CDC Director Rochelle Walensky

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.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky says there are areas of low vaccination in the country where cases are rising, and in that situation, the CDC is suggesting that policies be made at the local level.

Biden says, "Today is a great day for America and our long battle with coronavirus. ... It's been made possible by the extraordinary success we've had in vaccinating so many Americans so quickly."

A new Harvard poll shows that only half of Americans trust the CDC — other health agencies were rated even lower. During a pandemic, trust is critical to the success of a public health response.

Efforts to get as many adolescents vaccinated as possible before school restarts this fall are already underway.

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Tampa, asks a federal judge to lift restrictions imposed by the CDC that have idled cruise ships in the U.S. for more than a year because of the pandemic.

The variant known as B.1.1.7, which is more easily spread, was first identified in England last fall. Since then, it has spread quickly in the U.S.

President Joe Biden urged governors to reinstate mask mandates and other restrictions that some states have been easing.