(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — A campus police officer and a campus safety officer were killed during a shooting at a Virginia college Tuesday afternoon after responding to reports of a “suspicious” person on campus, officials said.
Multiple agencies responded to Bridgewater College in Bridgewater following a report of an active shooter around 1:20 p.m. local time, school officials said.
The two officers were responding to a call of a “suspicious male individual” on the grounds of the college’s Memorial Hall, according to Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller. After a brief interaction, the suspect opened fire, striking both officers, she said.
The suspect fled on foot and was apprehended about a half-hour later off-campus, officials said. Officers followed the suspect after he waded into the North Rive, onto an island in the river, and he was taken into custody without incident, Geller said.
The two officers died from their injuries, Bridgewater spokesperson Logan Boger confirmed to ABC News. They were identified by the college’s president as Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson.
“Today our campus community experienced unspeakable tragedy. Two members of the Bridgewater College family were senselessly and violently taken from us,” Bridgewater College President David Bushman said in a statement.
“This is a sad and dark day for Bridgewater College. I know we all have so many questions and not many answers,” he said.
The officers were known as the “dynamic duo” and were close friends, Bushman said. Painter was Jefferson’s best man in his wedding this year, he said.
The suspect was identified by authorities as 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell, of Ashland, Virginia. He has been charged with felonies: 2 counts of capital murder, 1 count of first-degree murder and 1 count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to Geller, and is being held without bond at the Rockingham County Jail.
Campbell was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Geller. It is unclear if he was shot by Painter, who was the only one of the two officers armed, or if it was self-inflicted, she said.
Multiple firearms “associated with Campbell” were recovered on and off-campus and seized as evidence, Geller said.
Virginia State Police did not comment on Campbell’s relationship to the college, but Geller said several college employees called 911 after seeing the suspect in and around Memorial Hall. “He was not supposed to be in this particular location,” she said.
A motive is still under investigation, and Campbell is the lone suspect, police said. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Bridgewater Mayor Ted Flory said the community is “shocked by today’s senseless violence.”
“We are heartbroken by the needless injuries and loss of life. And we are rightly angered at the evil which alighted upon us,” he said in a statement. “But even in our grief, we turn our heads and we see the goodness of humanity: police officers running toward the danger, rescue personnel rushing in, and neighbors keeping each other safe.”
Agencies including the Virginia State Police, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Harrisonburg Police Department responded to the college following reports of an active shooter. The FBI was also sending agents to the scene, according to a spokesperson.
By 4:33 p.m., the university gave an “all clear” message on its website.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement on social media that he had been briefed on the situation and “will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with law enforcement.”
Bridgewater, a small private liberal arts college, enrolled around 1,500 full-time students as of fall 2021.
Classes were canceled for Wednesday. School officials said they will provide information soon on grief counseling and other support.
The is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 890,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 63.8% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 02, 5:44 am
COVID-19 vaccine mandate for schoolchildren takes effect in New Orleans
New Orleans has become one of the first major U.S. cities to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for eligible children ages 5 and up in order to attend school.
The requirement went into effect Tuesday, though families may claim an exemption for philosophical, religious or medical needs, according to New Orleans public school districts.
“We all know that vaccines are the best tool that we have at our disposal at this time to keep our children in the classroom so that they can learn so that they can grow with their teachers as well as their friends,” NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said during a press conference last December, when the mandate was announced.
A representative for NOLA Public Schools told ABC News that school officials will work to help students either complete their vaccination regimens or notify their schools that they are claiming an exemption. Students will not be removed or kicked out of class if they do not get vaccinated.
“The goal is not to deny educational opportunities to any child,” the representative said in a statement Tuesday evening. “But we need parents and families to let us know where they stand — either fully vaccinated, partly vaccinated, or exempt — so that our schools can better plan around potential quarantines and limit future disruptions to students’ schooling as this pandemic continues. The deadline is about encouraging our families to take a personal stake in helping to keep safe our entire school community.”
About 56% of 5 to 17 year olds in New Orleans have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while approximately 40% are fully vaccinated, according to the public school district. Beginning Tuesday, the Louisiana city will also require children ages 5 and up to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter certain establishments.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 01, 5:02 pm
Pfizer asks for FDA authorization for vaccine for kids under 5
The FDA’s advisory committee will meet on Feb. 15 to review the Pfizer vaccine for use in children under the age of 5. The advisory committee is an independent group whose vote is nonbinding, but the FDA takes it into consideration when making a final decision.
