Pandemic roundup: Extension services try to build rural trust in vaccines; former skeptics include a weekly publisher

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

Getting more people vaccinated against the coronavirus will require building trust, so cooperative extension programs across the U.S. are trying to do just that. In June the Extension Foundation announced a federally funded initiative to educate rural and other underserved areas about vaccinations. This story zeroes in on one extension service's efforts in the Black-majority town of Cairo, Illinois. Read more here.

President Biden has ordered the Education Department to take action against governors who ban school mandates. Read more here.

As the coronavirus surges in Florida, some rural vaccine skeptics change their minds, including Roger West, co-owner of the weekly Westside Journal near Jacksonville, Fla. Read more here.

An interactive map shows the percentage of hospital beds in each county occupied by Covid-19 patients. Read more here.

This map shows, by hospital referral regions, where intensive care unit beds are nearly full of Covid-19 patients. Categorizing it by referral region makes it particularly relevant to rural interests. Read more here.

Alabama has no more ICU beds available, state authorities say. Read more here.

Even with the vaccination rate higher than ever, fewer American adults feel confident that they won't become infected with the coronavirus, according to a new Gallup survey. Read more here.

Small incentives go a long way in getting people vaccinated, found a Colorado tourism town whose business owners banded together to offer coupons and other incentives to vaccinated customers. Read more here.

Most private insurers will no longer waive patients' share of Covid-19 hospital bills. Read more here.

It feels a little on the nose, but: August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Read more here for free content, tools, links, and more.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a guide to advocating for vaccines in one's community and online, and how to encourage more trust in health departments. Read more here.

The CDC also has a guide to addressing misinformation on social media. Read more here.