Pandemic roundup: Covid the leading cause of death among law enforcement; Mississippi hires retired extension agents to get rural areas vaccinated

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

In Mississippi, which has one of the nation's lowest (but also one of the fastest-rising), vaccination rates, the state is hiring retired extension agents to help get rural residents vaccinated. Read more here.

Covid-19 is the leading cause of death among law enforcement. Read more here.

Covid is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of urban residents. Read more here, and read The Daily Yonder's more in-depth coverage here.

The vaccines on the market don't protect as well against the Delta variant, but Pfizer and Moderna have updated Delta-specific vaccines already created and in clinical trials. Read more here.

Meanwhile, Merck says a preliminary trial of their antiviral Covid treatment pill showed promising results. Read more here.

Vaccination misinformation is an epidemic in its own right, especially among Republicans and evangelical Christians. YouTube is banning all anti-vaccine content, but pandemic misinformation groups on Facebook continue to flourish.

Covid patients who refused the vaccine have largely embraced experimental monoclonal antibody treatments. That may seem contradictory, since many refused the vaccine because they believed not enough was known about it. But it's also important to realize that most people who refused the vaccine did not believe they were at a high risk of hospitalization. That's why treatments in general are more widely accepted than preventatives: there's no doubt medical intervention is needed. Read more here.

Despite clinical data indicating the Pfizer vaccine is safe for children, many say they won't get their child vaccinated right away if it becomes available, a recent poll showed. Read more here.