US will provide 'arsenal' of vaccines for world; Anheuser-Busch offers to 'buy America's next round': Live COVID-19 updates

The United States will provide an "arsenal" of vaccines for the world and will donate 75% of its surplus doses through an international initiative for countries in need, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

The administration has pledged to donate at least 80 million doses by month's end, starting with an initial tranche of 25 million. Of those, the White House said about 19 million will go to COVAX – a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access – with approximately 6 million for South and Central America, 7 million for Asia and 5 million for Africa.

"The United States will be the world's arsenal of vaccines in our shared fight against this virus,'' President Joe Biden said in a statement. "And we will continue to do all we can to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease."

The U.S. will keep 25% of its excess vaccine supply in reserve for emergencies and to share with allies and partners.

The distribution plan will prioritize neighbors in our hemisphere but also India, Southeast Asia and countries where the need is especially dire, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. Jeff Zients, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, said U.S. vaccine makers are ramping up production so that additional doses can be provided beyond the 80 million already committed.

"The United States will not use its vaccines to secure favors from other countries," Sullivan said. "We will continue to donate from our excess supply as that supply is delivered to us."

Also in the news:

►Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city will move up its full reopening date from July 4 to June 11, aligning with the state's plans for lifting pandemic restrictions.

►California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state will allow restaurants to continue selling takeout alcohol and keep expanded outdoor dining through the end of the year. Restaurants turned to takeout and outdoor seating as coronavirus restrictions limited indoor service.

►Washington is the latest state to offer prizes to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, with a program called “Shot of a Lifetime.'' Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday announced a series of June giveaways that include lottery drawings totaling $2 million, college tuition assistance, airline tickets and game systems.

►An unidentified doubles team has been forced out of the French Open because of positive COVID tests, the French Tennis Federation said. FTF said the pair were the first positive tests of 2,446 conducted at the tournament so far.

📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 33.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 596,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: Over 171.8 million cases and 3.57 million deaths. More than 136.6 million Americans have been fully vaccinated – 41.2% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

📘 What we're reading: Wisconsin lawmakers are advancing a slate of bills that would bar business owners, university leaders or government officials from requiring the COVID-19 vaccination or treating unvaccinated people differently.

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White House science chief envisions new vaccines in 100 days

The development of COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year is regarded as a near-miracle in the scientific community, especially considering the fastest vaccine before that – for mumps – took four years. The newest member of the White House team is aiming at a new record: a little over three months.

Eric Lander, sworn in Wednesday as the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, envisions advancements that would make the U.S. capable of responding to the next pandemic with a new vaccine in 100 days.

"A lot of us have been talking about a 100-day target from the recognition from a virus with pandemic potential,” Lander told the Associated Press. “It would mean that we would have had a vaccine in early April if that had happened this time, early April of 2020. It makes you gulp for a second, but it’s totally feasible to do that.”

Lander, the first chief science adviser elevated to a Cabinet-level position, is a pioneer in mapping the human genome and the founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

CDC's Rochelle Walensky: I vaccinated my teens and you should, too

While President Joe Biden is pushing to meet his goal of having 70% of American adults at least partially vaccinated against COVID by July 4, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has set her eyes on a different age group: adolescents.

At a Thursday briefing, Walensky said a CDC report coming out Friday will prompt a redoubling of efforts to have eligible youngsters get vaccinated. She also said those who aren't fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks and observe social distancing to protect themselves and those around them.

Teenagers and young adults are less susceptible than older folks to COVID's harshest effects, but they can transmit the virus. “I strongly encourage parents to get their teens vaccinated, as I did mine,” Walensky said.

Delta variant emerges as dominant strain in UK

The coronavirus variant first identified in India, now known as Delta, has become the dominant strain in the United Kingdom, British health authorities said Thursday. The highly transmissible Delta variant is considered one of the main drivers of last month's spike in COVID-19 cases in India, which reached a crisis point before subsiding recently.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said last week that up to 75% of new coronavirus infections in the U.K. could be of the Delta variant, which has overtaken the U.K. variant – now known as Alpha – as the leading threat.

The number of Delta variant cases in the U.K. nearly doubled to 6,959 in a week, according to data from the British health department.

"With this variant now dominant across the U.K., it remains vital that we all continue to exercise as much caution as possible," said Dr. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency.

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that half of the U.K.'s adults are now fully vaccinated.

Anheuser-Busch to 'buy America's next round of beer'

Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch will "buy America's next round of beer" when the nation reaches President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated, the company announced.

