COVID-19 updates: No unemployment benefits for vaccine refusal in this state

The state just announced new COVID emergency plans.

ByJulia Jacobo, Ivan Pereira, Emily Shapiro, Morgan Winsor, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: September 27, 2021, 8:51 AM EDT

The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.

More than 686,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.7 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. The average number of daily deaths in the U.S. has risen about 20% in the last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The U.S. is continuing to sink on the list of global vaccination rates, currently ranking No. 46, according to data compiled by The Financial Times. Just 64.7% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.

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Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Sep 24, 2021, 8:28 PM EDT

Andrew Wiggins denied vaccine exemption, won't be able to play home games

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was denied Friday in his quest for a religious exemption by the NBA to San Francisco's vaccine requirement. It's not clear under what religious explanation Wiggins had appealed the mandate.

Wiggins has steadfastly refused to get the vaccine, according to a report this week from the San Francisco Chronicle. Since the city requires vaccination for everyone at large, indoor gatherings -- such as basketball games -- the veteran forward will not be able to play in any home games if he remains resistant to getting the shot. It's possible he won't be able to play at a number of road arenas that also require vaccination.

"The NBA has reviewed and denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for religious exemption from the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s order requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all participants age 12 and older at large indoor events," the NBA said in a statement Friday evening. "Wiggins will not be able to play in Warriors home games until he fulfills the city’s vaccination requirements."

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins shoots against Memphis Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson, left, and forward Dillon Brooks during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday, May 16, 2021.
Jeff Chiu/AP, FILE

In March, Wiggins told reporters of the vaccine, "I don't really see myself getting it any time soon, unless I'm forced to somehow. Other than that, I'm good."

Earlier this month, ESPN reported that the NBA will not require players to get vaccinated in order to play in the 2021-22 season. However, the league recently said about 85% of players had been fully vaccinated.

Wiggins, 26, is a big piece of the Warriors' team, scoring 18.6 points per game in his first full season in the Bay Area last year. He has two years remaining on a $147 million contract.

He was the No. 1 overall pick out of Kansas in 2014 by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Sep 24, 2021, 6:12 PM EDT

VA begins offering booster shots to veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is already doling out booster shots to veterans at its medical centers and clinics on Friday, just hours after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the third shots.

"These booster doses are an important step forward in the fight against COVID-19," VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. "With the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster for eligible individuals, VA can provide Veterans an opportunity to maximize their protection, continuing our work to keep people safe and save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Lalain Reyeg administers a COVID-19 booster vaccine and an influenza vaccine to Army veteran William Craig at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital on Sept. 24, 2021, in Hines, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The VA said it was prioritizing veterans 65 and older and those living in long-term care facilities. The boosters, so far only authorized for the Pfizer vaccine, are to be administered six months after an individual receives their initial vaccines.

It also said in a statement that it continues to reach out to veterans who have not been vaccinated at all.

Sep 24, 2021, 4:37 PM EDT

US reaches vaccine milestone

Seventy-five percent of those eligible (12 years and older) have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, the White House's COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar posted on Twitter Friday.

Calling the statistic a "milestone," Shahpur also tweeted, "Let's add more!"

Sep 24, 2021, 3:51 PM EDT

Millions of federal contractors must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8

The White House said Friday millions of federal contractors must get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 8.

The announcement came in a document issued Friday by the White House’s budget office, the Office of Management and Budget, following up on an executive order President Joe Biden signed Sept. 9 that mandated vaccinations for federal contractors, Reuters reported.

The formal guidance also says that after Dec. 8 “all covered contractor employees must be fully vaccinated by the first day of the period of performance on a newly awarded covered contract.”

An OMB spokesperson told ABC News that “millions” of people would be covered but didn’t share more exact numbers.

Earlier this month, the White House said that federal government employees and contractors will now be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will create a rule for private businesses with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson, Molly Nagle, Sarah Kolinovsky, and Justin Gomez