US reports highest weekly COVID-19 vaccinations since July 4
There were over 7 million shots in the past week, an official said Saturday.
The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 712,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.8 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 66% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
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LSU ends COVID protocols for football games
Louisiana State University said Friday that fans at its football games will no longer need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test beginning with the Oct. 16 game.
LSU said the change is due to a "consistent and significant decline in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations across the state of Louisiana and in the Baton Rouge area."
Masks will still be required for all attendees.
Former CDC head 'cautiously optimistic' about vaccines for kids
Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and former acting director of the CDC, told "Good Morning America" Friday that he's "cautiously optimistic" about vaccine approval for young children, adding that he'll be closely watching the reviews by the FDA and CDC.
"Thankfully children have been impacted by COVID less severely than adults and I want to make sure, as a pediatrician, before I recommend this to my patients, I'm convinced that it's safe and it's effective," Besser said. "The information I've seen so far gives me a lot of hope."
Florida to sanction 8 school districts for mask mandates
The Florida Board of Education has authorized the state's education commissioner to sanction the board members of eight school districts that have continued to require masks for students in defiance of state rules.
In the latest development in the state's battle over mask mandates, board members in Florida's largest districts -- Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward -- as well as Alachua, Brevard, Duval, Leon and Orange will have their salaries withheld following Thursday's vote, officials said.
"For nearly two months now, these school districts have barred from the school house doors thousands of children, many of whom have significant disabilities or health-related reasons that prevent them from learning with a face mask on," Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said in a statement.
Corcoran also slammed the Broward and Alachua districts, which were previously sanctioned in August and September, for accepting funds from the Biden administration to make up for lost paychecks, calling it "political bailouts from federal co-conspirators."
-ABC News' Will McDuffie
Biden: Vaccination requirements result in more people getting vaccinated
COVID-19 cases are down 40% and hospitalizations have dropped 25% in the last month, President Joe Biden said Thursday during a visit to Illinois to promote vaccinations.
In the month since Biden announced a six-part plan to fight COVID-19, the president said there's been "real progress across the board," including with vaccine equity.
Biden said recent data shows Latino Americans, Black Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans are vaccinated at comparable rates to white Americans.
"Our work on equity isn't done, but it is an important piece of progress," he said.
Biden said a new report released Thursday shows vaccination requirements result in more people getting vaccinated.
"In the past few weeks, as more and more organizations have implemented their own requirements, they've seen vaccination rates rise dramatically," Biden said. "For example, the Department of Defense has gone from 67% of active duty forces being vaccinated to 97%. … We're also seeing this at colleges… We're going
to see it in health systems around the country."
Vaccination rates are also good for the economy as they help send people back to work, Biden said.
CDC committee to meet on Moderna, J&J boosters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent advisory committee plans to meet on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 to discuss the Moderna and Johnson &Johnson vaccine boosters. This will follow the Food and Drug Administration's independent advisers who are set to meet and vote on boosters on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.
That means Moderna and J&J boosters could be authorized, recommended and available as soon as Oct. 22.
The CDC committee is also set to meet on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 to discuss pediatric vaccinations.
-ABC News' Eric M. Strauss