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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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
FDA panel hours away from vote on J&J boosters
The independent FDA advisory panel is meeting Friday and will hold a nonbinding vote on whether the Johnson & Johnson booster shot should be used.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health will also present data Friday on whether it's safe and effective to mix-and-match vaccine booster doses.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik, Cheyenne Haslett
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