New masking guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear a mask outside.

During a White House briefing Tuesday, public health officials said fully vaccinated individuals can unmask while walking, running, hiking or biking outdoors alone or with members of their household.

Vaccinated people also don’t need to wear a mask during small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends, or at gatherings with a mixture of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, they said. In addition, fully vaccinated individuals don’t need to wear a mask at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple households, the guidance said.

The CDC still recommends fully vaccinated people wear a mask in indoor public settings, and at outdoor public settings or venues where masks are required.

Meanwhile, India on Monday set another record for new coronavirus infections for the fifth day in a row at more than 350,000.

The U.S. will send vaccine supplies and experts to India in the coming days, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. President Joe Biden said he is “determined to help India in its time of need.”

And up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine could be exported in the coming months, according to The Associated Press, as the drop in demand is leading some states to turn down vaccine shipments.

Also in the news:

►Boston’s pro sports teams could be playing in front of full-capacity crowds by August, according to new Massachusetts COVID-19 reopening guidelines.

►Crowds gathered in cities across the Netherlands on Tuesday despite authorities urging people to stick to coronavirus social distancing regulations as the country marked the King’s Day national holiday.

►The number of people in Missouri infected with the coronavirus has topped the half-million mark Tuesday. In total, 8,732 Missourians have died from the virus.

►A Miami private school will not employ any teacher or staff member who gets the COVID vaccine, citing a debunked conspiracy theory in their email to the faculty, reported the Miami Herald.

Story continues

►California ranked 50th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

►The Navajo Nation has vaccinated more than half of its adult population against COVID-19, President Jonathan Nez said Sunday.

►Officials at the University of California, San Francisco, say a man in his 30s is recuperating after developing a rare blood clot in his leg within two weeks of receiving the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.

►More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, some of the worst fears are coming true in the crowded Gaza Strip: A sudden surge in infections and deaths is threatening to overwhelm hospitals weakened by years of conflict and border closures.

???? Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 32.12 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 572,600 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 147.5 million cases and 3.11 million deaths. More than 290.6 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 230.7 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

???? What we’re reading: Have a loved one who doesn’t want to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s how to talk to them.

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Bills that would ban vaccine passports circulate through state legislatures

A state legislature’s committee in Louisiana is backing a bill to ban putting someone’s vaccine status on state-issued driver’s licenses or ID cards.

Louisiana isn’t the only place to have a bill banning vaccine verification of any sort pass through its legislature.

Iowa’s local governments and businesses could lose future state grants and contracts if they require customers or other visitors to prove they are vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a bill advancing in the Legislature.

And Indiana lawmakers inserted language into an unrelated bill last week that would prohibit state and local units of governments from requiring “vaccination passports,” or requiring employees to prove they have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccine passports in use or development in other countries are typically a cellphone app with a code that verifies whether someone has been vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID-19. The Biden administration has ruled out a national vaccine passport, saying it is leaving it to the private sector to develop such a system.

— Greg Hilburn, Lafayette Daily Advertiser; Ian Richardson, Des Moines Register; Kaitlin Lange, Indianapolis Star

US to share up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

The U.S. will begin sharing its entire pipeline of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, up to 60 million doses, once they clear federal safety reviews, possibly in the next several weeks, the White House told The Associated Press on Monday.

The move greatly expands on the Biden administration’s action last month to share about 4 million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and Canada. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but not yet authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

With the restart of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last weekend, the White House feels more confident about the supply for domestic use.

“Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said.

Contributing: The Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID: CDC updates mask guidance; US to share AstraZeneca vaccines



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