Jesse Jackson, wife hospitalized with COVID-19
The civil rights pioneer was vaccinated in January.
The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.
More than 628,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.4 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 59.9% 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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Texas hospitals flooded with COVID-19 patients waiting for beds
Nearly half of all patients waiting for beds in the Southeast Texas region, which includes Houston and the surrounding areas, are infected with COVID-19, according to officials.
Of the 575 patients stacked up in ambulances or hospital hallways waiting for beds, 230 of them have the virus, officials said. Of the 87 patients who need to be admitted to the intensive care unit, 50 of those have COVID-19.
About 2,500 nurses are being deployed across the state for provide assistance to overcrowded hospitals, the Texas State Department of Health announced Monday.
Meanwhile, Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, has won the latest schools mask mandate battle with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
A district judge granted a temporary injunction against Abbott’s ruling on Monday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced.
-ABC News’ Bonnie Mclean and Gina Sunseri
More than 121,000 new cases among kids last week
More than 121,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported among kids last week, another "substantial" increase from weeks prior, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association said in a report.
Last week, children represented 18% of all reported cases. Children represented 15% of cases the week prior.
Pediatric COVID-19-related hospital admissions have now equaled the most seen at any point of the pandemic.
Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains "uncommon" among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. In states which reported virus-related deaths by age, 0.00%-0.03% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death.
However, AAP and CHA warned that there is an urgent need to collect more data on long-term impacts on kids "including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects."
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
US daily case average up by 930% since June
Over the weekend, the daily case average in the U.S. rose to 120,000 -- skyrocketing 930% since mid-June, federal data showed.
Every state in the country is now reporting high or substantial community transmission, according to federal data.
The country's daily death average has increased to nearly 550 per day, a 155% jump in the last month.
The rate of hospital admissions among people under 49 years old is now at its highest point of the pandemic, according to federal data.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Los Angeles students back in school with strict regulations
Before Los Angeles students could enter their classrooms on the first day of school Monday, many waited in lines so staff could ensure they completed their daily pass health screening.
Los Angeles Unified School District students and staff had to be tested for COVID-19 by the first day of school, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said last week. As the year gets underway, students will wear masks and undergo weekly testing regardless of vaccination status, ABC Los Angeles station KABC reported.
All school district employees are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
Delta likely contributed to vaccine's waning protection: Murthy
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced at Wednesday's White House briefing, "Having reviewed the most current data, it is now our clinical judgment that the time to lay out a plan for COVID-19 boosters is now."
Murthy said protection against mild disease has decreased, likely a combination of waning vaccine protection over time and the strength of the delta variant, and that the administration is "concerned" that protection could continue to erode.
"Even though this new data affirms that vaccine protection remains high against the worst outcomes of COVID, we are concerned that this pattern of decline we're seeing will continue in the months ahead, which could lead to reduced protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death," Murthy said.
"That is why, today, we are announcing our plan to stay ahead of this virus by being prepared to offer COVID-19 booster shots to fully vaccinated adults 18 years and older," Murthy said. "They would be eligible for their booster shot eight months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Modern mRNA vaccines."
The boosters are set to begin Sept. 20, but Murthy emphasized that this is pending FDA authorization and also reiterated that does not yet apply to J&J recipients.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslet