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COVID-19 live updates: Judge rules governor stop banning mask mandates in schools

Ten Florida school districts have adopted mask mandates for students this month.

Last Updated: August 24, 2021, 5:38 PM EDT

The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 634,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 60.8% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Aug 24, 2021, 5:38 PM EDT

Kentucky reports record hospitalizations, ICU patients

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted a dire update on the state's COVID-19 cases.

The state health department reported that 2,014 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, 589 of whom are in intensive care units and 338 are on ventilators. Beshear said these are record numbers.

"Folks, this is dangerous. Please, get vaccinated and mask up indoors," the governor tweeted.

Aug 24, 2021, 5:11 PM EDT

Oregon issues mask mandate for outdoor activities

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced a new mask requirement for outdoor activities.

The order, which goes into effect Friday, applies to all residents regardless of vaccine status during "outdoor settings in which individuals from different households are unable to consistently maintain physical distance."

"The rule does not apply to fleeting encounters, such as two individuals walking by one another on a trail or in a park," the governor's office said in a news release.

A sign reminds customers to wear their masks at a bakery in Lake Oswego, Ore., May 21, 2021.
Gillian Flaccus/AP, FILE

Outdoor gatherings in private residences are also exempt.

Brown cited the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the state fueled by the delta variant as the motive behind the rule.

Aug 24, 2021, 4:03 PM EDT

Hospitalizations could double by mid-September: CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed new COVID-19 forecast models Tuesday that showed daily hospitalizations could more than double by mid-September.

By Sept. 20 the U.S. could see hospitalizations as high as 27,000 a day, according to the agency's models. Currently the seven-day average of COVID-19 related hospitalizations is 12,190, according to the CDC.

The peak seven-day average was 16,492 in January, according to health data.

The low-end of the CDC's forecast's models is 7,800 hospitalizations a day.

Health officials stress that a change in behavior, including masking, vaccination and social distancing, will reduce severe illness and hospitalization.

-ABC News' Brian Hartman

Aug 24, 2021, 2:24 PM EDT

ICU beds for COVID-19 patients in Arkansas full: Gov

There are currently no COVID-19 intensive care unit beds available in the state of Arkansas, a situation Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson referred to as a "cautionary note for everyone" Tuesday.

"It fluctuates day by day. But right now, because of the increased number of COVID patients that need that type of ICU care, those beds are full," Hutchinson told reporters.

Asa Hutchinson, governor of Arkansas, speaks during a community town hall to promote Covid-19 vaccinations at Arkansas State UniversityMountain Home (ASUMH) in Mountain Home, Arkansas, July 16, 2021.
Liz Sanders/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

There are still ICU beds available for non-COVID patients, Hutchinson noted.

Arkansas lags behind the national average in vaccinations. As of Monday, 52% of residents had received at least one dose, and 40% were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By comparison, 61% of Americans have gotten at least one shot and 52% are fully vaccinated.

-ABC News' Libby Cathey

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