Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 8-03-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for August 3rd, 2021.</p><p><br></p><p>It’s a month late from the US administration’s goal but 70% of U.S. adults have had at least one shot of a vaccine, according to the CDC. Some health officials say it’s a big step toward reaching so-called herd immunity, while others say herd immunity is misleading and the best we can do is reduce the impact of and learn to live with COVID -19.</p><p><br></p><p>The seven-day average of daily cases in the U.S. has now surpassed the peak seen this time last summer when there were no vaccines at all. Data from the CDC is at odds with Johns Hopkins in terms of if new cases are trending up or down. The seven-day average of daily deaths of 300 per day though is far below last summer’s peak of more than 1,100 daily.</p><p><br></p><p>In a big change from last month, a Gallup poll shows more Americans now say the pandemic in the U.S. is getting worse rather than better. As recently as June, 89% said things were getting better. Americans now expect societal disruptions to persist at least through the end of the year, or longer, and concern about getting COVID-19 has grown. However, there’s little evidence people are altering their behavior to avoid exposure.</p><p><br></p><p>Japanese researchers say the Lambda variant is not being taken nearly seriously enough. Their studies show it to be highly infectious and more resistant to vaccines than the original version. They found three mutations in Lambda's spike protein help it resist neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies. It is not clear if the variant is more dangerous than the Delta variant.</p><p><br></p><p>More than 385,000. That’s how many attended the 4-day Lollapalooza festival in Chicago this weekend. The head of Chicago’s health department said she expects to see cases associated with the event rise. But Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended the festival, saying, “We’ve been able to do it because of the vaccinations,” but only about 52% of all Chicagoans a