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Some of the states hardest hit by the pandemic — Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma — are administering vaccinations at a higher rate not seen since April, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Thursday during a briefing. Over the last 24 hours, there were a total of 864,000 vaccines administered, the highest since early July, Zients said. During the same period, 585,000 people received their first shot, an encouraging sign as the delta variant runs rampant through the unvaccinated. “For the Fourth week in a row, we’ve increased the daily average numbers of Americans newly vaccinated,” Zients said. “And importantly, were seeing the most significant increase in the states with the highest case rates.” (Vargas, 8/6)

The United States has seen a steady uptick in the number of individuals getting their first Covid vaccine, driven by those living in states with some of the lowest vaccination rates — the very states hardest hit by the recent surge in infections. Over the last 24 hours, the U.S. saw the highest number of daily shots administered since July 3, with 864,000 vaccinations administered. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma are now vaccinating people at a pace not seen since April, White House Covid coordinator Jeffrey Zients said Thursday. (Pettypiece, 8/5)

Months into the nation’s unprecedented COVID-19 vaccination effort, disparities in vaccinating underserved populations have been stark, with data showing white people getting the shot at faster rates than Black and Hispanic people. Experts say that could be changing, as fears mount amid the new case surge and grassroots vaccination efforts begin to pay off. Over the past two weeks, people of color have been vaccinated with a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine more than white people when compared to their shares of the population, according to the latest CDC data. Though race and ethnicity information is only available for about 60% of the U.S. population, it shows a glint of promise, experts say. (Hassanein, 8/5)

A newspaper's front page is designed to get your attention — sometimes more so than usual. USA Today's weekend edition, publishing Friday, is unusual. Its banner front page headline says, "We are failing one another. "The newspaper describes "America's fourth Covid-19 surge," noting this "didn't have to happen," since vaccinations are so widely available. The headlines are followed by a call to action: "Let's end it now." (Stelter, 8/5)

Despite the Biden administration's repeated warnings about a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" and renewed efforts to convince people to get their jabs, millions of eligible Americans have yet to do so. And with COVID-19 patients filling up hospitals across the U.S. amid a surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, many Americans may find themselves increasingly frustrated by loved ones who are not vaccinated. (Rahman, 8/5)

As Bibb County COVID-19 vaccination rates lag behind state averages, local elected officials and private companies are incentivizing and, in some cases, requiring employees to get shots. The Macon-Bibb County commissioners approved payments of $500 for full-time employees and $250 for part-time employees who receive a COVID-19 vaccine during their Tuesday evening meeting, Liz Fabian of the Center for Collaborative Journalism reports. “We are in an emergency,” Commissioner Elaine Lucas said. “We are fortunate that we do have this option because we could just keep begging and pleading with folks to do the right thing and it’s obvious that hasn’t worked.” (Perrineau, 8/5)

It's becoming more urgent to vaccinate the staff that care for vulnerable nursing home patients. But the industry, which has been plagued with workforce issues, faces a major challenge when it comes to mandating shots, the New York Times reports. Nursing homes had seen major drops in infections after becoming one of the major hotspots for cases and deaths earlier on in the pandemic. But those numbers have reversed in recent weeks, CDC data shows. (Reed, 8/5)