The Latest on COVID-19

• The Delta variant is bringing increased hospitalizations in the U.S. Mountain West – a disturbing sign of what this winter might bring, reported the Associated Press. Even as pandemic trends improve in southern states like Florida and Texas, which experienced the worst of the summer’s surge, Delta-derived COVID-19 is still a danger.
• An Austrian province is days away from implementing a lockdown for its unvaccinated population, as record COVID-19 cases are reported in the European nation, according to the BBC. A record 11,975 infections were recorded in Austria in the past 24 hours.
• Colorado and California now say that everyone over age 18 is eligible to get a COVID-19 booster shot. The governor of Colorado signed an executive order declaring everyone in the state at high-risk for developing the disease. The California state public health director indicated that people can get the shot if they’re over 18 and enough time has elapsed since their original vaccine series.