Coronavirus Watch: US to share 80M vaccine doses worldwide by end of month

The United States will share at least 80 million doses of vaccine globally by the end of the month, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

The U.S. will donate 75% of the doses through COVAX – a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access – and give the other 25% directly to countries in need, those experiencing surges, immediate neighbors, and other countries that have requested immediate U.S. assistance.

The U.S. will prioritize Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa, in coordination with the African Union, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a briefing Thursday.

It's Thursday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news you need to know:

• More vaccine incentives: West Virginia will give away firearms as a reward for residents who have received a vaccine – part of a Father’s Day lottery that also includes trucks, scholarships and $1 million in prizes. And Colorado will give $50,000 scholarships to 25 students who have received the shots.
• California has agreed to pay more than $2 million in legal fees in a settlement with churches that challenged pandemic closure orders. Meanwhile, a state board meets today to consider controversial workplace rules that would only allow workers to go maskless if everyone in a room is fully vaccinated.
• Wisconsin lawmakers are advancing a slate of bills that would bar business owners, university leaders or government officials from requiring the COVID-19 vaccination or treating unvaccinated people differently. 

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 33 million COVID-19 cases and 595,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 171 million cases and more than 3.6 million deaths. Nearly 51% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 41% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.

– Grace Hauck, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck