COVID-19 updates: No unemployment benefits for vaccine refusal in this state
The state just announced new COVID emergency plans.
The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 686,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.7 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. The average number of daily deaths in the U.S. has risen about 20% in the last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. is continuing to sink on the list of global vaccination rates, currently ranking No. 46, according to data compiled by The Financial Times. Just 64.7% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
Latest headlines:
Nevada county declares health misinformation a public health crisis
Nevada's Clark County, home to Las Vegas, is declaring health misinformation a public health crisis following a 5-2 vote from the Clark County Commission.
This follows the same move in the California counties of San Diego, Sacramento and Monterey in an effort to tackle misinformation.
When the proposal was introduced in Clark County, 83.7% of cases and 96.7% of hospitalizations were among people who were not fully vaccinated.
71M eligible Americans still haven't gotten a shot, White House estimates
About 71 million Americans who are eligible for the vaccine have still not gotten a shot, said White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar.
About one month ago, the White House said about 82 million eligible Americans didn't have the shot.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty
Jesse Jackson back home after COVID battle
Rev. Jesse Jackson was released from rehab Wednesday after a battle against COVID-19.
The civil rights leader, who has Parkinson’s Disease, and his wife, Jacqueline Jackson, were both hospitalized with COVID-19 on Aug. 21.
Jacqueline Jackson was discharged on Sept. 4 and Jesse Jackson was transferred to a rehab facility for physical therapy for Parkinson’s.
"Our father continues to stress the importance of being vaccinated, wearing masks and obeying the COVID-19 protocols including social distancing and the washing of the hands," their son, Jonathan Jackson, said in a statement.
Penn State suspends 117 students for missing tests
Penn State said it's placed 117 students on interim suspension for missing at least three weeks of the university's weekly COVID-19 testing requirement. (Weekly testing is required for students who aren't fully vaccinated.)
Suspended students can't go to class or campus and can't participate in any school activities, including football games, the university said.
"The last thing we want is to suspend them," said Damon Sims, vice president for student affairs. "I’m sorry these students did not follow our repeated admonitions and warnings, and I hope they will make the correction necessary. Others should not repeat their mistake."
-ABC News' Brian Hartman
In hard-hit Alabama patients are 'dying at an alarming rate'
Alabama is experiencing a near record-breaking surge in COVID-19 deaths.
“We are seeing a decrease in the number of patients that are in the hospital, but unfortunately, it's not because all of them are getting better and going home to their families... these patients are dying,” Dr. Kierstin Kennedy, chief of hospital medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, told ABC News Tuesday.
In July, there were only six COVID-19 patients in the UAB hospital, but within four weeks, the number skyrocketed over 100, according to Kennedy.
This latest wave of patients is much younger, primarily consisting of unvaccinated patients, Kennedy said.
“These patients are as sick if not sicker than elderly patients. They're staying in the hospital longer, and they're dying at an alarming rate,” Kennedy said. “It's unlike anything that I've seen.”
Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday, "2020 is going to be the first year that we know of in the history of our state where we actually had more deaths than births -- our state literally shrunk in 2020."
Across Alabama, more than 97% of ICU beds are in use, according to federal data.
Just 41.6% of the state's total population is fully vaccinated.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos