Despair Not! Vaccination Rates Continue to Rise.

More Americans are now vaccinated than not.

A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a kid at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing and vaccination site at Barnett Park in Orlando.Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty

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Even as the highly transmissible Delta variant rampages through the country, there’s a bit of good news: As of last week, more people in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 than unvaccinated. Vaccination rates are finally on a rise again after a slump in the summer months of June and July.

The Delta variant has been causing a surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths across the country, and public health experts have observed that areas with high vaccination rates are better protected than areas where few people are vaccinated.

The reason behind the recent uptick in vaccinations are many: Former anti-vaxxers who have become seriously ill with the virus are now urging people to get vaccinated. Vaccine mandates are becoming more common: Hospitals, government agencies, and large private companies such as McDonalds are requiring vaccinations for employees. New York City has started asking people to show proof of vaccination to dine indoors, go to gyms and entertainment venues.

As experts point out, kids have a higher a chance of being protected when adults around them are vaccinated.

If you're one of the many Americans who recently got vaccinated, we want to hear your story. You can share it here

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We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with The Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

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