Protests against mandated COVID-19 vaccines pop up across US

Public school students in New Jersey will be required to wear masks when school starts up again, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday.

The rules, which will apply to K-12 students, are a departure for Murphy, who previously said school mask mandates would be left up to each district.

"I want as much as anybody else in our state to see our kids' smiles as they start their school years. But I do not want to see any of them getting sick needlessly or schools have to shut down again and go remote because of an outbreak," Murphy told reporters.

The governor stressed that the mask mandate is not permanent.

"As soon as conditions allow -- and please God sooner than later -- we will lift this requirement again," he said.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie

Florida reported a seven-day average of 17,757 new cases Thursday, meaning that 20% of new cases are now occurring in the state, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly criticized COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates, even as infections and hospitalizations in his state soared to record levels.

Despite its high case count, Florida's vaccination rate is on par with the national average. As of Friday, 49% of Florida residents were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, compared with 50% of all Americans.

An Albany, Georgia, hospital system has seen a worrying spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations. "A month ago, we had eight COVID patients in our hospitals. Today, we’re caring for 97. That’s a staggering 1,126% increase in just over four weeks," said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System's president and CEO. 

"Our current challenges are exacerbated by a lack of available contract staff to support the Phoebe Family. Every hospital in our region is stretched to its limit," he added. Steiner urged residents to support health care workers. "Get vaccinated, wear masks and take appropriate steps to slow down the spread of the virus," he said.

-ABC News' Brandon Baur

Being vaccinated after having had COVID-19 offers far better protection than prior infection alone, according to a study the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday.

The study, which appeared in the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, examined Kentucky residents who had previously had COVID-19. Some chose to get vaccinated, while others didn't. The result: Those who skipped the vaccine were more than twice as likely to be reinfected compared to those who were vaccinated.

"If you have had COVID-19 before, please still get vaccinated," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC's director. "Getting the vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others around you, especially as the more contagious delta variant spreads around the country."

-ABC News' Sony Salzman