In an interview with the podcast “In the Bubble,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told former White House adviser Andy Slavitt that he predicts three doses will become the standard dosing regimen for COVID-19 vaccines going forward.

Fauci cited new data from Israel that vaccine protection against hospitalization dropped in recent months from some 97% to 77% or 78%.

The vaccines still provide extraordinary protection, but the combination of the delta variant and waning immunity with time are causes for concern, he said.

Fauci added that that he thinks it will probably be the end of 2022 or early 2023 before much of the world is vaccinated.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Kentucky is "quickly approaching that point" where hospitals will need to start rationing care, Gov. Andy Beshear warned on CNN.

Over two-thirds of Kentucky's hospitals have critical staffing shortages, the governor said. FEMA and National Guard teams have been called in and nursing students have been deployed across the state, he said.

"We've got one hospital in Morehead called St. Clair that's closed three operating rooms to expand ICU bed space," he said. "We had a hospital in Danville, Kentucky, that's not used to treating really sick patients, that had a morgue for two -- and had seven individuals pass away in their hospital over one weekend."

"We've set up tents outside Pikeville Medical Center to triage whether people really need to be in the hospital or not," Beshear continued. "We're in a very precarious situation."

-ABC News' Brian Hartman

All participants in this year's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade must be vaccinated and wear face coverings, the department store announced Wednesday. Singers, dancers and musicians may be exempt from wearing face masks.

The number of participants will see a 10 to 20% cut this year and social distancing will be followed, Macy's added.

Last year, much of the parade was pre-taped due to the pandemic. There were no high school band performances and limited spectators on the street.

The marching band and other specialty group performances that were initially set to perform last year will get to participate in this Thanksgiving's parade, Macy's said.

The Supreme Court will resume in-person oral arguments on Oct. 4 for the first time since the pandemic began.

All arguments will be in person from Oct. 4 through the rest of the year. The courtroom will only have staff, counsel of cases on the docket and hard-pass court reporters there in person, with the court staying closed to the general public.

The court says it will continue to offer a real-time live audio feed of arguments.

-ABC News' Devin Dwyer

The Texas attorney general has filed lawsuits against six school districts that mandate masks, the office said Friday.

The lawsuits target the school districts of Richardson, Round Rock, Galveston, Elgin, Spring and Sherman for flouting Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting local entities from requiring masks -- what Texas Attorney General Ken Paxon referred to in a statement as "acts of political defiance."

In a statement to ABC News, Sylvia Wood, a spokesperson for Spring Independent School District, said the district had yet to be served and had no details about the lawsuit beyond a press release.

"Spring ISD will let the legal process unfold and allow the courts to decide the merits of the case," Wood said.

Elgin Independent School District Superintendent Jodi Duron also told ABC News the school district had not been served yet, and that schools in Travis County, part of Elgin ISD, are required to have students wear masks. "To the District’s knowledge, the Travis County Order has not been suspended," she said.

Round Rock Independent School District spokesperson Jenny LaCoste-Caputo told ABC News the school district is following Texas Education Agency guidance that allows for mask requirements "for adults or students for whom it is developmentally appropriate" and is working with local authorities "who advise us that masks remain an essential tool in stemming the spread of COVID-19 in our classrooms."

Sherman Independent School District told ABC News in a statement that it had not received any information on the lawsuit yet and for now "will continue to focus on promoting a safe and healthy learning environment for our students and staff."

ABC News has reached out to the other school districts for comment.

Nearly 90 school districts currently have mask mandates, according to a list compiled by Paxton's office. The attorney general anticipates more lawsuits if school districts "continue to defy state law," his office said in a statement.

Several school districts have sued the state to challenge the ban on mask mandates.

Last week, the Texas Education Agency said it is not enforcing the governor's executive order "as the result of ongoing litigation."