Nearly 600 patients wait for hospital beds in Houston following surge in COVID cases

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced several measures Monday to curb the state's growing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Health care personnel from other states will be coming to Texas to assist the Texas Department of State Health Services with their recent wave of cases, Abbott said.

The governor sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association urging them to suspend elective surgeries.

He also announced the health department will open more antibody fusion centers and vaccine sites for residents.

Arkansas saw its highest number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to state health data.

The number of hospitalizations rose by 103, its biggest one-day increase, to 1,376, which is five hospitalizations higher than the previous record set in January, the state health data showed.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted that only eight ICU beds remained in the entire state. He encouraged more people to get a vaccine.

As of Monday, 49.3% of eligible residents in Arkansas have received one vaccine shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday that he has ordered that all state employees must be vaccinated or face termination.

Inslee cited increased hospitalizations and cases throughout the state, which have mostly affected the unvaccinated, as the factor for his executive order.

"We do so to protect our vulnerable communities, to prevent further calamity to our state and to be further on the path to recovery," he said at a news conference.

The deadline for the vaccine mandate is Oct. 18. Inslee's executive order does provide medical and religious exemptions.

As of Aug. 2, 69.6% of Washingtonians 12 and older have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the state's health department.

"We need more people to roll up their sleeves," Inslee said.

In Louisiana, there are "major concerns about potential massive influx of patients" and significant staffing shortages, according to a Department of Health and Human Services planning document.

American Medical Response, a private ambulance company, sent 50 paramedics and 25 trucks to the hard-hit state on Friday, the document said.

A 13-person team from the Public Health Service Commissioner Corps is headed to Hammond, Louisiana, on Monday and a 14-person team is headed to Children's Hospital New Orleans, the document said.

Louisiana has also requested support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for entry screenings at colleges and universities.

-ABC News' Brian Hartman