CDC

The panel reversed an earlier decision and is a win for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said the CDC overstepped its authority by restricting the cruise industry.

Officials hoped it was a sign that the summer surge is getting the attention of vaccine-hesitant Americans as many hospitals in the South are being overrun with patients.

Cases of the variant have popped up in several states. But neither the WHO nor the CDC considers it a variant of concern, and the fast-spreading delta variant continues to dominate U.S. cases.

The agency argues that vaccinated people are safe without masks. But the guidance leaves room for plenty of unvaccinated people to mingle dangerously, and many argue that this is fueling case surges.

The CDC's HIV surveillance report uses the most recent data, collected from 2015 to 2019. Hillsborough and Pinellas counties were identified as particular areas of concern nationally.

Gov. Ron DeSantis promised to go as high as the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an appellate panel order issued late Saturday that sided with the CDC.

The temporary stay by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals keeps in place the CDC regulations while the agency appeals a Tampa federal judge's June ruling.

Reversing a months-long downward trend, deaths from COVID-19 have begun rising steadily this week. More than 99% of the recent fatalities were among people who had not been vaccinated.

Experts say lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get.

The guidance generally leaves it to local officials to figure out how to ensure the unvaccinated are using precautions while letting those who are fully protected go mask-free.