A belated COVID-19 vaccination achievement, dampened enthusiasm on COVID-19 recovery, new data on the effect of ending federal unemployment benefits early, and rising COVID-19 cases in Connecticut are among the top business news items this morning.
National
COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States have reached President Joe Biden’s goal of having at least 70 percent of the adult population getting their first shot, about a month behind the original July 4 goal. More people are opting to get the vaccine as the Delta variant spreads among unvaccinated communities and creates local outbreaks.
Rising COVID-19 infections driven by the Delta variant have quickly damped the optimism brought on by widespread vaccination efforts earlier this year, according to a Gallup poll. Forty-five percent of respondents said they believe the COVID-19 situation in the U.S. is worsening, compared to just 3 percent in June, and 83 percent said they expect COVID-19 disruptions to persist into 2022.
Business trends
Data has so far been inconclusive on the effect of early withdrawal from federal supplemental unemployment benefits, with some economists suggesting that other factors are having a greater effect on labor shortages. However, a recent analysis from Insider suggests that states that withdrew from the program early have seen a sharp decline in continuing claims.
Connecticut
Connecticut’s COVID-19 daily test positivity rate exceeded 3 percent in the latest state data, rising from 2.72 percent on Friday to 3.18 percent on Monday. COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 32 over the weekend.
