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, 6:44 PM EDT

New Orleans to require vaccines or negative tests for many indoor activities

New Orleans will soon require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test for many indoor activities, city officials announced Thursday.

The order goes into effect Monday and includes bars, restaurants, breweries, gyms, fitness centers, sports stadiums, music halls and casinos. Enforcement will start Aug. 23, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

Color lights play on the Louisiana Superdome at twilight before the BCS championship college football game in New Orleans, La., Jan.7, 2008.
AP, File

The Saints stood behind the new guidelines, which will require that people show their vaccination card or verified digital proof of vaccination, or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours.

"These rules allow for full capacity on game day, and we must comply with those regulations to safely return to full capacity for the first time in more than a year and a half," team officials said in a statement. "We are committed to doing everything we can in the current environment to protect your health and safety while at the same time providing the best game day experience in the NFL."

Officials in San Francisco made a similar announcement earlier Thursday that goes into effect Aug. 20.

Aug 12, 2021, 6:05 PM EDT

Moderna vaccine maintains antibodies against variants for at least 6 months: Study

People who received Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine still produced antibodies six months later against several variants of concern, including delta, a new study found. 

The study, which was published in the journal Science Wednesday, only looked at antibody response at least six months out. The antibody levels, which are one piece of the overall immune response, waned over time but they were still there after six months. 

In this March 4, 2021 file photo, a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site in Puyallup, Wash., south of Seattle.
Ted S. Warren/AP, FILE

This study is part of a mounting body of evidence suggesting that vaccines are likely still to protect against new variants many months after initial vaccination. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to recommend booster shots for immune-compromised people this week. 

-ABC News' Sony Salzman

Aug 12, 2021, 5:47 PM EDT

No pediatric ICU beds in North Texas

There are no available pediatric intensive care unit beds in North Texas, hospital officials said Thursday, amid a "very serious fourth surge" of COVID-19.

There are 73 confirmed pediatric patients hospitalized in the region, "which is the highest level ever of pediatric COVID-19 patients we have ever treated," W. Stephen Love, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, said in a report Thursday.

There are no staffed pediatric ICU beds available in the region as the children's hospitals also battle an unseasonably high number of RSV patients, Love said.

Aug 12, 2021, 4:05 PM EDT

Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi reporting most cases ever

As the delta variant surges throughout the U.S., states including Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi are now averaging more daily cases than at any point in the pandemic.

Overnight, the U.S. recorded its highest single-day total since January, with over 130,000 new cases, according to federal data.

About 91% of counties in the nation now have high or substantial community transmission.

Nearly 9,700 patients are being admitted to hospitals each day, up by 31.3% in the last week and marking the highest number of patients seeking care since February, federal data shows.

As of Aug. 7, Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 made up more than 40% of COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos