Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is threatening to sue cities in the state that have issued vaccine mandates, for up to $5,000 per infraction.

The governor, who early Monday repeated falsehoods about the COVID-19 vaccines, said hours later, at a press conference, that he's willing to sue the cities because he does not want vaccine mandates to threaten Floridians' jobs.

"We are not gonna let people be fired because of a vaccine mandate," he said.

Meanwhile, over 11,215 patients remain hospitalized in Florida with COVID-19, according to the Florida Hospital Association.

As of Monday, 75% of the state's eligible population has had one vaccine dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

-ABC News' Matthew Vann

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that ordered Iowa officials to stop enforcing a law passed in May that prevents school boards from enforcing mask mandates.

Judge Robert Pratt said the parents who are suing Gov. Kim Reynolds and state and local education offices, have demonstrated that an "irreparable harm exists" if masks aren't used and required.

The judge said he looked at data on the effectiveness of masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and agrees with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics on mask wearing in schools.

The order will stay in effect until the court issues an order for a preliminary injunction.

Thomas Ahart, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, called the judge's decision "welcome news."

"I will reinstate a mask mandate – as we had in place for most of last school year – for all students, staff and visitors to Des Moines Public Schools," he said in a statement.

-ABC News' Matt Foster

The U.S. daily death average has now surged to nearly 1,200 -- six times the death average of 191 from two months ago, according to federal data.

On Friday alone, the U.S. reported approximately 1,860 COVID-19 deaths -- the highest single-day figure in nearly seven months, though that figure may partially be the result of data backlogs from the holiday weekend.

Even with current data still skewed from last week's holiday, this summer's surge has far surpassed the figures from last summer, and national case metrics are about four times higher than one year ago, according to federal data.

Kentucky and West Virginia are seeing more new cases and hospitalizations than at any point in the pandemic. Other states like Georgia and Oklahoma also showing signs of exponential growth in cases and hospitalizations.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

More than 243,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, marking the second-highest week ever for pediatric cases, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Last week, children accounted for 28.9% of the cases. Children make up 22.2% of the population.

Across the U.S., approximately 2,200 kids are in hospitals for COVID-19. Texas currently leads the country with 377 children receiving care, followed by Ohio with 258 children and Florida with 168 children.

Cases among kids rose "exponentially" this summer, the organizations wrote, and in the last month alone, the U.S. has reported more than 1 million pediatric cases.

More than 1.2 million children have tested positive since they returned to classrooms in late July.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains "uncommon" among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. The AAP and CHA, however, warned that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, "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

The FDA advisory panel on Friday voted 18-0 in favor of booster shots for anyone 65 and older or anyone at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19.

If the FDA agrees with the plan, which is likely, it’s possible that booster shots would roll out as early as next week to these populations. The CDC would weigh in first though with more specific recommendations on who exactly should take the third shots.

The 18-0 vote comes after the members voted "no" on the question of whether the current data supports a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 and older.