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 10, 2021, 3:34 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 10, 2021, 3:34 PM EDT

South Carolina, Kentucky leading nation in cases

The daily death average in the U.S. has climbed to about 1,100, which is a 65.5% jump in the last month, according to federal data.

The daily case average in the U.S. is around 140,000, which is nearly four times higher than it was one year ago, according to federal data.

PHOTO: A healthcare worker tends to a patient on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit of Baptist Health Floyd on Sept. 7, 2021, in New Albany, Ind.
A healthcare worker tends to a patient on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit of Baptist Health Floyd on Sept. 7, 2021, in New Albany, Ind.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

South Carolina and Kentucky have the highest case rate in the nation, followed by West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, according to federal data.

But some states are seeing progress. In Florida, daily cases are down by about 33% in the last two weeks.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Sep 10, 2021, 3:13 PM EDT

Florida governor's school mask mandate ban is reinstated 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' school mask mandate ban was reinstated by an appeals court Friday. 

This overrules a Tallahassee judge's decision on Wednesday to lift the stay, preventing the state from enforcing the ban. (The appeals court still needs to rule on the legality of the order, but the reinstatement of the stay means that until then, the state can continue sanctioning school districts.)

DeSantis responded on Twitter, "I will continue to fight for parents’ rights."

DeSantis has struggled to rein in the state's largest school systems as they implement mask mandates in defiance of state law. At least 13 districts, including Florida's six largest, have mask requirements in place. The Florida Department of Education has threatened to withhold the salaries of school board members in most of these districts and has begun doing so in at least two cases.  

-ABC News' Will McDuffie

Sep 10, 2021, 2:18 PM EDT

Kentucky hospitals 'never been more dire in my lifetime,' governor says

In hard-hit Kentucky, over 300 more National Guard members will be sent to help at 21 strained hospitals, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Kentucky's positivity rate was above 14% Thursday as the state set new records for hospitalizations and patients on ventilators, the governor said.

Maj. Mary Taylor watches as Louisville Metro EMS paramedics tend to a woman suspected of experiencing a severe COVID-19 emergency in an ambulance on Sept. 6, 2021, in Louisville, Ky.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

"In the past month, ventilator use at hospitals has nearly tripled due to the surge from the delta variant," Beshear tweeted. "Our hospital situation has never been more dire in my lifetime than it is right now. We cannot handle more sick individuals."

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Sep 10, 2021, 1:00 PM EDT

CDC studies: Vaccines still dramatically reduce risk of hospitalization, death amid delta 

The unvaccinated "are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 11 times more likely to die," CDC director Rochelle Walensky said at Friday's White House COVID briefing.

PHOTO: Medical staff in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at Three Rivers Asante Medical Center treat a patient on Sept. 9, 2021, in Grants Pass, Ore.
Medical staff in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at Three Rivers Asante Medical Center treat a patient on Sept. 9, 2021, in Grants Pass, Ore..
Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Three new studies from the CDC show vaccines still dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death amid the delta surge. 

Preventative Medicine Services NCOIC Sergeant First Class Demetrius Roberson administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a soldier on Sept. 9, 2021, in Fort Knox, Ky.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

A study of U.S. veterans fully vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna found no real change in vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization pre-delta to post-delta. A second study of all three vaccines across nine states found vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization was 86% for all age groups. A third study of all three vaccines across 13 jurisdictions found vaccines performed roughly equally well protecting against hospitalization and death during the delta surge compared to pre-delta.

A sign urging fans to get vaccinated for COVID-19 hangs over the Eutaw Street fan area during the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sept. 08, 2021, in Baltimore.
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Across the studies, vaccines remained 86-87% effective against preventing hospitalizations.  

But effectiveness dropped more for people ages 65 and older in recent months compared to before delta, likely due a combination of vaccine effectiveness fading over time and the slight impact of the delta variant on vaccine efficacy.  

Vaccines are losing some of their effectiveness when it comes to preventing mild infections among the vaccinated.

-ABC News' Sony Salzman

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