Coronavirus Watch: EU takes US off safe country list

The European Union is no longer recommending its member states lift restrictions on non-essential travel for Americans as COVID-19 cases spike in the U.S.

Europe had been slowly reopening to American tourists since May. And the U.S. had been on a safe travel list since June, when the EU recommended gradually easing all travel restrictions for U.S. travelers, regardless of vaccination status.  

However, the U.S. is facing its fourth wave, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. New U.S. cases are averaging over 150,000 a day, turning the clock back to the end of January, and hospitalizations are nearing 100,000. For days, U.S. COVID-19 deaths have been seven times higher than they were in early July. Read more here.

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

• The U.S. is sticking with it eight-month timeline for COVID-19 booster shots, at least for now, the nation's top infectious disease expert said Sunday.
• Hurricane Ida struck Southern Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane Sunday, tearing roofs and knocking out generators of hospitals filled with thousands of COVID-19 patients amid a fourth coronavirus surge sparked by the highly contagious delta variant and low vaccination rates across the state.
• Mississippi and Alabama COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU usage are also at record-high levels at a time when severe staff shortages in recent months have threatened health care capacity and emergency services.
• Florida's surge leads the nation as it reports more cases and deaths than it did at the start of the pandemic. As state hospitals reach capacity, the Central Florida region is receiving 14 portable refrigerated morgues to help overwhelmed hospital morgues store bodies, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 38.8 million COVID-19 cases and 637,600 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 216.7 million cases and more than 4.5 million deaths. About 62% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 52% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 74% have received at least one shot, and about 63% are fully vaccinated.

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