter where they live. This includes members of the Armed Forces and National Guard.
Biden’s also set to announce that small and medium businesses will be reimbursed for giving employees paid leave to get their family members vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Jul 29, 2:54 pm
US approaching same case, hospitalization levels as 1 year ago
One year ago, the U.S. was beginning to see a downturn in COVID-19 cases following a summer surge. On July 27, 2020, the U.S. was averaging about 63,400 new COVID-19 cases per day.
Now, one year later, the U.S. case average is trending in the wrong direction, averaging nearly 62,000 new cases a day.
The new infection average is up by 64.1% in the last week and 440% since mid-June.
Hospitalization levels are also nearing last summer’s numbers. More than 33,000 COVID-19 patients are now receiving care, close to the 37,000 patients hospitalized on Aug. 1, 2020.
Daily deaths, however, are significantly lower now than they were last summer.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jul 29, 2:42 pm
Florida hospital at capacity
Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida, warned Thursday that its hospitals and emergency rooms are at maximum capacity.
Hospital president and CEO Michael Mayo said earlier this week that the hospital had over 400 COVID-19 patients, an all-time high, and that unvaccinated people accounted for at least 97% of the patients. “It’s never been as bad as it is now,” Mayo said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jul 29, 2:06 pm
Vaccinations up in Louisiana, Kentucky
Louisiana reported more than 10,000 vaccine doses per day over the last week, the first time the state’s daily numbers climbed above 10,000 since April, according to state data.
Kentucky is seeing a “little bit of an uptick” in vaccinations, Gov. Andy Beshear said, as cases skyrocket in the state.
When asked if he was considering a mask mandate, Beshear said, “I am not currently considering reinstating the mask mandate, but it’s still on the table if needed.”
Kentucky Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said 95% of all cases involve unvaccinated individuals.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Jason Volack
Jul 29, 1:16 pm
Israel to give 3rd vaccine dose to those 60 and over
In Israel, a third vaccine dose can be administered to people 60 and older beginning Aug. 1, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
The third shot will be given to those who received a second dose at least five months ago.
-ABC News’ Bruno Nota
Jul 29, 12:34 pm
University of Missouri requiring masks in classrooms
The University of Missouri is requiring masks in classrooms, including for those who are vaccinated as of Aug. 2, the school said.
COVID-19 cases are surging in Missouri. The state’s positivity rate stands at 14.7%.
The university said the temporary mask requirement will be reviewed by Sept. 15.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Jul 29, 9:46 am
Masks required in all federal buildings in areas of high or substantial transmission
Masks are now required for everyone — including vaccinated people — in all federal buildings that are in areas of high or substantial transmission, according to an Office of Management and Budget official. That includes federal offices in Washington, D.C., which is currently in substantial transmission status.
Jul 29, 8:12 am
US now administering over 600,000 shots per day on average
Over 754,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines went into the arms of people across the United States on Wednesday, according to White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar.
That figure includes 498,000 newly vaccinated individuals, Shahpar said, which is the highest daily amount reported since July 1.
The U.S. is now averaging more than 600,000 total shots administered per day, an increase of about 18% compared with last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jul 29, 7:21 am
Daily case count hits record high in Tokyo amid Olympics
As the 2020 Summer Olympics plays out in Tokyo, the host city saw a record-breaking number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the third straight day.
A new all-time high of 3,865 cases were reported on Thursday, up from 3,177 on Wednesday and double the daily count a week ago, according to data from Tokyo’s metropolitan government. The Games, which were postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, are being held under a regional state of emergency and stringent restrictions.
Although Japan has managed to keep its COVID-19 cases and death toll lower than many other countries, its numbers have been on the rise in recent weeks with infections soaring not just in the capital city but across the nation.
“We have never experienced the expansion of the infections of this magnitude,” Japanese chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters Tuesday.
At least 198 confirmed cases have been associated with the Tokyo Olympics. Of those, 24 were reported on Thursday and include three athletes who are staying at the Olympic Village, according to data from the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.
Jul 29, 5:41 am
Dozens of cases across US linked to Christian summer camp
At least 75 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 17 U.S. states have been linked to a Christian summer camp in North Carolina, officials said.
The outbreak is associated with campers and staff who attended The Wilds camp near Rosman in North Carolina’s Transylvania County between June 28 and July 17, according to a statement from the local public health department.
The camp, nestled on 1,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, offers sessions for children, adults and families.
Last week, a spokesperson for the camp told Ashevile ABC affiliate WLOS that they had cancelled sessions that week to work on enhancing COVID-19 protocols. Although there was no plan to cancel further sessions, the spokesperson said the camp was working to limit the number of attendees and started asking campers to get tested for COVID-19 before their sessions.
“We’ve been checking our staff, we’ve been doing screenings for everyone who comes onto the campsite and anticipating they’re coming to our campsite healthy,” the spokesperson told WLOS during a telephone interview last week. “And the anticipation is that they would leave healthy as well.”
Jul 29, 1:20 am
FDA approves shelf life extension for J&J vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration has approved another extension to the shelf life of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, from four-and-a-half months to six months, J&J said in a statement late Wednesday.
