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 12, 2021, 12:16 PM EDT

No evidence of superspreader event at Lollapalooza

Thursday marks 14 days since the start of Lollapalooza in Chicago and officials have found no evidence of a superspreader event stemming from the music festival, city health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said.

Music fans attend the third day of Lollapalooza at Grant Park on July 30, 2021, in Chicago.
Scott Legato/Getty Images

There have been 203 cases of COVID-19 linked to the festival, Arwady said. No one was hospitalized or died, she said.

About 385,000 people attended Lollapalooza, most of whom were vaccinated, Arwady said.

The 203 COVID-19 cases were made up of: 58 Chicago residents; 138 Illinois residents outside Chicago; and seven out of state.

-ABC News' Alexandra Faul

Aug 12, 2021, 11:56 AM EDT

Largest teacher's union in US supports vaccine requirements for educators

The National Education Association, the largest teacher's union in the U.S., has announced support for COVID-19 vaccine requirements or regular testing for teachers. 

Romy Trigg-Smith (left) and Michelle Ortiz work to set up tables to check in students as parents drop off their kids during the first day of partial in-person instruction at Garfield Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., March 30, 2021.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images, FILE

A masked school mascot in a bobcat costume greets students as they arrive on the first day of classes for the 2021-22 school year at Baldwin Park Elementary School in Orlando, Aug. 10, 2021.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

NEA President Becky Pringle said in a statement, "As we enter a new school year amidst a rapidly spreading Delta variant and lagging public vaccination rates, it is clear that the vaccination of those eligible is one of the most effective ways to keep schools safe, and they must be coupled with other proven mitigation strategies."

Nearly 90% of NEA members say they're fully vaccinated, the union said.

-ABC News' Whitney Lloyd

Aug 12, 2021, 10:54 AM EDT

LSU will mandate vaccines when FDA grants full approval

In hard-hit Louisiana, Louisiana State University will mandate the COVID-19 vaccine once the FDA grants full approval, LSU President William F. Tate IV said in a statement.

Students walk at the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, La., April 13, 2021.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters, FILE

"We expect the FDA to fully authorize one or more of the COVID vaccines in the next few weeks," Tate said. "In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to go ahead and get vaccinated now."

LSU's live mascot, a tiger, has already been vaccinated.

Aug 12, 2021, 10:00 AM EDT

Some HHS employees will be required to be vaccinated

Going a step beyond the general guidelines for the federal workforce -- which is to get vaccinated or be subject to masking/testing -- the Department of Health and Human Services is offering only one option for its patient-facing employees: get vaccinated.

The 25,000 HHS employees who will be required to get vaccinated are concentrated within the Indian Health Service and National Institute of Health, as well as the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

The deadline to get vaccinated is the end of September, according to an HHS official familiar with the plan. There will be exemptions for religious or medical reasons.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky