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

According to the CDC, 46% of Texans have been fully vaccinated.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Marlene Lenthang
Last Updated: August 16, 2021, 12:25 AM EDT

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

More than 620,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.3 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 59.1% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Aug 11, 2021, 3:05 PM EDT

Oregon requires masks inside as cases reach all-time high

In Oregon, masks will be required in indoor public places beginning on Friday, Gov. Kate Brown announced.

Over 2,300 COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday -- the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, the governor said.

Oregon's hospitalizations are also at a record high and intensive care units are about 90% filled, Brown said.

Nearly 73% of adults in Oregon are vaccinated, but the delta variant "has changed everything," Brown said on Twitter.

"I know Oregonians are tired of wearing masks. I certainly am too. But every time someone wears a mask that’s one more unvaccinated kid we’re protecting. That mask could keep your best friend or loved one out of the hospital," she tweeted.

Aug 11, 2021, 2:17 PM EDT

Calif. school staff must be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, governor says

All school staff in California must get vaccinated or be tested weekly, becoming the first state in the nation to make this a mandate, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

PHOTO: First grade student Daniel Cano, 5, and his mom, Sonia Cano, listen to doctors talk about COVID-19 safety precautions/social distancing and hand washing protocols at a L.A. Unified at Euclid Avenue Elementary School, July 26, 2021, in Los Angeles.
First grade student Daniel Cano, 5, and his mom, Sonia Cano, listen to doctors talk about COVID-19 safety precautions/social distancing and hand washing protocols at a L.A. Unified "meet and greet" with its medical advisors at Euclid Avenue Elementary School, July 26, 2021, in Los Angeles.
Allen J Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Shutterstock

"It's the right thing to do," the governor said, adding that he thinks this will "significantly increase vaccination rates" across the state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spends time in a first-grade classroom at Juanita B. Jones Elementary in San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 6, 2021.
Watchara Phomicinda/AP

Aug 11, 2021, 1:57 PM EDT

Amtrak employees must get vaccinated or tested weekly

All Amtrak employees must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 or get tested weekly, Amtrak said in an internal memo.

United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines have all made similar vaccine policy changes.

-ABC News' Mina Kaji

Aug 11, 2021, 1:15 PM EDT

WHO announces trial to test 3 candidate drugs as potential COVID treatments

WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday announced Solidarity PLUS, a new trial involving thousands of researchers in 52 countries to test three drugs as potential COVID treatments: artesunate, a treatment for severe malaria; imatinib, a drug for certain cancers; and infliximab, a treatment for immune system disorders such as Crohn’s disease.

In October, the WHO reported results of the Solidarity Trial, which tested four drugs as potential COVID-19 treatments: remdesevir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon. The trial, which involved nearly 13,000 patients in 30 countries, showed all four drugs had little or no effect on hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Final results from the Solidarity Trial are expected next month.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou