Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 8-19-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for August 19th, 2021.</p><p><br></p><p>As expected, U.S. health officials announced booster shots of Pfizer and Moderna should be available for all U.S. adults starting next month. It is an acknowledgement that the effectiveness of the vaccines could wear off significantly in as little as eight months. Officials said those who got the single dose Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine will also probably need another shot, but they aren’t releasing plans for that yet.</p><p><br></p><p>Another mandate coming out of the White House yesterday; all nursing home staff will be required to be vaccinated or the facilities they work in could lose Medicare and Medicaid funding. That could also take effect as soon as next month. Hundreds of thousands of nursing home workers are not vaccinated.</p><p><br></p><p>Why is it so important vaccine booster shots help protect against the Delta variant? Because those cases now make up more than 98.8% of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the CDC.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>California has become the first state to require people to prove they’ve been vaccinated or have a negative test before they can attend any large indoor event with over 1,000 people. That could be conventions, conferences, expos, sporting events, and concerts. Event organizers will be in charge of enforcement.</p><p><br></p><p>If you’re supposed to wear a mask in Singapore, you should probably do it. Benjamin Glynn, a 40-year-old Brit living in Singapore for work, was filmed maskless on a public train. He was arrested and found guilty of that plus causing public nuisance and threatening public officials. At first, he was detained at a psychiatric hospital because he said COVID-19 was a hoax.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In the United States cases were up 47%, deaths are up 97%, and hospitalizations are up 54% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since July 5.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>There are once again over 7 million active cas