While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Latest on vaccines: Mass vaccination site closes, cases drop, new vaccine enters trials
Today is the last day of operation for the mass vaccination site at the South Florida Fairgrounds and the beginning of mobile vaccination units in Palm Beach County. You can find where those will be at the link above.
The U.S. reached a vaccination milestone this week, with 50% of the adult population being fully vaccinated; with that, infection rates have been dropping and the vaccine appears to be lowering the spread of the virus. The CDC says the percentageof fully-vaccinated Americans who are contracting the coronavirus, so-called breakthrough cases, is about .01%.
Another COVID-19 vaccine has entered final trials.The study will test the effectiveness of vaccine candidate formulas against the coronavirus and against a variant first seen in South Africa, its developers Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said.
2. Palm Beach County School Board votes to remove 'white advantage' line
More than 100 members of the public on Wednesday shared their passionate opinions on a controversial new Equity Statement from the School District of Palm Beach County.
The Palm Beach County School Board voted 4-3 to remove the "white advantage" line in the Equity Statement that says "dismantling structures rooted in white advantage."
Officials said the new statement was created, in part, because of "glaring disparities" in student performance, suspension rates, attendance, and more between Caucasian and minority students.
3. Ready to sail away? Royal Caribbean to conduct a test cruise
The CDC announced on Wednesday that it's approved Royal Caribbean Group to conduct a simulated cruise. The simulated cruise will run June 20-22 on the Freedom of the Seas.
According to the Miami Herald, at least 10% of the total passenger capacity must be carried on test cruises, which is made up of volunteer passengers 18 years old or older who agree to be tested for COVID-19 and have their test results recorded after the cruise.
Norwegian Cruise Line announced they will resume sailing from Miami in October.
4. Will the Games go on? Tokyo Olympics sponsor calls for games to be canceled
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, which happens to be one of the official sponsors of the Tokyo Olympics, urged Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to "calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide whether to cancel the event" amid a surge of COVID cases.
In an editorial piece, the paper stated that the International Olympic Committee's thinking is "at odds with popular sentiment in Japan" and that they are "self-righteous." The AP reported that polls show more than 80% of the nation’s people want the games postponed or canceled.
Japan is firmly committed to the event and says they can hold it safely, Bloomberg reported that the country had distributed enough vaccines to inoculate just 3% of its population. The games are scheduled to open on July 23.
5. Goodbye to a legend:
Illustrator and writer of beloved children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," Eric Carle, has passed away. He was 91.
According to the New York Times, Carle passed away on May 23 at his summer studio in Northampton, Mass., with the cause being kidney failure.
NPR reported that Carle illustrated more than 70 books for kids throughout his career, which began when he was near 40.
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On This Day In History
A boat carrying 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution is turned away from Havana, Cuba, on May 27, 1939. Only 28 immigrants are admitted into the country. After appeals to the United States and Canada for entry are denied, the rest are forced to sail back to Europe, where they’re distributed among several countries including Great Britain and France.
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