This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for May 26th, 2021.

The CDC reports nearly one out of two Americans have now received at least one dose of a vaccine as of yesterday. And half of citizens 18 and over have been fully vaccinated. The United States has administered 287,788,872 doses.

Elsewhere, problems remain. Bahrain's health ministry reported the highest daily death toll in that small island nation as a surge in cases hits record levels. Authorities mostly blame it on large gatherings during Ramadan. And in Malaysia, an outbreak is getting worse and spilling over into neighboring Thailand. Hospitals in Malaysia are strained, and the country has imposed a near lockdown until June 7.

Moderna reports trials of its vaccine show it’s safe and effective for teenagers. They’ll submit the results to the FDA in hopes of getting authorization for use in kids aged 12 to 17. It’s hoped this increased access could boost supply ahead of the new school year's start this fall.

However, uptake of the virus in young Americans is proving to be a problem. Those 24 and younger are getting doses at much lower rates. For those 12 to 15, only 1.4% have gotten at least one dose. Only 1.7% of 16- to 17-year-olds have done so, and 7.6% of 18- to 24-year-olds have. Experts point out that while younger people don't face a high chance of serious illness, they still risk long-term symptoms if they get COVID-19.

It’s getting kicked up a notch. The Republican led U.S. Senate and Democrat led House of Representatives intelligence committees are conducting their own investigations into the origins of the pandemic. There appear to be still-classified reports researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill they sought hospital care way back in November 2019. There are fears a lack of transparency will frustrate reaching an authoritative account of how the virus was unleashed.

In the United States cases were down 37%, deaths are down 13%, and hospitalizations are down 23% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14.  

There are now 5,735,539 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and Kentucky. 

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. Livingston, MO. Linn, MO. Charlton, GA. Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK. Lincoln, WA. Koochiching, MN. Alamosa, CO. Karnes, TX. And Alleghany, VA. 

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

There have been 590,922 deaths in U.S. recorded as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.79%.

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Florida 93. Michigan 71. Pennsylvania 45. Texas 42. California 39. Georgia 38. New York 31. New Jersey 25. Virginia 21. And Illinois 18. 

The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, Vermont at 69.6%, Hawaii at 65%, and Massachusetts at 64.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 33.2%, Louisiana at 35.1%, and Alabama at 35.6%. The percentage of the U.S. that’s been fully vaccinated is 39.3%.

Globally, cases were down 31% and deaths down 7% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since April 26. 

There are now under 15 million active cases around the world at 14,996,161.

The five countries with the most new cases: India 208,886. Brazil 74,845. Argentina 24,601. The United States 22,738. And Colombia 21,181.  

There have now been 3,480,781 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. 

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