This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for May 14th, 2021.

The CDC now says fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks outdoors, even in crowds, and in most indoor settings like stores. The guidance still calls for masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, and prisons. Now comes the confusion. How do businesses know for sure who is and isn’t vaccinated? And what about state and municipal mask mandates that are still in effect?

So why the confidence to ditch the masks? The number of new infections in the U.S. has dropped precipitously in recent weeks. An analysis of all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico found a correlation between the rate of vaccination and the decline in new infections. But some health officials say this is too soon given the variants and the fact only 1 in 3 Americans is fully vaccinated. They point out case numbers are down at least partially because testing has plummeted. 

In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s anxiety is only going up. The India variant has become more prevalent just ahead of the next big easing of restrictions. The British government and scientists have said new infections may go up in coming weeks, but they aren’t sure that will lead to hospitalizations and deaths.

Japan certainly doesn’t appear to be heading toward herd immunity. Only 1% of its citizens are vaccinated. This just two months before the Olympic Games are supposed to start in Tokyo. Cases are rising sharply in Japan. The country weathered the pandemic pretty well and some say that’s given it a dangerous overconfidence. 

When it comes to health officials, Americans have trust issues. A poll from the Harvard School of Public Health showed only 52% of Americans have a great deal of trust in the CDC. Other health agencies did even worse — only 37% trust in the National Institutes of Health or the FDA. Even state health departments have lost trust over the pandemic.  

In the United States cases were down 31%, deaths are down 11%, and hospitalizations are down 17% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14.  

There are now 6,360,358 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, Virginia, New York, Maryland, and Kentucky. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Adams, MS. Calhoun, WV. Conejos, kow-NEI-hows CO. Shelby, MO. Luce, MI. Reeves, TX. Chattahoochee, GA. Guadalupe, NM. Karnes, TX. And Gilmer, WV. 

The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Rhode Island, Michigan, Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota.

There have been 584,475 deaths in United States recorded as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.79%.

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Michigan 118. California 103. Texas 55. Florida 49. New York 42. Pennsylvania 37. Illinois 31. Virginia 27. New Jersey 25. And North Carolina 23. 

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, Vermont at 62.8%, Massachusetts at 61.1%, and Hawaii at 59.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 32.3%, Louisiana at 33.7%, and Alabama at 33.9%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 35.4%

Globally, cases were down 17% and deaths down 10% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since April 23. 

There are now 18,843,936 active cases around the world.

The five countries with the most new cases: India 343,288. Brazil 75,141. The United States 39,825. Argentina 26,531. And France 19,461. 

There have now been 3,340,130 deaths reported as...

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