The Latest: Tennessee judge blocks Gov. Lee's mask opt-out

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal judge handed down a second blow to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s order allowing parents to opt out of school mask requirements. U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer on Friday ruled Knox County Schools must implement a mask mandate to help...

The Latest: Australian cities move closer to ending lockdown

SYDNEY — Australia’s two largest cities are moving closer to ending lockdowns as vaccination rates climb, but leaders are warning that people should remain cautious with their newfound freedoms and that coronavirus case numbers will inevitably rise. In New South...

Alabama leading US in COVID-19 death rate over last week

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has averaged more than 100 deaths a day from COVID-19 over the last week, statistics showed Thursday, giving it the nation's highest death rate over the period even as hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus pandemic continue to decline. ...

High Orleans County cases blamed on lower vaccination rate

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont state officials are attributing the high number of COVID-19 cases in Orleans County in the Northeast Kingdom in part to the lower vaccination rate in the area. The county is reporting scattered COVID-19 outbreaks and a high degree of...

Pence hopeful the Supreme Court will restrict abortion in US

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that he is hopeful the new conservative majority on the Supreme Court created during his and President Donald Trump's administration will soon overturn abortion rights in the United States. ...

Rural communities seeing higher infection rates

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — The highest rates of coronavirus infections in recent months have been in places with lower vaccination rates, demonstrating a divide between rural and urban centers in the state, a newspaper reported. Communities with the lowest vaccination rates...

Few COVID-19 vaccinated patients need intensive care

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Fully vaccinated people make up a minority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and an even lower number of people needing intensive care and ventilators, current data from two large hospital systems in the Upper Midwest shows. Minneapolis-based Allina Health...

Editorial Roundup: West Virginia

Charleston Gazette-Mail. Sept. 20, 2021. Editorial: Cause for hope, continued caution Active COVID-19 cases in West Virginia took a nosedive over the weekend, going from nearly 30,000 on Friday to 21,490 on Monday morning. The state has never seen...

US doubling order for global COVID-19 vaccines to 1 billion doses, Biden to urge 70% world vaccination rate within year

The Latest: Chinese city shuts down over new outbreak worry

BEIJING — Officials in the northeast China city of Harbin say national level health officials have been sent to the city to deal with what may be a coronavirus outbreak. The city of 9.5 million people reported three infection cases Wednesday, a day after discovering a...