NEW CORONAVIRUS cases doubled in the U.S. over the past two weeks (Shutterstock)

The coronavirus pandemic, which declined dramatically for months, is now making an apparent comeback across the United States.

According to Johns Hopkins University, confirmed new infections were at around 23,600 per day as of Monday, double the rate of two weeks ago. Public health officials are placing the blame on the new delta variant of the virus, slackening rates of vaccination and large Independence Day gatherings without masks or social distancing.

The Associated Press reports that the delta variant, which first emerged in India, comprises a rising portion of new infections. Additionally, resistance or hesitancy to vaccination is slowing the rate of new inoculations, a situation most notable in culturally conservative areas.

So far, over half of Americans have received at least one “jab.”  The states reporting the biggest increases in new cases – Missouri, Arkansas, Nevada, Louisiana and Utah – are states with vaccination rates lower than the national average.

“Crown,” “Mandalorian” get 24 Emmy nods

The major television networks continue to get the cold shoulder, as Emmy Award nominations announced today (Tuesday) have the most nods to cable and streaming services.

“THE CROWN” got 24 Emmy nominations.

According to USA Today, “The Crown” and “The Mandalorian” each received 24 nominations, with “Wandavision” in third with 23 and “Ted Lasso” in fourth with 20. Those top four are from Netflix, Disney and Apple+.

HBO and HB0 Max combined to garner 130 nominations to 129 for Netflix.

The Emmy Awards will be aired on CBS on Sept. 19 with Cedric the Entertainer as master of ceremonies.

Consumer prices are on the rise

Was your supermarket receipt a little heavier this month? If so, it reflected an increase in the cost as living as reported today by the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to United Press International, consumer prices rose 5.4 percent compared to a year ago June. That’s the biggest increase in a year.

The increases were sharpest among the cost of used cars and trucks, which were up by 10.5 percent.  The monthly tally showed a 1.5 percent rise in energy and 0.8 percent rise in food costs.

Ohtani, Vlad  Jr., lead AL all-stars to win

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels made history Tuesday at the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Denver and the American League kept a tradition going.

Ohtani became the first player in All-Star game history to start both as a hitter and a pitcher. He grounded out twice at bat, but pitched a perfect first inning as the AL defeated the NL 5-2 for its eighth consecutive victory. He was credited with the win.

Named Most Valuable Player for the game was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, who hit a towering home run and drove in another run on a ground ball.

Jared Walsh of the Angels also went hitless in two at-bats. In the NL, Dodgers Justin Turner was 1-for-2 and Max Muncy went 0-for-2.

The game was originally scheduled for Truist Park Stadium in Atlanta, but was moved to Denver in protest of Georgia’s new voting laws which critics call too restrictive.

Next year’s game is scheduled for Dodger Stadium.