Nearly 74% of eligible Americans have at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine dose

In 13 states, over 80% of the population has at least one dose, CDC data shows.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Marlene Lenthang
Last Updated: September 9, 2021, 2:34 PM EDT

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

More than 655,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.6 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 62.7% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Sep 09, 2021, 2:34 PM EDT

US hospitalizations more than 4 times higher than last year

The number of COVID-19 patients currently in U.S. hospitals stands at almost 102,000 -- more than four times higher than the number of patients one year ago (about 25,000), according to federal data.

A nurse checks the IV's inside the ICU as she works with a COVID-19 patient at Adventist Health Glendale on Sept. 1, 2021, in Glendale, Calif.
Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via Polaris

EMS paramedics take the vitals of a man suffering from possible COVID-19 symptoms in McLoud, Okla., Sept. 8, 2021.
Nick Oxford/Reuters

More than 2,355 children are currently in U.S. hospitals with COVID-19, according to federal data.

Some hard-hit areas show signs of stabilization. Florida, for example, now has about 13,000 hospitalized patients, a drop from more than 17,000 patients earlier this summer.

But Kentucky and Idaho are both now seeing record hospitalization levels.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Sep 09, 2021, 1:21 PM EDT

Baby dies of COVID in Oregon

A baby under the age of 1 died of COVID-19 on Monday after being diagnosed on Aug. 20, said officials in Douglas County, Oregon.

A total of 3,373 people have died in Oregon from COVID-19, according to state data.

Sep 09, 2021, 11:23 AM EDT

No plans for vaccine mandate in NYC schools, mayor says

New York City has no plans for a vaccine mandate in schools, with the city instead focusing on getting students physically back into classrooms Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

PHOTO: Principal Alice Hom talks with teachers in a classroom at Yung Wing School on Sept. 2, 2021 in New York City. All NYC public school students will return to in-person classes this month for the 2021-2022 school year.
Principal Alice Hom talks with teachers in a classroom at Yung Wing School on Sept. 2, 2021 in New York City. All NYC public school students will return to in-person classes this month for the 2021-2022 school year, except for when COVID-positive kids must quarantine at home.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration is refusing to rule out mandatory vaccination of eligible teens, Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin said.

Just 50% of New York state children between the ages of 12 and 17 are fully vaccinated, compared to 73% of adults, according to the governor's office.

This comes as the Los Angeles Board of Education gears up for a Thursday afternoon meeting where they're expected to enact a vaccine mandate for students.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky

Sep 09, 2021, 9:27 AM EDT

Biden's 6-pronged strategy to fight COVID

At 5 p.m. ET Thursday, President Joe Biden will unveil his six-pronged strategy to stop the spread of the delta variant and boost vaccinations.

A source familiar with the president's plans told ABC News that Biden will announce an executive order that will "require all federal executive branch workers to be vaccinated," as well as a second executive order that will direct that standard to be applied to employees of contractors working with the federal government.

A White House official said Biden's plan will be centered around:

  1. Vaccinating the Unvaccinated
  2. Furthering Protection for the Vaccinated
  3. Keeping Schools Safely Open 
  4. Increasing Testing and Requiring Masking
  5. Protecting Our Economic Recovery
  6. Improving Care for Those with COVID-19

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC Thursday, "He wants to lay out the steps we're taking to build on what we did over the summer: more requirements for federal workers, for private sector employees as well. More testing to ensure we know who has COVID and who might spread it. Making sure small businesses survive. That's what you'll hear the president talk about today."

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

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