June 17 coronavirus news

By Melissa Mahtani, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 2358 GMT (0758 HKT) June 17, 2021
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12:11 p.m. ET, June 17, 2021

CDC lowers travel warning for cruise ships and still recommends avoiding them if not fully vaccinated 

From CNN’s Naomi Thomas and Keri Enriquez

Cruise ships sit docked at PortMiami on May 26 in Miami.
Cruise ships sit docked at PortMiami on May 26 in Miami. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday lowered the level of its travel health notice for cruise ships from "Level 4: Very High" to "Level 3: High." 

On its website, the CDC says this travel notice is specifically for travelers who are not fully vaccinated and that it recommends that travelers who aren’t fully vaccinated avoid travel on all cruise ships.

They note that since the coronavirus spreads easier between people who are in close quarters aboard ships, the chance of getting it on one is high. 

“It is especially important that people who are not fully vaccinated with an increased risk of severe illness avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises,” says the CDC. 

It also advises that people who decide to go on a cruise should get tested one to three days before their trip and three to five days after. People who are not fully vaccinated should also self-quarantine for seven days after travel, even if they test negative. Those who do not get tested should self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.   

Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, says that the CDC easing this travel warning reflects the country’s current situation. 

“I think they can do that because enough people have been vaccinated and cases are low enough right now that that lowers the overall risk,” she told CNN. 

However, Marr who also studies the airborne transmission of Covid-19 gave an emphatic “no” when asked whether she’d recommend unvaccinated people go on cruises right now.

 

11:50 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

Biden administration announces $3 billion to go toward Covid-19 antiviral development strategy

From CNN's Kate Sullivan

The Biden administration announced it was investing about $3 billion from the American Rescue Plan to go toward a Covid-19 antiviral development strategy.

“Vaccines clearly remained the centerpiece of our arsenal against Covid-19, however, antivirals can and are an important complement to existing vaccines, especially for individuals with certain conditions that might put them at a greater risk for those whom vaccines may not be as protective," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters during a White House Covid-19 briefing on Thursday. 

“We know that there are many people who are immunosuppressed in which vaccines, at least initially, may not give an optimal response. And it also adds a line of defense against other unexpected emerging things like variants of concern that we are currently dealing with,” Fauci continued.

9:55 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

Jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week

From CNN's Anneken Tappe

People receive food from a local charity in the Queens borough of New York City on June 4.
People receive food from a local charity in the Queens borough of New York City on June 4. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, marking the first increase in initial claims since late April.

Another 412,000 workers filed for first-time benefits in the week ended June 12, adjusted for seasonal swings, the Labor Department said Thursday. 

Since the start of May, weekly claims had set new pandemic-era lows every week — and economists polled by Refinitiv expected another low for Thursday's report.

The number of claims under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program — which isn't adjusted for seasonality — also climbed at 118,025 claims. Congress set up the program to provide aid for those not eligible for regular state benefits, such as the self-employed, during the pandemic.

For context: Continued claims, which count those who have filed for benefits for at least two weeks in a row, rose slightly to 3.5 million in the week ended June 5, adjusted for seasonal swings.

10:04 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

Delta variant is like "Covid on steroids," says former White House coronavirus adviser

From CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas

The B.1.617.2, or Delta, variant first identified in India is like “Covid on steroids,” Andy Slavitt, former White House senior adviser for Covid-19 response, said Wednesday.

“This is a more virulent strain,” Slavitt told CNN. “This is like Covid on steroids. You can be around people for less time and still get exposed.”

The CDC has labeled the Delta variant a “variant of concern,” noting it now accounts for about 10% of cases in the US.

Slavitt said the variant provides people with one more reason to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

“If you have been vaccinated, you have very little to worry about,” he said.

Watch:

9:44 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

Fauci on the Delta variant: "I'm not concerned about the people who are vaccinated"

From CNN's Naomi Thomas

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with members of media at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, on June 6.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with members of media at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, on June 6. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NPR’s Morning Edition Thursday that when it comes to the Delta variant, he’s not concerned about people who are vaccinated, and the variant is another good reason for people to get vaccinated.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated the Delta variant to a variant of concern this week. Fauci said that “the combination of more transmissibility and greater severity of disease, appropriately, prompted the CDC to elevate it to a variant of concern.” 

When asked how concerned he was about the variant, Fauci said “I’m not concerned about the people who are vaccinated. Because the good news about all this, among the seriousness of the situation with regards to the variant, is that the vaccines work really quite well.” 

People who are vaccinated are protected, he said, “which is another very good reason to encourage people strongly to get vaccinated because if you are not vaccinated, you are at risk of getting infected with a virus that now spreads more rapidly and gives more serious disease.” 

He said that the United Kingdom is having a “very difficult time with this,” adding that more than 90% of their isolates are the Delta variant. 

“Ten percent of our isolates are Delta, we want to make sure we don’t get into the same situation that people in the UK did,” he said. 

9:30 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

13 states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents against coronavirus

From CNN's Deidre McPhillips

A healthcare worker administers a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the University of New Mexico's Gallup campus in Gallup, New Mexico, on March 23.
A healthcare worker administers a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the University of New Mexico's Gallup campus in Gallup, New Mexico, on March 23. Cate Dingley/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Thirteen states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents against Covid-19, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here's a breakdown of the numbers:

  • 44.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated (about 146.5 million people)
  • 13 states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents: Hawaii is the latest to cross this threshold, joining Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. 
  • 14 states have reached Biden’s goal to vaccinate 70% of adults with at least one dose: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, along with Washington, DC.
  • Current pace of vaccinations: 761,000 new people fully vaccinated per day, 1.2 million doses per day
8:42 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

The White House is planning a July 4th celebration for essential workers and military families

From CNN's Kate Sullivan

Fireworks explode over the White House as part of the Fourth of July celebration July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Fireworks explode over the White House as part of the Fourth of July celebration July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The White House will host a celebration for thousands of essential workers and military families on July Fourth on the South Lawn to mark America's "independence from the virus," according to a White House official. 

The celebration, which will be the largest in-person White House event since President Biden took office, comes as states across the nation lift restrictions put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19. 

The White House is encouraging state and local partners to host their own events across the nation to celebrate the progress the country has made in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. More than 50% of Americans 12 and older are fully vaccinated, children are returning to in-person learning and businesses have been returning to full capacity across the nation. 

The National Mall will be open for the traditional July Fourth fireworks, with crowds expected to gather.

But the event will follow a grim milestone in the country's fight against the pandemic: The US surpassed 600,000 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In February, the President held a candle-lighting ceremony and a moment of silence after the US surpassed 500,000 deaths.

8:10 a.m. ET, June 17, 2021

Here's what we know about the coronavirus Delta variant

From CNN's Jen Christensen

People walk on Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco, California, on June 15, 2021.
People walk on Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco, California, on June 15, 2021. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now calling the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus, also known as B.1.617.2, a "variant of concern." 

The variant of concern designation is given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Vaccines, treatments and tests that detect the virus may also be less effective against a variant of concern. Previously, the CDC had considered the Delta variant to be a variant of interest.

What we know: The CDC said the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, shows increased transmissibility, potential reduction in neutralization by some monoclonal antibody treatments under emergency authorization and potential reduction in neutralization from sera after vaccination in lab tests.

The World Health Organization classified the Delta variant as a variant of concern on May 10.

Covid-19 cases have been declining over the past few months in the United States, but there's concern that could change as the pace of vaccinations slows and the Delta variant spreads.

Read more about the Delta variant here.