8 states see a rise in infection rates, 29% of Republicans don't want vaccine – yet: Live COVID-19 updates New COVID-19 cases are declining across most of the country, but most states bucking that trend have lower vaccination rates. Latest COVID-19 news. John Bacon and Elinor Aspegren USA TODAY

As COVID-19 cases wane, vaccine-lagging areas still see risk --AP

Although new COVID-19 cases are declining across most of the nation, eight states are seeing increases – and seven of those have below-average vaccination rates, new data reveals.

Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Wyoming have seen their seven-day rolling averages for infection rates rise from two weeks earlier, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. All of them except Hawaii have recorded vaccination rates that are lower than the US average of 43% fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some states are seeing increased immunity after high rates of natural spread of the disease, which has so far killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

“We certainly are getting some population benefit from our previous cases, but we paid for it,” said Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “We paid for it with deaths.”

Meanwhile, more than 70% of Americans – vaccinated and unvaccinated – are comfortable gathering with friends now, compared with just over 40% in March, according to a CBS poll released Friday.

But 29% of Republicans who responded to the poll say they do not have plans to get vaccinated, while just over 20% of independents and 5% of Democrats say the same. The top reasons? 50% say they are waiting to see what happens.

Also:

►Commercial fishermen who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask while outside on a commercial fishing vessel under an updated guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Coast Guard.

►Iran’s state TV is reporting that the hardest-hit nation in the Middle East has approved an emergency use of its first domestically developed vaccine.

►An Iowa man convicted of following a man to a car and assaulting him after being told to raise the mask on his face in November was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday.

►German officials are considering loosening mask rules after recording the lowest number of new daily coronavirus infections in nearly nine months – 549.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 33.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 599,700 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: Over 176 million cases and over 3.8 million deaths. More than 143.9 million Americans have been fully vaccinated – 43.4% of the population, according to the CDC.  ...