U.S. coronavirus cases top 38 million, 630,000+ deaths

Increase in COVID-19 Hospitalizations , Leads to Increase in U.S. Vaccination Rates.Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that more than 1 million vaccine doses were administered Aug. 19.On average, the number is 70% higher than it was at the beginning of July.In fact, two states that had been below the national average in terms of vaccination rates .are now exceeding the national average of daily vaccinations.Those states are Louisiana and Oklahoma.We're seeing a new willingness, a new openness to getting vaccinated, Asma Mirza, White House COVID-19 Response Team chief of staff, via CNN.The increased vaccination rates come as hospitals all over the country struggle to accommodate people seeking care for new infections.We are sort of in a very dire situation in Austin, Lauren Meyers, University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, via CNN.Doctors urge even the newly inoculated to take precautions as their body integrates the vaccine.These are healthy, young 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds who, because of the aggressive nature of the delta variant, are now being hospitalized, Mary Mayhew, CEO Florida Hospital Association, via CNN.We can't handle what we're seeing. We are estimating that the number of cases in Tennessee will increase sixfold by the end of September if we don't take measures to mitigate the spread, Dr. Sara Cross, Tennessee COVID-19 Task Force, via CNN.Many state and local governments have issued vaccine mandates for employees.But other state and local governments continue to issue orders that prevent such mandates.Booster shots will likely be widely available in late September to those who were fully vaccinated eight months ago.CDC data shows that just over half of all Americans are fully vaccinated