Here in the United States, President Biden is announcing the deployment of 1,000 military medical personnel to six states where hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. The U.S. is averaging nearly 800,000 cases per day, a record high, and more than 145,000 U.S. hospital beds are filled by COVID patients — also a record number. Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that most U.S. residents will be exposed to coronavirus at some point.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: “Virtually everybody is going to wind up getting exposed and likely get infected. But if you’re vaccinated and if you’re boosted, the chances of your getting sick are very, very low.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom has approved a policy change that will allow asymptomatic healthcare workers who have tested positive for coronavirus to return to work immediately. The president of the California Nurses Association, Cathy Kennedy, blasted the decision, writing, “We need more infectious disease controls, not more casualties. Surging pandemic numbers are a warning to strengthen safety measures, not weaken them.”

In West Virginia, Governor Jim Justice has called off plans to deliver his State of the State address, after he tested positive for coronavirus. Justice’s chief of staff said the 70-year-old Republican, who was vaccinated and boosted, is “very ill” with COVID-19 and suffering from elevated blood pressure and severe congestion.