Nearly 600 patients wait for hospital beds in Houston as city sees surge in COVID cases
According to the CDC, 46% of Texans have been fully vaccinated.
The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 620,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.3 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 59.1% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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TSA sees its lowest checkpoint numbers in nearly 2 months
As COVID-19 surges, the Transportation Security Administration screened 1,727,075 travelers across the U.S. on Tuesday -- the lowest number since June 15.
-ABC News' Sam Sweeney
Texas county will sue over state’s mask mandate ban
The largest county in Texas is set to file a lawsuit challenging the governor’s mask mandate ban.
The commissioner’s court of Harris County, which encompasses the city of Houston, had the county attorney file a lawsuit challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that prohibits local governments in the state from requiring masks, ABC’s Houston station KTRK reported.
“First responders and school leaders are speaking out and standing up as Delta ravages our community. We have their back,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote on Twitter. “Protecting the community during an emergency is a duty, not an option for government leaders.”
“It’s the job of local officials to protect our students, our vulnerable, our neighbors,” said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. “But [Abbott] has banned us from doing so during a pandemic. Tonight Commissioners Court authorized my office to take legal action against the governor’s overreach. Enough is enough.”
Hawaii reinstates capacity restrictions amid COVID-19 spike
Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced new capacity restrictions on businesses and limits on social gatherings Tuesday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Effective immediately, bars, restaurants and gyms are limited to 50% capacity. Additionally, social gatherings are limited to 25 people outdoors and 10 people indoors.
COVID-19 case counts doubled every seven to 10 days in July, and there have been record daily highs of over 600 cases in recent days, Ige said. Hospitalizations have also increased from 48 a month ago to 219 currently.
"We need to take action, and we need to take action now,” Ige said during a press briefing.
CDC advisory panel to discuss vaccine boosters on Friday
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel is expected to meet later this week to discuss the possibility of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for people who are severely immunocompromised.
The meeting of the CDC’s ACIP panel -- scheduled for Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- will be closely watched as the nation awaits a decision by federal regulators on whether to authorize a booster shot for certain vulnerable groups.
If the Food and Drug Administration greenlights boosters, the ACIP panel would have to make its own recommendation on who should get the shot and what factors they might want to consider. Those recommendations are typically adopted by the CDC as nationwide public health guidance.
During a meeting last month, ACIP members agreed an extra shot probably does help protect immunocompromised people but that more research was needed*.*
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty
Canada opens back up to American tourists
Monday marks the first day Canada is reopening to American visitors since the COVID-19 shutdown.
Tourists must provide proof of vaccination and a negative test.
Fifteen million Americans visited Canada in 2019, according to the government agency Destination Canada. The number of travelers dropped to 1.9 million in 2020, with the Canadian economy losing $11 billion in the process, according to Destination Canada.