Protests against mandated COVID-19 vaccines pop up across US
Pushback is happening over vaccine requirements and mask mandates.
The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 615,000 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 58.4% 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 last week, 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.
Latest headlines:
Single-shot J&J vaccine effective against delta and beta variants: Study
A real-world study of South African health care workers found that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine was highly effective against the delta and beta variants, according to the South African Medical Research Council, which presented the results Friday.
The vaccine was between 91% and 96% effective against death, according the study, which included more than 477,000 health care workers. J&J showed stronger protection against the delta variant, now dominant in the United States and South Africa, than it showed against the beta variant.
"The data reported today by South African investigators show that a single shot can protect against death due to COVID-19 in the most challenging epidemiologic setting: A massive delta surge in Africa," said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who helped invent the J&J shot but was not directly involved in the South Africa study.
While the results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, they may serve as a reassuring data point as the delta variant sweeps the U.S.
Glenda Gray, president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, who led the study, said at the Friday press conference that the J&J vaccine showed good durability, an indication that there's no need for booster shots just yet.
-ABC News' Sony Salzman.
DC theaters unite, require vaccinations for audiences
Thirteen theaters in Washington, D.C., have joined forces to require audiences to supply proof of vaccination in order to attend live performances at indoor venues.
In addition to the vaccination requirement, masks will be required inside the theaters. Medical and religious exemptions to the rule will be accepted, but those patrons will have to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test in order to gain entry. For children younger than 12, patrons should contact the theater directly for more information about individual policy.
More theaters are expected to join the cohort in comings weeks, according to Theatre Washington, an alliance of theater organizations and supporters.
Low staffing and burnout from COVID surge strain Texas hospitals
A labor analysis by the Texas Workforce Commission found that there are 23,000 openings for registered nurses in Texas and no one to fill them, the Texas Tribune reported Thursday.
The key factor: burnout. Nurses are leaving the profession due to stress from working under COVID-19 conditions for 19 months. And with the delta variant surging across the country, particularly in places like Texas, with lower-than-average vaccination rates, there's no end in sight for the state's health care workers.
New cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all on the rise, according to state data.
United to require all US employees be vaccinated by September
All U.S.-based United employees will be required to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by September and must upload their vaccination card to the company website, the airline announced Friday. The move is the strongest vaccination requirement a U.S. airline has taken so far.
"For those employees who are already vaccinated -- and for those employees who get vaccinated and upload their records to Flying Together before September 20th -- we’ll offer an additional day of pay," Scott Kirby and Brett Hart, the CEO and president of United, wrote in a memo to employees.
Employees will have until five weeks after Sept. 20 or five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration fully authorizes a COVID-19 vaccine to upload their cards. All three vaccines in the U.S. are currently being used under emergency use authorization.
-ABC News' Mina Kaji
70% of adults in US have now had at least 1 vaccine dose
Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. have now had at least one vaccine dose, the White House announced Monday, nearly one month after President Joe Biden hoped to reach the milestone.
Biden said in May, "Our goal by July 4th is to have 70% of adult Americans with at least one shot and 160 million Americans fully vaccinated." When that date finally rolled out, the White House touted that 70% of Americans ages 27 and up met the goal, but low vaccination rates among young people kept the country from fully meeting the target.
Biden is scheduled to give remarks on vaccination progress on Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky