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COVID-19 live updates: Judge rules Florida governor stop banning mask mandates in schools
Ten Florida school districts have adopted mask mandates for students this month.
The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 634,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 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 60.8% 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:
Chicago to mandate vaccinations for all city workers
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday afternoon that city workers will have to get their COVID-19 vaccines.
Lightfoot said that the city has been working with labor unions over the last several weeks to finalize plans.
"It's for the safety of all involved," she said.
Lightfoot did not immediately reveal a deadline or other details about her order.
Honolulu suspending large gatherings due to dramatic uptick in cases
All large gatherings in Honolulu will be suspended due to a dramatic uptick in cases, Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced Monday.
Health care workers are "pushed beyond their limits," the mayor said.
The ban begins Aug. 25 and will last for four weeks.
5 Southern states have ICUs over 90% full
Five states have intensive care units over 90% full: Alabama (100%), Florida (92.82%), Georgia (92.95%), Mississippi (93.81%) and Texas (91.27%), according to federal data.
The South also leads the country with the highest case rates. Louisiana and Mississippi have the highest case rates, followed by Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and South Carolina, according to federal data.
More than 95.6% of counties are either reporting high (89.32%) or substantial (6.24%) community transmission, federal data shows. Just 4.41% of counties are reporting moderate or low transmission.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
FDA grants full approval for Pfizer vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, becoming the first COVID-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval.
The full approval indicates that Pfizer has shown enough effectiveness and safety data to meet the stringent Biologics License Application requirements, which includes at least six months of safety data from a majority of the volunteers in a large, final stage clinical trial.
Pfizer's full approval will pave the way for further vaccine mandates in both the public and private sector. Some businesses and state leaders have held off thus far, signaling they'd wait for full approval before imposing tighter requirements.
Federal, state and local health officials have also expressed optimism that full approval will help dissolve some of the lingering hesitancy around taking a shot that until now has been only authorized for emergency use.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock called Monday's announcement a "pivotal moment" made possible by a "rigorous and thorough review" done in record time.
"Working around the clock, FDA staff were able to complete the evaluation of this biologics license application in just over three months," she said. "This is an unprecedented timeline given the volume of review and the meticulous manner in which it was done, but we want to underscore that our efforts to move as quickly as possible have in no way sacrifice scientific standards for the integrity of our process."
President Joe Biden said Monday, "If you're one of the millions of Americans who've said that they will not get the shot until it has full and final approval of the FDA -- it has now happened.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik
Houston sees 5-fold increase in COVID-19 vaccinations
COVID-19 vaccinations in Houston increased more than five-fold on Thursday as the city launched a new incentive program.
The Houston Health Department is now providing up to $150 in gift cards to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of 740 vaccine doses were administered at the health department's eligible sites on Thursday, the first day of the program, marking a 51% increase over Wednesday's total of 121 doses.
Of the total shots administered Thursday, 658 were first doses and 82 were second dose, according to a press release from the health department.