June 18 coronavirus news

By Meg Wagner, Melissa Mahtani, Veronica Rocha and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 7:51 PM ET, Fri June 18, 2021
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6:30 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

Yankee Stadium open to full capacity for the first time since October 2019

From CNN’s Seamus Fagan

Yankee Stadium will open to a full capacity crowd when the New York Yankees host the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.

The occasion represents the first full capacity crowd since October 18, 2019, when the Yankees hosted the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.

The stadium's capacity is 46,537, the team said.

6:02 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

Some of New York's mass vaccination sites will begin downscaling, governor says

From CNN's Laura Ly

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference at One World Trade Center on June 15, 2021 in New York City. The Governor announced that 70% of New York State's adult population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a press conference at One World Trade Center on June 15, 2021 in New York City. The Governor announced that 70% of New York State's adult population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Some of New York state’s mass vaccination sites will begin downscaling and will shift their resources to localized vaccination efforts, according to a news release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

The decision to downscale the mass vaccination sites was made given overall statewide progress on vaccinations, the governor’s office said.

On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that 70% of New Yorkers had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and that most state-mandated restrictions would be lifted immediately.

The state now plans to shift resources to communities where the vaccination rate is below the state average.

On Thursday, Cuomo announced that 12 new pop-up vaccination sites would be opening in such areas, including in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

The state sites designated for downscaling are chosen based on demand, proximity to other vaccination sites, and other local vaccination efforts, Cuomo’s office said.

The downscaling will begin on Monday, with the closing of mass vaccination sites in Corning, Oneonta, Potsdam and York College, the release stated.

5:52 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

NFL player blasts league's strict unvaccinated rules: "I'd rather die actually living"

From CNN's Jacob Lev 

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley blasted the league's strict protocols for unvaccinated players on Friday. "I'd rather die actually living," Beasley wrote on Twitter in response to getting vaccinated against Covid-19. 

“Everyone — Hi, I'm Cole Beasley and I'm not vaccinated!" Beasley wrote in a post he called a “Public Service Announcement.” 

"I will be outside doing what I do. I’ll be out in the public. If your scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period. I may die of covid, but I’d rather die actually living."

Earlier in the week, the NFL sent a league-wide memo to all teams highlighting the differences in protocols between vaccinated and unvaccinated players. 

The league relaxed protocols for individuals who are fully vaccinated including weeks between Covid-19 testing and not requiring face coverings for team meetings, workouts and travel. While protocols for unvaccinated individuals were much stricter including daily testing and constant mask wearing at team facilities and travel. Unlike their fully vaccinated counterparts, unvaccinated individuals must also remain physically distant from others in club facilities and will not be allowed to eat with teammates or other staff. While away for travel, unvaccinated individuals will not be allowed to leave the team hotel to eat in restaurants, go to nightclubs, or attend concerts.

Beasley added, “I’m not going to take meds for a leg that isn’t broken. I’d rather take my chances with Covid and build up my immunity that way. Eat better. Drink water. Exercise and do what I think is necessary to be a healthy individual. That is MY CHOICE based on MY experiences and what I think is best."

Beasley concluded with, "A lot of other NFL players hold my position as well but aren’t in the right place in their careers to be so outspoken. I feel for you and I’m hoping I’m doing my part to represent you guys well.”

The 32-year-old finished the 2020 NFL season with 967 yards and four touchdowns and was named second team All-Pro for the first time in his nine-year career. 

 

5:57 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

Mississippi's Covid-19 state of emergency will end in August, governor says

From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch

Medical workers with Delta Health Center prepare to vaccinate people at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in a rural Delta community on April 29, 2021 in Leland, Mississippi. 
Medical workers with Delta Health Center prepare to vaccinate people at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in a rural Delta community on April 29, 2021 in Leland, Mississippi.  Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Mississippi's state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic will end at 11:59 p.m. on Aug.15, Gov. Tate Reeves announced.

"I want to thank all Mississippians for their sacrifices over the past 15 months. Your actions resulted in a significant decline of COVID-19 cases and allowed our state to effectively manage the impacts of the virus. I’m also extremely proud of the way our Mississippi National Guard, MS Department of Health, MEMA, and other state agencies have capably handled this pandemic. With their help, we’ve administered nearly 2 million COVID-19 vaccinations," Reeves said in the release.

"While a State of Emergency should no longer be necessary after August 15, all Mississippians should remain vigilant, get vaccinated, and follow public health guidance."

The National Guard will also end their support in the state for Covid-19 on July 15, a news release said.

The numbers: As of Thursday, nearly 2 million vaccines have been administered in the state with 952,865 Mississippians fully vaccinated and 1,071,623 having received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state's dashboard. 

