Unvaccinated people 11 times more likely to die in COVID-19 delta surge

The unvaccinated were six times more likely to get the virus in August.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Marlene Lenthang
Last Updated: October 18, 2021, 1:16 AM EDT

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

More than 722,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 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 66.5% 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 is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 13, 2021, 6:49 PM EDT

Pending vaccine distribution for kids will be based on population: CDC

Initial distribution of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old will be based on a state’s population of eligible children, according to a new planning document distributed to state immunization managers by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The document, obtained by ABC News, was sent to state officials in advance of the vaccine being authorized by federal regulators. The authorization could happen as soon as early November.

PHOTO: Students listen to their teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021.
Students listen to their teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, Calif., Aug. 11, 2021.
Orange County Register via Getty Images, FILE

The pediatric vaccine will be shipped in 100-dose packs, each with 10 vials, the document said. 

A person familiar with the planned rollout told ABC News that while the government purchased 65 million doses total, the initial shipment may be closer to the 10 million to 20 million range. 

After an initial distribution, a "weekly supply will be made available to help sustain the network," according to the document.

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik 

Oct 13, 2021, 2:00 PM EDT

COVID No. 1 cause of death for 35- to 54-year-olds in September

COVID-19 was the leading of death among people ages 35 to 54 -- and the second-leading cause overall -- in September, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Peterson Center on Healthcare.

The research also estimates that since June more than 90,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 could have been prevented with vaccines, and more than half of those occurred last month.

In January, COVID-19 was the nation's No. 1 cause of death, the analysis found. In July, before the delta surge, COVID-19 briefly dropped to eighth.

Critical Care Respiratory therapist Lauren Parsons treats a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positive patient in their isolation room on the intensive care unit at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters, FILE

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Oct 13, 2021, 1:11 PM EDT

Daily deaths in US about 1,300 as hospitalizations decline

Hospital admissions for COVID-19 have dropped about 10% in the last week, but, according to federal data, the virus is still killing about 1,300 Americans every day -- more than this same time last year.

More than 114.5 million Americans remain completely unvaccinated, about 66.3 million of whom are over the age of 12 and eligible, according to federal data.

A nurse sanitizes a patient's arm before administering a COVID-19 vaccine booster at a vaccination clinic in Southfield, Michigan, Sept. 29, 2021.
Emily Elconin/Reuters

States to keep an eye on are Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado, which are currently seeing notable upticks in new cases, according to federal data.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Oct 13, 2021, 12:20 PM EDT

Global deaths at lowest level in nearly 1 year: WHO

The number of reported weekly COVID-19 deaths continues to decline and is now at the lowest levels worldwide in nearly one year, the World Health Organization said.

A woman receives the Moderna coronavirus vaccination in a Pachinko parlor, Oct. 13, 2021, in Osaka, Japan.
Carl Court/Getty Images

That's with nearly 50,000 still being reported per week, "and the real number is certainly higher," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "Of course deaths are highest in the countries and populations with the least access to vaccines."

Tedros said three countries have not started vaccinating: Burundi, Eritrea and North Korea.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou