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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Region sees hospitalizations at highest point in nearly 10 months
Alaska currently has the country's highest infection rate, followed by Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, West Virginia and Idaho, according to federal data.
In the Department of Health and Human Services' Mountain Region – which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming -- hospital admissions are at their highest point in nearly 10 months, according to federal data.
In the last five weeks, Michigan daily cases have nearly doubled and Minnesota daily cases have nearly tripled, according to federal data.
In New Hampshire and Vermont, daily cases are up by 40% and 43% respectively in the last month.
Over the last month, the U.S. has reported more than 47,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, including nearly 9,000 deaths recorded in the last week, according to federal data.
But hospital admissions have dropped by about 9.2% in the last week.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Moderna says half dose booster will be just as effective
Dr. Jaqueline Miller, who presented data to the FDA committee on Thursday on behalf of Moderna, said the half dose works to boost antibody protections back up to the initial level.
"We chose the 50 microgram dose for the booster because we believe we should vaccinate with the lowest amount of antigen needed to induce an immune response at least equal to that in study 301 [the initial clinical study of Moderna vaccine], which was linked to vaccine efficacy of 93%," Miller said.
Miller added that "reducing the booster dose to 50 micrograms will also increase the worldwide vaccine supply of mRNA."
Americans who had a normal immune response to the first two shots and are getting a booster will need a half dose. But immunocompromised Americans -- people receiving cancer treatment or organ transplant recipients, for example -- need a full dose for their third shot to try and initiate the immune response they didn't get from the first two.
Moderna officials said they're preparing a letter explaining this administration to health care workers.
According to the FDA's review of Moderna's data, there was no evidence of increased side effects from booster doses.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett
Labor Department to issue new vaccine mandate
The U.S. is making progress in the fight against COVID-19 with daily cases and hospitalizations on the decline, but the nation must to do more to vaccinate Americans, President Joe Biden said Thursday.
The Labor Department will soon issue a vaccine mandate for workplaces with 100 or more employees, Biden said.
Biden called on more businesses to "step up" and more parents to get their children vaccinated when eligible.
"We can't let up now," he said.
FDA's independent committee hours away from vote on Moderna booster
The FDA's independent committee is meeting on Thursday and will vote in hours on whether to greenlight the Moderna booster for: people 65 and older; people 18 and older who are at high risk of severe illness because of an underlying health condition; and people 18 and older whose job may put them at greater risk for exposure to the virus.
In introductory remarks Thursday, the FDA's Peter Marks urged the independent panel to "harmonize" its decision with what has already been decided for Pfizer in order to avoid unnecessary confusion for the public.
Pfizer boosters have been authorized for people over 65, all adults with underlying medical conditions and adults whose job puts them at high risk.
The vote is scheduled for about 4:45 p.m.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik
White House to governors: Get ready to start vaccinating kids in November
In a private phone call Tuesday, the White House urged governors to prepare to begin vaccinating elementary-age kids in early November.
Once federal regulators give the green light, the pediatric Pfizer vaccine will be distributed in 100-dose packs. The doses, which are about one-third of what is given to adults, will be sent to thousands of sites, including pediatricians, family doctors, hospitals, health clinics and pharmacies enrolled in a federal program that guarantees the shots are provided for free. Some states are planning to provide the vaccine through schools, as well.
“We've secured plenty of supply, and we'll be putting in place an allocation ordering and distribution system similar to what we've used for the other vaccines,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on the call.
The Biden administration has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses, according to an HHS official. That number is more than enough to vaccinate all 28 million 5-to-11-year-olds.
At least 31,000 providers have enrolled to administer free vaccines already, according to the HHS official, and that number is expected to increase as the HHS and CDC continue to work with the existing federal program that funds many other routine childhood vaccinations all over the country.
While the White House said shipments of the pediatric vaccine will begin as soon as the FDA gives the green light, shots wouldn’t happen until the CDC makes its recommendation on who should get the vaccine.
The CDC is drafting guidance on the practice of “test to stay” being used by schools in lieu of quarantines, according to the White House call. CDC director Rochelle Walensky said it’s possible that the guidance is released this week.
-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Anne Flaherty, Cheyenne Haslett