3:54 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

New Mexico will lift all pandemic restrictions on July 1

From CNN's Jenn Selva

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the state will lift all pandemic health restrictions on July 1.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, the state has been broadly open for the past few months but “opening day” is set for two weeks from now. That means businesses may once again operate at 100% capacity and limitations on both indoor and outdoor mass gatherings will be gone.

“I know some will say this day is late in coming. I sure wish we’d gotten here sooner,” said Lujan Grisham. “I said all along: Vaccines are the way out, getting shots gets us there quicker. We were always going to put health and safety first. All along we have taken the approach that will protect the most New Mexicans, knowing the unique health risks of our population, understanding and respecting how dangerous this virus is. I believe, on the whole, New Mexicans made the right public health decisions in their day-to-day lives, following the science and helping us get to this point quickly and, more importantly, as safely as we possibly could.”

Masks have not been required in New Mexico for vaccinated individuals since May 14, but businesses may still require them if they choose.

As of Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health reports 59.4% of eligible New Mexicans are completely vaccinated.

3:26 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

New Jersey surpasses goal of 4.7 million people fully vaccinated against Covid-19

From CNN’s Keely Aouga and Ganesh Setty 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks during a news conference in Hoboken, N.J., on May 6, 2021.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks during a news conference in Hoboken, N.J., on May 6, 2021. Seth Wenig/AP

New Jersey has surpassed its goal of getting 4.7 million people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before June 30, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday. 

“This is not mission accomplished,” the governor said. “We are not close to stopping. This is not in any way, shape or form the end of history.”

The state’s original version of the goal was 4.7 million fully vaccinated adults, which amounts to roughly 70% of New Jersey’s total eligible adult population. However, as younger and younger residents have become eligible to receive Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, Murphy has since tweaked the goal from 4.7 million fully vaccinated adults, to “individuals who live, work, or study in New Jersey.”

Since New Jersey’s first resident received their initial Covid-19 vaccine dose on Dec. 15, new confirmed cases have plummeted from 4,000 to 5,000 cases a day to roughly 200, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. Hospitalizations similarly dropped from roughly 3,500 to the 300 range during the same period. 

According to Murphy, communities under the 50% mark for fully vaccinated eligible residents are “disproportionately communities of color,” underscoring that the vaccine equity gap still remains an issue.

Next week, the department will be sending “vaccine ambassadors” to high-risk counties to work with local leaders to get more residents vaccinated, Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said, reiterating that more work still needs to be done.

3:08 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

Covid-19 vaccine is "allowing millions of Americans to get back to living their lives," Biden says

President Joe Biden speaks about reaching 300 million COVID-19 vaccination shots, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, June 18, 2021, in Washington. 
President Joe Biden speaks about reaching 300 million COVID-19 vaccination shots, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, June 18, 2021, in Washington.  Evan Vucci/AP

President Biden said there was still work to be done in making sure more people of color get the Covid-19 vaccine.

"The more we close the racial gap in vaccination rates, the more lives we'll save now as our vaccination program is saving tens of thousands of lives. With that count growing each day, it's also allowing millions of Americans to get back to living their lives," Biden said this afternoon during a speech at the White House.

Biden went on to urge Americans to get fully vaccinated to protect against Covid-19 variants, particularly the Delta variant.

"The new variant will leave unvaccinated people even more vulnerable than they are a month ago. This is a serious concern especially because of what experts are calling the Delta variant. It's a variant that is more easily transmissible, potentially deadlier, and particularly dangerous for young people. But the good news is we have the solution. The science and the data are clear — the best way to protect yourself against these variants are to get fully vaccinated," he said.

2:59 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

Biden celebrates milestone of distributing 300 million Covid-19 shots

President Biden commemorated distributing 300 million Covid-19 shots in 150 days during a speech at the White House Friday.

"Thanks to this wartime response, we've gotten 300 million shots in the arms of Americans in 150 days, months ahead of what most anyone thought was possible when we started," Biden said.

He continued: 

"In fact, if you remember, a lot of people were skeptical that we could even get 100 million shots in my first 100 days, into people's arms, but we did it."

2:42 p.m. ET, June 18, 2021

Average number of new people fully vaccinated per day in the US is over 900,000 

From CNN's Virginia Langmaid

A healthcare worker administers the vaccine as the Empire State Building Offers COVID-19 Vaccines at its Observatory on June 18, 2021 in New York City. 
A healthcare worker administers the vaccine as the Empire State Building Offers COVID-19 Vaccines at its Observatory on June 18, 2021 in New York City.  Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

So far, 44.7% of US population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19; which represents 148.5 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Covid-19 dashboard.

Here are some more data points on vaccinations in the US:

  • 13 states have fully vaccinated more than half of their residents: Connecticut, Hawaii Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. 
  • 15 states have reached Biden’s goal to vaccinate 70% of adults with at least one dose. Illinois is the most recent addition to this list, which also includes: 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: 909,068 new people fully vaccinated per day, 1.36 million doses per day