Covid-19 latest

A nationwide spike in coronavirus cases is pushing companies to implement vaccine policies for some workers.

“I could see us doing [a vaccine mandate] if people were dying like crazy,” said one worker who has resisted calls from his employer to get vaccinated.

Health officials in Independence, Missouri, said at least one person at the Aug. 16 meeting had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Senate majority leader has not been shy about pushing people to get vaccinated, launching radio ads in Kentucky last month.

Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Carlee Simon said in a statement Tuesday she was "very troubled by the state's action."

Video calls and screen sharing have become common place during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the delta variant is threatening returning to the office for millions of Americans who have been working from home for over a year. Senior Correspondent at Business Insider, Rebecca Knight, joins News NOW to explain how video calls and messaging can negatively impact mental health. 

The Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into whether mask policies in five states discriminate against students with disabilities and others at a higher risk of contracting the virus. NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos breaks down how the federal government is battling states that are banning masks in schools. 

The European Union is recommending that non-essential travel from the U.S. be banned to its 27 countries as the delta variant fuels a surge in Covid-19 cases across the country. NBC News’ Meagan Fitzgerald explains how Covid-19 cases in Europe compare to infection rates in the U.S. and how the ban could impact Americans who have already booked tickets to Europe. 

Tennis fans were met with long lines as the U.S. Open welcomed fans back at full capacity after last year’s tournament was closed to spectators due to the Covid-19 pandemic. NBC News’ Dasha Burns is at the U.S. Open in Queens, New York, to break down why fans were forced to wait so long to get in and what restrictions are in place at the event.

From small support groups to a red carpet rollout, schools are taking extra care to reduce anxiety in those coming back to in-person learning for the first time since the pandemic began.

Hospitals across the nation are being pushed to the brink with a daily average of 100,000 Covid-19 patients, higher than any point since last winter when the vaccine wasn’t available for most.