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.

Last Updated: August 16, 2021, 12:25 AM EDT

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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Aug 11, 2021, 4:27 PM EDT

NYSE requiring vaccinations for floor traders

The New York Stock Exchange is requiring full vaccination to access the trading floor as of Sept. 13, COO Michael Blaugrund announced Wednesday

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, Aug. 11, 2021.
Bloomberg via Getty Images

-ABC News' Taylor Dunn

Aug 11, 2021, 4:12 PM EDT

US reports highest case increase of any country

The U.S. reported 734,354 new COVID-19 cases in the last week, a 35% weekly jump and the highest of any nation in the world, according to the World Health Organization.

Pulmonology physician Catherine Wentowski speaks with medical staff at the Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson Parish, La., Aug. 10, 2021.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters

The U.S. was followed by India with 278,631 new cases and Iran with 248,102 new cases.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Aug 11, 2021, 3:05 PM EDT

Oregon requires masks inside as cases reach all-time high

In Oregon, masks will be required in indoor public places beginning on Friday, Gov. Kate Brown announced.

Over 2,300 COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on Tuesday -- the highest since the beginning of the pandemic, the governor said.

Oregon's hospitalizations are also at a record high and intensive care units are about 90% filled, Brown said.

Nearly 73% of adults in Oregon are vaccinated, but the delta variant "has changed everything," Brown said on Twitter.

"I know Oregonians are tired of wearing masks. I certainly am too. But every time someone wears a mask that’s one more unvaccinated kid we’re protecting. That mask could keep your best friend or loved one out of the hospital," she tweeted.

Aug 11, 2021, 2:17 PM EDT

Calif. school staff must be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, governor says

All school staff in California must get vaccinated or be tested weekly, becoming the first state in the nation to make this a mandate, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

PHOTO: First grade student Daniel Cano, 5, and his mom, Sonia Cano, listen to doctors talk about COVID-19 safety precautions/social distancing and hand washing protocols at a L.A. Unified at Euclid Avenue Elementary School, July 26, 2021, in Los Angeles.
First grade student Daniel Cano, 5, and his mom, Sonia Cano, listen to doctors talk about COVID-19 safety precautions/social distancing and hand washing protocols at a L.A. Unified "meet and greet" with its medical advisors at Euclid Avenue Elementary School, July 26, 2021, in Los Angeles.
Allen J Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Shutterstock

"It's the right thing to do," the governor said, adding that he thinks this will "significantly increase vaccination rates" across the state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spends time in a first-grade classroom at Juanita B. Jones Elementary in San Bernardino, Calif., Aug. 6, 2021.
Watchara Phomicinda/AP

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