'Steady increase' in vaccines in past month, White House says

The U.S. saw its largest single-day increase in nearly nine months Friday.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, Morgan Winsor, and Marlene Lenthang
Last Updated: August 2, 2021, 7:10 AM EDT

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

More than 613,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 57.9% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC on Tuesday, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission -- vaccinated or not -- wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

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Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Jul 30, 2021, 7:09 PM EDT

New Orleans to mandate indoor masking, city employee vaccinations  

New Orleans officials reissued a mask mandate Friday, requiring that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask indoors in public spaces due to rising COVID-19 cases. 

"Thanks to the delta variant, the COVID pandemic is once again raging out of control," Mayor LaToya Cantrell said during a press briefing, noting the daily average of new COVID-19 cases increased from 104 last week to 272 this week. "This is a very dangerous number. We have been here before. ... And what was once unpreventable, today is preventable, and is through our people getting vaccinated."

PHOTO: Producer and burlesque dancer Trixie Minx hands out masks to audience members, having asked both the attendees and performers to mask up before the performance as Louisiana rises to worst COVID-19 outbreak in U.S. in New Orleans, July 25, 2021.
Producer and burlesque dancer Trixie Minx hands out face masks to audience members, having asked both the attendees and performers to mask up before the performance as Louisiana rises to worst COVID-19 outbreak in U.S. amid Delta variant in New Orleans, July 25, 2021.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters

The mayor also announced that city employees and contractors will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 71% of city employees are vaccinated, "but that is not good enough," the mayor said. "We want to get to 100%."

Jul 30, 2021, 7:02 PM EDT

Austin facing 'dire' ICU bed shortage

In Austin, Texas, intensive care unit capacity has reached a "dire" point, the city's health department said Friday, with only 16 staffed beds available for over 2.3 million residents.

"We are running out of time and our community must act now," Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in a statement. "Our ICU capacity is reaching a critical point where the level of risk to the entire community has significantly increased, and not just to those who are needing treatment for COVID. If we fail to come together as a community now, we jeopardize the lives of loved ones who might need critical care."

The low ICU capacity is similar to the beginning of the pandemic, Austin Public Health said, noting that the number of COVID-19 patients in local ICUs increased 28% between July 23 and July 30.

Local health officials advised that partially or unvaccinated people should avoid gatherings and wear a mask during essential activities, while those who are vaccinated should limit gathering sizes and wear a mask indoors, among other measures.

Jul 30, 2021, 5:40 PM EDT

Florida reports over 110K new COVID-19 cases in past week

There were over 110,000 new COVID-19 cases in Florida in the past week -- the highest weekly increase since the start of the year -- according to the latest state data.

People wait to receive a COVID-19 test at a pop-up testing location on July 26, 2021, in Miami.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Florida Department of Health reported Friday there were 110,477 new cases from July 23 to July 29. The state’s positivity rate is now 18.1%.

Just one month ago, the state was reporting 15,998 new cases in one week, from June 25 to July 1.

-ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos

Jul 30, 2021, 4:44 PM EDT

US records highest daily case total since February

Overnight, the U.S. recorded its highest daily case total since Feb. 12, reporting over 86,000 new cases.

The daily case average in the U.S. has surged to more than 66,600 cases per day, up by nearly 64.1% in the last week, and up nearly 481% since mid-June.

Louisiana now has the country's highest case rate with nearly 540 new cases per 100,000 residents. The state’s case average has skyrocketed in the last month, up by nearly 1,000%, and is now nearing its highest case level since the onset of the pandemic.

Roberta Moses, right, a retiree who has lived in Shreveport for more than 50 years, speaks to a resident about the coronavirus vaccine, in Shreveport, La., July 15, 2021.
Emily Kask/The New York Times via Redux

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

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