The United States recorded more than 67,000 new coronavirus infections Wednesday and over 1,000 deaths. COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in a majority of states, despite one of the world’s fastest vaccine rollouts.
On Wednesday, conservative justices on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court struck down a statewide mask mandate ordered by Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine provides protection for at least six months after a second dose. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday vaccinated people do not appear to be able to carry or transmit the coronavirus to others.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson says 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine were contaminated and will have to be thrown out, delaying shipments of J&J’s one-dose vaccine across the United States. The company blamed human error at an Emergent BioSolutions manufacturing plant in Baltimore, Maryland.