Biden’s ‘Summer of Joy’ Turns Grim as Delta Infections Skyrocket

Hard-won gains against virus at risk with missed shots target
CDC reverses mask guidance in setback for U.S. president

WATCH: Johns Hopkins’s Gigi Gronvall discusses the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on masks and the risks posed to children from Covid-19.Source: Bloomberg

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By Jordan Fabian and Jennifer Epstein

July 28, 2021 at 1:50 AM UTC

Updated on

July 28, 2021 at 4:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

President Joe Biden promised a “summer of joy” on July 4 as he declared America’s independence from Covid-19. Three weeks later that sense of victory is evaporating in the face of a resurgent pandemic.

The U.S. now faces a surge in cases fueled by vaccine holdouts and the highly transmissible delta variant, prompting the federal government and companies on Tuesday to weigh mandatory vaccinations of workers and a return to widespread mask wearing.