Covid roundup: Fishing crews exempt from mask rule; rural health clinics get funds for tests; anti-vaxxers misuse info

Here's a roundup of recent news about the pandemic and immunization efforts:

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said Sunday on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the Delta variant of the virus now accounts for 10 percent of all U.S. cases, but will likely become the most dominant strain. Read more here.

Those who catch the Delta variant are twice as likely to be hospitalized as those infected with the Alpha strain, a recent study found. Read more here.

The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines have proven highly effective in preventing hospitalizations for those infected with the Delta variant, a recent study found. Read more here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Coast Guard now say fully vaccinated commercial fishing crews don't have to wear a mask while above deck. The updated guidelines come after Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, protested that masks were a safety hazard. Read more here.

The Department for Health and Human Services is providing $425 million to more than 4,200 rural health clinics for coronavirus testing and mitigation. Later this summer, HRSA will issue up to $35.3 million in additional funding to rural clinics that meet eligibility requirements. Read more here.

Anti-vaccine activists are using a federal database of reported vaccine side effects to spread disinformation about safety of vaccines. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System has unvetted reports of side effects that may be coincidental, and shouldn't be cited as proof. Read more here.

Novavax's coronavirus vaccine is proving highly effective in clinical trials, a company spokesperson said, meaning it likely to become the fourth vaccine available in the U.S. Read more here.

The FDA has ordered Johnson & Johnson to throw out 60 million doses of its vaccine that may be contaminated. Read more here.

Health experts worry that states with low vaccination rates could see an uptick in cases if the natural immunity of those exposed to the coronavirus begins to wane. Read more here.