“The decision is based on data from ongoing stability assessment studies, which have demonstrated the vaccine is stable at six months when refrigerated at temperatures of 36 – 46 degrees Fahrenheit,” J&J said.
Jul 29, 12:38 am
CDC changes testing guidance for vaccinated people
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated its guidance on testing for vaccinated people on its website.
While the CDC had previously said vaccinated people did not have to get tested for COVID-19 after being exposed to someone with the virus, unless they had symptoms, that is no longer the case.
The government agency now recommends: “If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms.”
“You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. You should isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive,” the updated guidance states.
Jul 28, 10:20 pm
Disney World brings back indoor mask requirement for all guests
Masks once again will be required while indoors at Disney World, regardless of vaccination status, the company announced Wednesday, as Florida has quickly become a COVID-19 hotspot.
Starting Friday, face coverings will be required for all guests ages 2 and up while indoors, including upon entering and throughout all attractions.
They are also required while riding Disney transportation.
Masks are still optional in outdoor common areas, the company said.
The theme park had initially dropped its mask requirement for vaccinated guests last month.
The updated rule will also go into effect Friday at Disneyland in California.
Call it Marvel’s Civil War: Part 2…Scarlett Johansson has filed suit against Marvel Studios’ parent company Disney, claiming that the studio’s decision to release her Black Widow on Disney+ on the same day it hit theaters was a breach of her contract.
Johansson’s suit claims that her contract guaranteed Black Widow an exclusive theatrical window before it hit the streaming service, which the simultaneous release eliminated.
As not only the star but one of the executive producers of the film, ScarJo had profit participation “points” tied to the film’s box-office performance. However, with the movie making tens of millions of dollars on Disney+ through its Premiere Access service — instead of in theaters — many believe that cut into the film’s box-office potential, and therefore her bottom line.
The Wall Street Journal quoted one source who estimates putting the film on Disney+ immediately could cost Johansson over $50 million.
John Berlinski, an attorney for the star, said, “It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price — and that it’s hiding behind Covid-19 as a pretext to do so.”
He continued, “But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court.”
For its part, Disney responded, calling the suit “without merit.”
“The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the studio maintained, adding, “Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+…has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”
Rick Astley is never gonna give up being happy about the success of his video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
As previously reported, the video for the 1987 number-one hit has just hit one billion views on YouTube, making it only the fourth clip from the ’80s to reach that milestone. In a video reacting to the news, Astley says, “I’ve just been told that ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ has been streamed a billion times on YouTube. That is mind-blowing. The world is a wonderful and beautiful place and I am very lucky.”
Then, in another post, the British singer announced, “To celebrate 1 Billion views for Never Gonna Give You Up I’m releasing a limited & numbered 7” blue vinyl of the song, 2500 of them and I’ll be signing them all!”
You can pre-order your copy now at Rick’s official online store.
But wait, Rick’s not gonna let you down: There’s also a mini-documentary coming about the video, which was filmed in London and features the singer dancing in an oversized raincoat. The doc will feature new interviews with the singer, as well as Pete Waterman and Mike Stock of Stock Aitken Waterman, the songwriting and production team that created the track.
The video’s producer will also be interviewed, as well as Simon West, who directed the video before going on to make feature films like Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Expendables 2. More participants will be announced soon. So far, there’s no release date for the doc.
Meanwhile, Rick has a U.K. arena tour planned for October, which will include free shows for health care and front-line workers.
(New York) — Nearly 88% of NFL players have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, a week after the league announced that teams could face potential forfeits and lost paychecks for outbreaks among unvaccinated players.
On Thursday, NFL Communications Director Brian McCarthy said on Twitter that 87.9% of players have gotten at least one shot. Among the leagues’ 32 teams, 19 of them have more than 90% of players partially vaccinated, and seven have more than 95%, he said.
The partial vaccination rate among NFL players overall is up from over 75% a week ago, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned teams that outbreaks may result in having to forfeit games during the regular 18-week season.
If a game is canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players and it can’t be rescheduled, the team with the outbreak will have to forfeit the game, and players on both teams won’t get paid, he said in a memo to the athletes.
The NFL is striving to have at least 85% of players on each team vaccinated. Vaccination is not required among players, per an agreement with their union, the NFL Players Association.
Teams just opened training camps this week, during which COVID-19 protocols include daily testing and mask requirements for players who are not fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated players are tested every two weeks.
The NFL Players Association told “Good Morning America” Saturday that the union agreed with the league’s new protocols, but would support any athlete who doesn’t want to get vaccinated.
“We know that vaccinations have reduced infection rates and so we feel good about this, but still want you to make the choice for yourself,” Benjamin Watson, vice president of the association, told ESPN’s Matt Barrie.
“If a player does not want to get vaccinated, we will stand by him 100%,” he said.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill told reporters on the first day of training camp Wednesday he felt the league was unjustly forcing them to get vaccinated.
“The NFL has made it clear what they want to happen,” he said, adding he was in the process of getting fully vaccinated. “If you don’t fall in line, they’re going to try and make your life miserable because of the protocol. I wouldn’t have gotten the vaccine without the protocols that they are enforcing on us. I think it’s a personal decision for each of us.”