"At Anheuser-Busch, we are committed to supporting the safe and strong recovery of our nation and being able to be together again at the places and with the people we have missed so much," CEO Michel Doukeris said. "This commitment includes encouraging Americans to get vaccinated, and we are excited to buy Americans 21-plus a round of beer when we reach the White House goal."

Adults 21 and older will be able to upload a picture of themselves "in their favorite place to grab a beer" at MyCooler.com/Beer to sign up to receive one of the company's beers, which include Budweiser and Bud Light among others.

California to consider workplace mask mandate

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board meets Thursday to consider controversial new workplace rules that would only allow workers to go maskless if everyone in a room is fully vaccinated. The proposal is more restrictive than CDC recommendations, and the California Chamber of Commerce is among businesses and organizations crying foul.

“If you are fully vaccinated, (under CDC recommendations) you don’t need to wear a mask inside or outside. That’s the science!" chamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg said in a statement. “Under these (proposed) rules, workers’ freedoms will be controlled by their fellow workers' decisions to get vaccinated, not by their own choices.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Prognosis 'good,' but vaccination effort must continue

The pandemic prognosis is good, but the U.S. must remain vigilant in its vaccine efforts or a lot of good work could be wasted, warned Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci, speaking Thursday on CNN, said the nation is on a "really good track now to really crush this outbreak." He warned that upticks in cases following Memorial Day celebrations are possible in areas where vaccination rates are relatively low. But he said the vaccination penetration across the country – about 52% of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated – should tamp down the severity of any surges.

Fauci also warned that cruise ships could once again become virus hot spots if many unvaccinated people are on board.

"If you have a couple of infected people there, you have a risk of spreading as we have seen historically with cruise ships," Fauci warned.

Staffing crisis slams day care industry as pandemic eases

Working parents need child care, but day cares are struggling to retain workers. Just half of the child care workers who left early in the pandemic have returned, Myra Jones-Taylor, the chief policy officer at the nonprofit Zero to Three, said in a recent U.S. Senate committee hearing. The industry’s low pay, rigorous time demands and hit-or-miss benefits make it difficult for its workforce to meet their own child care needs.

“We’re in a staffing crisis in this industry,” said Leslie Spina, the executive director of an early-childhood education provider in Philadelphia. “Workforce development is really in an ugly place right now.” Read more here.

– Alia Wong

First in line, but not all hospital workers want the jab

Hospital workers, many of whom risked their lives during the pandemic and saw the ravages of the virus up close, were first in line for the vaccines. Yet a sizable group of them still are not vaccinated. USA TODAY surveyed some of the largest hospital networks and public hospitals in the country. At the nine networks that responded, fully vaccinated rates ranged from 53% to 72%. Rates among 15 of the nation’s largest public hospitals ranged from 51% to 91%. At Houston’s United Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Varon is concerned that unvaccinated staff might spread the virus to patients.

“What I don’t understand is how come 40% of my nurses who have worked with me in my COVID unit, where three patients die every day, they still say no,” he said.

– David Heath

Wisconsin lawmakers advance bill to ban requiring proof of vaccination

Wisconsin lawmakers are advancing a slate of bills that would bar business owners, university leaders or government officials from requiring the COVID-19 vaccination or treating unvaccinated people differently. An Assembly committee heard hours of testimony on the five proposals, one of which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers suggested Tuesday he would not sign into law. That bill would forbid any government official or business owner from requiring any person to provide proof of receiving the vaccine as a condition of receiving services, accessing buildings, participating in events or for any business transaction. The Wisconsin Medical Society, which represents doctors, says those rules help ensure patients and workers in hospitals don't get sick.

– Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Anti-mask vandals deface school mural honoring essential workers

A colorful, 90-foot mural honoring essential workers at a rural California school district office was vandalized with anti-mask graffiti, causing more than $10,000 in damage. The spray-painted messages read "NO 2 MASKS" and covered the faces of the "larger than life" farmworkers, first responders, teachers and "everyday heroes" that hung from the Kings Canyon Unified School District office's wall. The mural had been up for barely a month when the May 21 incident forced the district to take it down.

"We spent five months working and planning this mural as a very small token of our appreciation to honor the people who make life in our community just a little bit better every day," said Renee Delport, the district's communications officer. "Sadly, a month later we had this vandalism take place ... It's a very sad day for our students and for our community."

– Joshua Yeager, Visalia Times-Delta

Joel Shannon, USA TODAY, and the Associated Press contributed to this column.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US to provide global 'arsenal' of vaccine to the world through COVAX