Pandemic roundup: Low-vax areas put rest of U.S. at risk of new variants; GOP governors ask people to get shots

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

Five areas with low vaccination rates could put the entire U.S. at risk of spreading new coronavirus variants, according to new research. The areas are "scattered across eight states and concentrated in the southeastern part of the country, touching Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas," The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Read more here.

Republican governors are asking residents to overcome their vaccine hesitancy as the delta variant becomes more prevalent. Read more here.

A new study on the Delta variant underlines the importance of receiving both vaccine shots, and highlights the challenges posed by mutations. Read more here.

The highest coronavirus infection rates in California (and likely, other states) have shifted to rural counties. Read more here.

Rural Kentucky health officials press on, one coronavirus vaccination at a time. Read more here.

Rural Tennessee is struggling to get people vaccinated. Younger adults may be a big part of the problem. Read more here.

Whether Republicans get vaccinated is highly correlated with which right-wing news station they watch, according to a survey. Read more here.