'Steady increase' in vaccines in past month, White House says
The U.S. saw its largest single-day increase in nearly nine months Friday.
The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 613,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 57.9% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC on Tuesday, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission -- vaccinated or not -- wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.
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Google requiring vaccines for in-office workers
Anyone working on Google’s campuses must be vaccinated, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced Wednesday.
"Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy," Pichai said.
Google also said it’s extending its global voluntary work-from-home policy through Oct. 18.
US reports highest number of new cases in the world
The U.S. reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the world in the last week, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. saw a 131% increase in new cases for the week ending July 25 compared to the previous week, according to the WHO’s epidemiological report.
The U.S. was followed by Brazil, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and India.
Globally, there were 3.8 million new cases in the last week, an 8% increase over the previous week. The number of new COVID-19-related deaths also increased sharply this week to over 69,000, a 21% jump from 57,000 deaths last week.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Health care workers in NY state-run hospitals must get vaccinated
All patient-facing health care workers in New York’s state-run hospitals must get vaccinated, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
"There will be no testing option," Cuomo said.
In addition, beginning Labor Day, all state employees will be required to either be vaccinated or get tested weekly.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Florida hospital seeing an all-time high of COVID hospitalizations
Baptist Health, a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, said it now has over 400 COVID-19 patients, an all-time high.
The unvaccinated make up at least 97% of the patients, hospital president and CEO Michael Mayo said.
“Northeast Florida has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s never been as bad as it is now,” Mayo said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Faul
Austin facing 'dire' ICU bed shortage
In Austin, Texas, intensive care unit capacity has reached a "dire" point, the city's health department said Friday, with only 16 staffed beds available for over 2.3 million residents.
"We are running out of time and our community must act now," Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in a statement. "Our ICU capacity is reaching a critical point where the level of risk to the entire community has significantly increased, and not just to those who are needing treatment for COVID. If we fail to come together as a community now, we jeopardize the lives of loved ones who might need critical care."
The low ICU capacity is similar to the beginning of the pandemic, Austin Public Health said, noting that the number of COVID-19 patients in local ICUs increased 28% between July 23 and July 30.
Local health officials advised that partially or unvaccinated people should avoid gatherings and wear a mask during essential activities, while those who are vaccinated should limit gathering sizes and wear a mask indoors, among other measures.