Posted June 24, 2021 | by KimS | in Coronavirus, DemDaily

DemDaily: The COVID Count. In Your State.

June 24, 2021

As our country emerges from the worst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 600,000 Americans over the last 15 months, we need to be reminded that the death toll in the US has eclipsed those of every other country and that the crisis is far from over.

While many Americans are enjoying the return to "normalcy" as schools, restaurants and businesses reopen, there are still close to 16,000 of our fellow citizens that are infected daily, and an average of 400 that succumb to COVID-19 each day.

COVID Count: 33,723,931 million cases and over 606,406 fatalities.

151 million Americans, or 45.9%, are fully vaccinated.

COVID Cases per State (NBC)

All told, 151 million Americans have been fully vaccinated and cases and deaths are down by 90%. According to a Cleveland Clinic study, however, 99.75% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between January 1st and April 13th were not fully vaccinated.

Although the crisis has abated considerably under the national leadership of the Biden administration, execution of public health policy still falls under the purview of each state's governor, with implementation strategies - along with the efficiency and equity of the process - varying from state to state.

(John Raby/AP)

As we have transitioned from testing to vaccinating, a percentage of the population is still rebelling against the cure, prompting governors of both parties to offer creative vaccination incentives to their constituents.

Over 30 states and territories are offering vaccination incentives, from "Vax-a-Million" lotteries and college tuition, to gift cards and tickets to the zoo, events and state parks.

In West Virginia, which has only a 36.2% full vaccination rate, the vaccinated have an opportunity to win a lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, custom hunting rifles and custom hunting shotguns.

Check out: Incentives in Your State

The Biden administration is pulling out all the stops to incentivize Americans to get vaccinated, including public and private-sector partnerships with US Companies.

Major League Baseball is hosting on-site vaccine clinics and ticket giveaways at games, Kroger is giving $1 million to a vaccinated person each week this month, and CVS launched a sweepstakes with prizes including free cruises and Super Bowl tickets. The YMCA and KinderCare are offering free child care for parents and caregivers during vaccination appointments, and Lyft and Uber are offering free rides to vaccination sites.

Check out: Companies Offering Incentives

Worldwide, there have been 180,591,101 reported cases and 3,911,736 deaths. 22.4% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Among low-income countries, that figure is just 0.9%.