Derek Hawkins

The trend reflects broad public confusion about the protection offered by the vaccines at a critical time in the nation’s pandemic response, with the hyper-transmissible delta variant causing infections and hospitalizations to soar.

The case is a dramatic example of the steps emergency workers say they have been forced to take as infections and hospitalizations spike in Texas.

The vaccines are proven safe and are more widely available than ever, but many Americans are struggling to convince vaccine-hesitant loved ones of the importance of getting the shots.

Experts say the threat from lambda is insignificant next to the highly transmissible delta variant, which is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated people and causing hospitalizations to spike.

The outbreak underscores the continued threat of the virus and its new, more transmissible variants in places with low vaccination rates.

The verdict appears to mark the first time a jury has awarded damages in a case involving the destruction of eggs and embryos.