US reports highest weekly COVID-19 vaccinations since July 4
There were over 7 million shots in the past week, an official said Saturday.
The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 712,000 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% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
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90% of eligible Hawaii residents have received 1 dose
Hawaii became the first state in the country to have 90% of its population 12 and older receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Sunday afternoon.
Over 1,090,157 residents have received one dose, the CDC reported.
In August, Hawaii Gov. David Ige urged people to avoid non-essential travel to the state as it dealt with a summer surge in cases and hospitalizations.
The seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases has dropped from 1,060 on Sept. 2 to 192 on Oct. 8, the CDC reported.
Anti-vaccine Texas gubernatorial candidate tests positive, 'probably' will be hospitalized
Allen West, a Republican candidate for Texas governor, said Saturday he "probably" will be hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia one day after saying he was suffering "a low grade fever and light body aches" without specifying a positive test for COVID.
He said his blood oxygen levels currently stand at 89 and should be about 95.
"My chest X-rays do show COVID pneumonia, not serious. I am probably going to be admitted to the hospital," the outspoken and controversial politician wrote on Twitter.
West's wife, Angela, did test positive for COVID on Friday, according to the candidate's Twitter account. She had been vaccinated against the virus.
The 60-year-old West, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army and former congressman from Florida, has chosen not to get vaccinated and is instead touting his use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, two drugs the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration say should not be used to treat or prevent the virus.
West is also the former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He announced he was running for governor in next year's election, against Republican Greg Abbott, in July.
He suspended all in-person campaign events on Friday after his wife tested positive.
US reports highest weekly vaccinations since July 4, White House says
The United States has administered the highest number of weekly vaccinations since early July, a White House official said.
There were more than 7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses reported in the past week, the highest seven-day total since July 4, White House COVID-19 data director Dr. Cyrus Shahpar said on Twitter Saturday.
The uptick comes amid a push for employee vaccinations and the rollout of booster shots.
Over 76% of people ages 12 and up in the U.S. have gotten at least one dose.
Spirit Airlines to require vaccines for employees
Spirit Airlines is joining other major carriers and will soon require all employees to be vaccinated. A deadline for the vaccination requirement has not been announced.
Delta is now the only major carrier to not have an employee vaccine mandate. However, in November the airline will begin charging unvaccinated employees an additional $200 per month for health insurance.
-ABC News' Sam Sweeney
Cases, hospitalizations see major drop
The daily case average in the U.S. has dropped to 95,000, a 38.9% drop in the last month, according to federal data.
The states that were first hit by the delta surge are experiencing the most notable case declines. In the last month, the seven-day average of new cases in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana fell by more than 55%.
Other states, however, are just now bearing the brunt of the highly infectious delta variant. West Virginia, Alaska and Montana are all still experiencing significant surges, according to federal data.
National hospitalization levels have dropped to around 67,000 patients, federal data show. Since the beginning of September, the U.S. has seen a drop of more than 37,000 patients. A little more than one-third of those patients -- 13,000 -- come from Florida.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
