“There wasn’t a single I.C.U. bed available in Alabama on Wednesday, a possible sign of what other states may confront soon amid a deadly surge of new infections in parts of the United States with low vaccination rates,” the New York Times reports.

A new Economist/YouGov poll asked Americans whether they would support vaccine mandates for a number of groups — such as police, college students, teachers, federal employees and medical staff.

In every case the survey asked about, there was majority — and often 2-to-1 — support.

Aaron Blake: The GOP is losing the P.R. battle on coronavirus mandates.

The Biden administration will require nursing home staff vaccinations as condition for federal funds, the AP reports.

Former President Trump in a Fox Business interview:

“That sounds to me like the money-making operation for Pfizer. OK? Think of the money involved… Let’s give them another shot. That’s another $10 billion of money coming in. The whole thing is just crazy.”

Three studies published by the CDC “show that protection against the coronavirus from vaccines declined in the midsummer months when the more contagious delta variant rose to dominance in the United States,” the Washington Post reports.

“At the same time, protection against hospitalization was strong for weeks after vaccination, indicating the shots will generate immune fighters that stave off the worst effects of the virus and its current variations.”

U.S. health officials recommended Covid-19 booster shots for all Americans to boost their defenses amid delta variant, the AP reports.

Beginning the week of September 20, Americans who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will be offered a booster shot eight months after their second dose.

NBC News: “The plan does not yet include those who received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, the rollout of which started several months after the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.”

“There are more intensive care patients in Alabama than there are ICU beds in the state to treat them,” the Washington Post reports.

“Hospitals in the South have for weeks been overrun by covid-19 patients as cases surged across the Sun Belt. But now, health-care workers across the country are also struggling to manage the waves of cases brought on by the delta variant.”

Politico: “The evidence, compiled by federal scientists over the past several months, showed a decline in the initial round of protection against Covid-19 infection that’s coincided with a resurgence in cases driven by the more contagious Delta variant. The data looked at vaccine effectiveness in individuals across age groups, with varying medical conditions and who received the shot at different times.”

Washington Post: Rise of delta variant and waning immunity are fueling breakthrough infections.

“The origin story of Covid-19 remains a mystery mired in contentious geopolitical debate,” Bloomberg reports.

“But a research paper that languished in publishing limbo for a year and a half contains meticulously collected data and photographic evidence supporting scientists’ initial hypothesis—that the outbreak stemmed from infected wild animals—which prevailed until speculation that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a nearby lab gained traction.”

CNBC: “Five states broke records for the average number of daily new Covid cases over the weekend as the delta variant strains hospital systems across the U.S. and forces many states to reinstate public health restrictions.”

“Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oregon and Mississippi all reached new peaks in their seven-day average of new cases per day as of Sunday.”

“On a per capita basis, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are suffering from the three worst outbreaks in the country.”

The Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus appears to be breaking through the protection vaccines provide at a higher rate than previous strains, though infections among the fully inoculated remain a tiny fraction of overall cases, and symptoms tend to be milder, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said infectious disease expert Jorge Bernett: “All we’re really seeing, with vaccine breakthrough cases that come into the hospital, are people who are over 80 or have a compromised immune system.”

A new Axios/Ipsos poll finds that 69% of Americans support their local school districts requiring teachers, students, and administrators to wear masks in schools.

Furthermore, 66% oppose state laws that prohibit local governments from creating mask requirements.

NBC News: “With Covid-19 surging across the state, Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government in anticipation of an influx of dead bodies.”

“The Biden administration has decided that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster shot eight months after they completed their initial vaccination, and could begin offering the extra shots as early as mid-September,” the New York Times reports.

“Officials are planning to announce the administration’s decision as early as this week. Their goal is to let Americans know now that they will need additional protection against the Delta variant that is causing surging caseloads across the nation.”

Washington Post: “The question of boosters has become increasingly fraught as the pandemic continues to unfurl, with the ferocity of the delta variant surprising scientists. Data continues to accumulate suggesting that vaccines lose some anti-virus potency over time.”

“But officials have been reluctant to highlight that fact because they are still trying to persuade broad swaths of Americans to get vaccinated — considered the best way to exit from the pandemic. And they are not sure how much of the reduction in protection is from the passage of time and how much is due to the variant.”

“Videos of local government meetings have emerged as the latest vector of COVID-19 misinformation, broadcasting misleading claims about masks and vaccines to millions and creating new challenges for internet platforms trying to balance the potential harm against the need for government openness,” the AP reports.

“Grappling with an unprecedented flood of COVID-19 patients, Louisiana’s hospitals are struggling to provide the public with the most basic levels of care — and are quickly approaching catastrophe,” the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.

Said Gov. John Bel Edwards (D): “We are rapidly getting to the point where we could have a major failure of our health care delivery system. There’s some people out there whose care is being delayed to the point where, for them, it’s already failed.”