COVID-19 updates: More than 10,000 new deaths reported in US in 1 week

Some of the highest death tolls are in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Marlene Lenthang, Meredith Deliso, and Morgan Winsor

Last Updated: September 20, 2021, 5:50 AM EDT

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

More than 672,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 63.6% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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More than 10,000 new deaths reported in US in 1 week

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Sep 17, 2021, 11:56 AM EDT

125 employees leave Indiana hospital system after refusing vaccine

Indiana University Health, the state's largest network of physicians, said 125 employees have left after choosing to not get vaccinated.

All workers were required to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 1. Those who didn't were given a two-week unpaid suspension ending Sept. 14, and those who still didn't agree to the shot by that point "left the organization," according to a statement by IU Health.

-ABC News' Will McDuffie

Sep 17, 2021, 11:21 AM EDT

Art exhibit commemorating COVID deaths opens to public

An art exhibit commemorating the Americans who died from COVID-19 is opening to the public on Friday.

The exhibit, which will run until Oct. 3, displays more than 660,000 white flags on the National Mall at the base of the Washington Monument.

PHOTO: "In America: Remember" COVID-19 memorial art installation have
660,000 white flags placed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 16, 2021. — "In America: Remember" COVID-19 memorial art installation have 660,000 white flags placed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 16, 2021.
Bryan Dozier/Shutterstock

MORE: More than 600,000 flags on National Mall stand witness to America's COVID dead

This is the largest participatory art installation on the National Mall since the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Sep 17, 2021, 10:56 AM EDT

Kentucky school district cancels all classes due to increase in cases

Newport Independent Schools in Kentucky has canceled all classes on Friday due to an increase in the number of sick or quarantined students, the district said.

Classes will be virtual on Monday and Tuesday. The district said it plans to return to in-person learning on Wednesday.

Sep 17, 2021, 10:44 AM EDT

More than 10,000 new deaths reported in US in 1 week

The U.S. recorded more than 10,100 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths in one week, according to federal data. States with some of the highest death tolls are Texas, Georgia and North Carolina.

White flags stand near the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15, 2021.
Patrick Semansky/AP

The U.S. reported more than 1.02 million cases over the last week. This is a major step back in the fight against COVID-19; in June, the U.S. recorded just 80,000 new cases in one week.

Tennessee and West Virginia currently have the country's highest case rate, followed by Alaska, Wyoming, South Carolina, Montana and Kentucky, according to federal data.