Protests against mandated COVID-19 vaccines pop up across US

Pushback is happening over vaccine requirements and mask mandates.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Erin Schumaker, and Marlene Lenthang
Last Updated: August 4, 2021, 2:04 PM EDT

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

More than 615,000 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 58.4% 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 last week, 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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Aug 04, 2021, 1:30 PM EDT

Louisiana hospitalizations reach all-time high

Louisiana now has 2,247 COVID-19 patients in hospitals -- a new all-time high for the state.

PHOTO: A nurse treats COVID-19 patient Cedric Daniels, 37, of Gonzales, La., at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Aug. 2, 2021.
A nurse treats COVID-19 patient Cedric Daniels, 37, of Gonzales, La., at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Aug. 2, 2021. Louisiana is leading the nation in the number of new COVID cases per capita and remains one of the bottom five states in administering vaccinations.
Ted Jackson/AP

This surpasses the previous record set Tuesday of 2,112 patients, the state's Department of Health said.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has reinstated a mask mandate for the month of August.

People congregate on Bourbon Street, as Louisiana's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases rise amid Delta variant, in New Orleans, July 23, 2021.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters, FILE

The governor said Wednesday that he won't mandate vaccinations for state employees until the FDA grants full approval.

He said 37.1% of the Louisiana population is fully vaccinated.

Aug 04, 2021, 11:47 AM EDT

The Offspring drummer says he's not playing at upcoming shows because he's unvaccinated

Pete Parada, the drummer for pop-punk band The Offspring, says he is not playing with the band at upcoming shows because he is unvaccinated.

Parada wrote on Instagram that he's avoiding the shot on his doctor’s advice, saying he’s had a lifelong battle with the rare neurological disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome and the vaccine's "risks far outweigh the benefits."

Pete Parada of The Offspring performs live on stage at Espaco das Americas, Oct. 29, 2019, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Mauricio Santana/Getty Images, FILE

Because he's unvaccinated, "it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour," Parada said.

"I have no negative feelings towards my band," he continued. "They're doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same."

-ABC News’ Evan McMurry

Aug 04, 2021, 11:15 AM EDT

Florida hospitalizations reach highest point in pandemic

Florida has 12,408 COVID-19 patients in hospitals -- the highest number to date of the entire pandemic.

An ambulance enters the emergency room wing at Tampa General Hospital amid a coronavirus outbreak in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 3, 2021.
Octavio Jones/Reuters

Florida hospitals report that more than 95% of COVID-19 patients are not fully vaccinated, according to state data.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Aug 04, 2021, 9:20 AM EDT

Alabama hospital sees deadliest day of pandemic

Four COVID-19 patients at Regional Medical Center in Anniston, Alabama -- all unvaccinated -- died within 24 hours, marking the hospital’s deadliest day of the pandemic, The Anniston Star reported.

As delta surges, patients are now getting sicker faster, a doctor at the hospital told the newspaper.

Only 28% of residents in Calhoun County are fully vaccinated, according to The Anniston Star.

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