Unvaccinated people 11 times more likely to die in COVID-19 delta surge
The unvaccinated were six times more likely to get the virus in August.
The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 722,000 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 66.5% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
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CDC updates holiday guidance
The CDC has updated its holiday guidance, urging people to get vaccinated and to wear masks in public indoor places.
The CDC said in a statement: "We fully expect that families and friends will gather for the holidays this year and we have updated our guidance on how to best to stay safe over the holidays. The best way to minimize COVID risk and ensure that people can safely gather is to get vaccinated or get the booster if you’re eligible.”
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty
FDA panel votes to authorize booster shots for J&J vaccine
An independent FDA panel has voted to move forward with Johnson & Johnson vaccine boosters.
The panel’s decision on J&J was broader than for Moderna and Pfizer as it applies to all J&J recipients 18 and older. The timing is also different: The J&J booster can be administered two months after the initial shot.
The 19-person panel voted unanimously.
Johnson & Johnson's one dose has shown to be 85% effective against severe illness, but adding a second dose boosted that to 100%.
Penny Heaton, a J&J executive, acknowledged Friday that J&J’s efficacy is below the mRNA vaccines but said they would be on par if they used a booster.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty, Cheyenne Haslett, Sasha Pezenik
Cases creeping up in some Midwest, Northeast states
In recent weeks, cases have been creeping up in several states in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Colorado, New Hampshire, Vermont, Montana, Michigan and Minnesota have seen their case rates jump by 20% or more in the last month, according to federal data.
Alaska currently has the country's highest infection rate, followed by Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Idaho and West Virginia, according to federal data. California currently has the nation's lowest infection rate.
Since the beginning of September, the U.S. has seen a drop of more than 42,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals. Daily COVID-19-related hospital admissions are also down by 8.8% in the last week, and by more than 40% in the last month, according to federal data.
West Virginia currently has the country's highest death rate, followed by Idaho and Georgia. Texas alone is reporting thousands of deaths each week.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Vaccine requirement for foreign travelers to begin Nov. 8
Beginning Nov. 8, foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. by air and nonessential travelers crossing land borders must show proof of full vaccination to enter the U.S., the White House announced Friday.
Essential workers crossing via land, like those who come for work or school, have until January to become fully vaccinated.
Air travelers will still be required to show proof of a negative test within 72 hours of departure, in addition to their vaccination status.
-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky
Fauci: Best way to avoid resurgence is getting more Americans vaccinated
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Monday night that "the best way to assure that decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths [will] continue is to continue to get a lot more people vaccinated."
"We need the overwhelming proportion of those unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Then we can be quite confident that if we can do that, you will not see a resurgence," Fauci said.
About 68 million eligible Americans remain completely unvaccinated.
Despite continued pushback, Fauci said that newly implemented vaccine mandates are working.
"Sometimes mandates can help. As sensitive an issue as that is, it is really getting people more vaccinated," Fauci said.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos