Coronavirus vaccine and Delta variant updates for 9-22-2021

<p>This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for September 22nd, 2021.</p><p><br></p><p>There are approximately 71 million unvaccinated Americans. And COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March. Many hospitals are full and health care workers demoralized, with patients dying and disbelief about the virus continuing. Dr. William Moss of Johns Hopkins said, “I think this is a failure of society.”</p><p><br></p><p>Almost 400 Novant Health employees in North Carolina aren’t overworked anymore. They’ve been suspended after failing to comply with the hospital system’s vaccination program. Those who got their first vaccine of Pfizer or Moderna have until October 15 to get the second, or they’re gone too.</p><p><br></p><p>People who got the Johnson &amp; Johnson booster shot are better protected, and for a longer period of time, according to their own latest trial results. The one-dose vaccine has been found to be 72% protective against severe cases in the U.S. But get a second shot two months later and that protection goes up to 94%.</p><p><br></p><p>Two big retail groups have asked the Biden administration for at least a 90-day heads up before imposing new rules that’ll require employees at bigger companies to be vaccinated or submit to regular testing. The groups represent brands like Walmart, CVS, Target, and Home Depot and said "there could be as many as 4 million workers who may need to be tested weekly," and they need time and guidance to figure out how that gets done.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>He’s one of the most famous filmmakers you don’t know, and he has died from COVID. His name is George Holliday. He was actually a plumber in Los Angeles. But it was he who shot the grainy video of four white police officers beating black motorist Rodney King back in 1991, an incident which later sparked massive riots. He was 61 and had been fighting COVID in the hospital for over a month.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In the United States