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.

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.

Sep 19, 2021, 2:40 PM EDT

The FDA booster decision shows the process worked: Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci defended the White House's plan to provide COVID-19 vaccine booster shots before the Food and Drug Administration voted to only provide those shots to Americans 65 and older and immunocompromised.

Fauci told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz that he was not disappointed by the panel's decision and he thinks the process worked.

"The goal of this particular decision was to prevent people from getting serious disease who are at risk, such as the elderly and those that have underlying conditions," he said.

When pressed whether the president's premature announcement would confuse Americans, Fauci said that people need to understand that such decisions depend on science and approvals by the appropriate health agencies.

"The plan was that we have to be ready to do this as soon as the decision is made and when you have a plan, you put a date on it and you say we want to be able to get ready to roll out on the week of September the 20th," he said. "So giving that date, I don't think was confusing."

-ABC News' Julia Cherner

Sep 17, 2021, 11:22 PM EDT

Gov. Gavin Newsom's children test positive, he tests negative

Two of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's four children have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson.

"Yesterday, two of the Governor’s children tested positive for COVID-19," Erin Mellon, spokesperson in the governor's office, said in a statement. "The Governor, the First Partner and their two other children have since tested negative. The family is following all COVID protocols." 

"The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic," she added.

In this Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 file photo, California Governor Gavin Newsom, right, his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, left, and children wave after taking the oath office during his inauguration as 40th governor of California in Sacramento, Calif.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP, FILE

The governor's office did not specify which of his children tested positive but he has two sons, Hunter and Dutch, and two daughters, Montana and Brooklynn. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine. All of his children are under 12, though Montana turns 12 on Saturday.

The week has been an eventful one for the governor. On Tuesday, Newsom survived a recall attempt with 64% of voters choosing "no." Removing him from office would've taken more than 50% voting in favor of the recall. Radio host Larry Elder was the leading candidate to replace Newsom had the effort succeeded.

Sep 17, 2021, 5:32 PM EDT

White House to hold virtual COVID-19 summit next week  

The White House is planning to hold a virtual COVID-19 summit with world leaders next week, officials announced Friday.

President Joe Biden will convene the summit Wednesday amid the U.N. General Assembly, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. 

The meeting will focus on "expanding and enhancing our shared efforts to defeat COVID-19," according to Psaki, including equitable vaccine access and making therapeutics and tests more available. 

More information will be available in the coming days, she said.

Sep 17, 2021, 4:33 PM EDT

FDA panel votes 'yes' on boosters for people 65 and older or high risk

The FDA advisory panel on Friday voted 18-0 in favor of booster shots for anyone 65 and older or anyone at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19.

If the FDA agrees with the plan, which is likely, it’s possible that booster shots would roll out as early as next week to these populations. The CDC would weigh in first though with more specific recommendations on who exactly should take the third shots.

The 18-0 vote comes after the members voted "no" on the question of whether the current data supports a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and older.

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