Deaths from the coronavirus in the US have tumbled to an average of about 600 per day, the lowest level in 10 months. Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, says vaccinations have been crucial even as the nation struggles to reach herd immunity.

In more than half the states, the number of lives lost per day has dropped to single digits on average and hit zero on some days. Kansas reported no new deaths Friday through Monday. Massachusetts recently had a day of no reported deaths.

Confirmed infections have fallen to about 38,000 daily on average, the lowest mark since mid-September. They have plummeted 85% from a peak of more than a quarter-million cases per day in early January.

The last time deaths were this low was early July. The coronavirus deaths in the US topped out in mid-January at an average of more than 3,400 a day, just a month into the biggest vaccination drive in the nation’s history.

The US has reported 32.7 million cases and more than 582,000 confirmed deaths, the most in the world.

In California…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state will not require people to wear masks in almost all circumstances after June 15. This follows his announcement last month saying the state would lift nearly all of its coronavirus restrictions on June 15 if the state’s case numbers continued to improve. But at the time, Newsom said the mask mandate would stay.

On Tuesday, Newsom said there would be “no mandates” for wearing masks, except for large indoor gatherings where people “from around the world” are mingling. California has required people to wear masks in public places since June 18, 2020.

In Las Vegas…

The Las Vegas area has been added to places in Nevada where authorities have detected cases of a potentially worrisome strain of the coronavirus found in India.

The Southern Nevada Health District reported Tuesday that a woman in her 20s who had not travelled recently and was not vaccinated against COVID-19 tested positive for the variant subtype. She didn’t require hospitalization. A district spokeswoman said Wednesday there were no additional cases to report.

Eight other cases of the Indian variant were previously identified in northern Nevada, including four confirmed last week in the Reno area.

And in schools…

Dozens of school districts around the country have eliminated requirements for students to wear masks, and many more are likely to ditch them before the next academic year. Where many see a continued need to protect children and teachers who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19, opponents argue that masks make students uncomfortable and mandates impinge on freedom.

At some school board meetings, there’s been emotional and highly divisive debates. Most public health experts say it’s too early to relax mask rules since few children are vaccinated and they spend hours indoors at school.

Even as some US schools remain closed to minimize infections, districts in states from Alabama to Wyoming decided to ditch student mask mandates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance says schools “should prioritize universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing.”