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Vaccine hesitancy wanes slightly
There’s some encouraging news on the COVID-19 pandemic front. Some of the most vaccine-resistant areas of the U.S. are now leading the country in the number of people getting a first dose of the vaccine.
An analysis by Bloomberg finds many Americans are getting vaccinated for the first time as the number of new cases and hospitalizations are on the rise.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, Dagget County has the most new people getting vaccinated at 233 doses per 100,000 people. Iron County is next at 129 doses per 100,000, followed by Tooele, Cache, and Utah counties.
51.7% of all Utahns have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 45.9% of all adults are fully vaccinated.
Here’s what you need to know for Thursday morning
🤝 Let’s make a deal. Sen. Mitt Romney took a victory lap Wednesday after a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal advanced in the Senate. [Tribune]
National coverage: WSJ, NYT, CNN, WaPo, Politico
💧 Water news. Gov. Spencer Cox says ranchers and farmers have cut water use by up to 75%. Is that true? [Tribune]
Groups say there’s a better way to provide water for St. George than the proposed $1.8 billion Lake Powell Pipeline. [Tribune]
💉 COVID-19. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall says masks or face coverings will be required again in Salt Lake City government buildings. [Tribune]
President Joe Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal workers and contractors will be unveiled today, but don’t call it a mandate. [Politico]
Google and Facebook announced Wednesday they will require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. [Recode]
Full FDA approval for the COVID-19 vaccine could happen in a “couple of months.” [CNN]
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell is downplaying the threat to the economy posed by the Delta variant. [AP]
🇺🇸 The race for 2024. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2024, ridiculed the new CDC recommendations on masks during a speech in Salt Lake City. [Tribune]
🤥 The “Big Lie.” Former President Donald Trump harassed acting Attorney General Jeffery Rosen almost daily to pressure him to investigate allegations of voter fraud following the 2020 election. [WaPo]
The GOP-led audit of votes in Arizona has raised more than $5.7 million from private donations. [WaPo]
🗳 Voting rights. Senate Democrats are taking another run at voting rights legislation. The revised bill could be public as soon as this week. [WaPo]
💰 Government aid. The trillions of dollars spent by the federal government on pandemic relief cut poverty in America by nearly half. [NYT]
🤔 Notable. The incoming MBA class at Wharton Business School is 52% women for the first time. [WSJ]
Thursday’s Utah news roundup
COVID-19
Vaccine hesitancy declines among faith groups, spurred partly by religious appeals. [Tribune]
Can COVID-19 patients qualify for federal disability? [ABC4]
Utah
People have been staying longer in Utah’s homeless shelters during COVID-19. [Tribune]
June M. Morris, who built a travel empire in Utah, dies at 90. [Tribune]
UDOT installs alert system for drivers in area where dust storm caused deadly crash. [KUTV]
Is Utah doing better by the homeless? Study shows mixed results. [Deseret News]
Weather
Cedar City braces for more rain as it recovers from flash floods. [Tribune]
‘Widespread impacts’: Utah’s drought worsens despite recent rainfall. [ABC4]
Utah seeing fewer human caused wildfires despite extreme fire danger. [Fox 13]
Long, thin landspout spotted in North Ogden. [Fox 13]
On the opinion pages
Curtis Linton: Next Pioneer Day, let’s celebrate Utah’s diversity. [Tribune]
Opinion: Join the process to fairly redraw Utah’s political boundaries. [Deseret News]
🎂 You say it’s your birthday?!!
Happy birthday to former Utah state Rep. Bruce Cutler.
Got a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.
— The Tribune’s Jordan Miller contributed to this report.
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