The vaccine would still need to go through several other approvals before it can be used on children under the age of 5. It would need to be authorized by the FDA, then the CDC advisory committee would need to meet for recommendations and it would need to be approved by the CDC.
Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday they have initiated rolling submission for emergency use authorization for kids 6 months through 4 years old — at the request of the FDA. Pfizer and BioNTech said they’re submitted data for two doses but expect the vaccine to be a three-dose series, and that the data for the third dose will be provided in the coming months.
Feb 01, 3:57 pm
White House: Government has shipped 100 million free N95 masks
The federal government has shipped 100 million free N95 masks so far, according to the White House, after the Biden administration announced on Jan. 19 that it would provide 400 million free N95 masks to Americans.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 01, 3:24 pm
Unvaccinated 23 times more likely to be hospitalized with omicron than those vaccinated, boosted
A new study from Los Angeles County’s health department estimates that during the city’s omicron surge, people who were unvaccinated were 3.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 23 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to people who were vaccinated and boosted.
The unvaccinated were 2 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 5.3 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to people who were vaccinated but not yet boosted, according to the study, which was published in the CDC’s weekly journal, MMWR.
(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — A campus police officer and a campus safety officer were killed during a shooting at a Virginia college Tuesday afternoon after responding to reports of a “suspicious” person on campus, officials said.
Multiple agencies responded to Bridgewater College in Bridgewater following a report of an active shooter around 1:20 p.m. local time, school officials said.
The two officers were responding to a call of a “suspicious male individual” on the grounds of the college’s Memorial Hall, according to Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller. After a brief interaction, the suspect opened fire, striking both officers, she said.
The suspect fled on foot and was apprehended about a half-hour later off-campus, officials said. Officers followed the suspect after he waded into the North Rive, onto an island in the river, and he was taken into custody without incident, Geller said.
The two officers died from their injuries, Bridgewater spokesperson Logan Boger confirmed to ABC News. They were identified by the college’s president as Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson.
“Today our campus community experienced unspeakable tragedy. Two members of the Bridgewater College family were senselessly and violently taken from us,” Bridgewater College President David Bushman said in a statement.
“This is a sad and dark day for Bridgewater College. I know we all have so many questions and not many answers,” he said.
The officers were known as the “dynamic duo” and were close friends, Bushman said. Painter was Jefferson’s best man in his wedding this year, he said.
The suspect was identified by authorities as 27-year-old Alexander Wyatt Campbell, of Ashland, Virginia. He has been charged with felonies: 2 counts of capital murder, 1 count of first-degree murder and 1 count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to Geller, and is being held without bond at the Rockingham County Jail.
Campbell was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Geller. It is unclear if he was shot by Painter, who was the only one of the two officers armed, or if it was self-inflicted, she said.
Multiple firearms “associated with Campbell” were recovered on and off-campus and seized as evidence, Geller said.
Virginia State Police did not comment on Campbell’s relationship to the college, but Geller said several college employees called 911 after seeing the suspect in and around Memorial Hall. “He was not supposed to be in this particular location,” she said.
A motive is still under investigation, and Campbell is the lone suspect, police said. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Bridgewater Mayor Ted Flory said the community is “shocked by today’s senseless violence.”
“We are heartbroken by the needless injuries and loss of life. And we are rightly angered at the evil which alighted upon us,” he said in a statement. “But even in our grief, we turn our heads and we see the goodness of humanity: police officers running toward the danger, rescue personnel rushing in, and neighbors keeping each other safe.”
Agencies including the Virginia State Police, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Harrisonburg Police Department responded to the college following reports of an active shooter. The FBI was also sending agents to the scene, according to a spokesperson.
By 4:33 p.m., the university gave an “all clear” message on its website.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement on social media that he had been briefed on the situation and “will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with law enforcement.”
Bridgewater, a small private liberal arts college, enrolled around 1,500 full-time students as of fall 2021.
Classes were canceled for Wednesday. School officials said they will provide information soon on grief counseling and other support.
The is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Chinese artisans have crafted 100 paper lanterns lit by 10,000 LED lights to celebrate the Lunar New Year, according to The REACH at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where the free outdoor exhibition is being displayed nightly through Sunday.
The lanterns, some of which stand parallel to the Potomac River, include “playful pandas, butterflies and flowers, frogs and flamingos, sea creatures, and more,” according to REACH.
Tuesday is Lunar New Year, a traditional holiday observed in many Asian cultures. Each year is represented by an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. This is the year of the Tiger.
Over 4,500 people visited the lanterns last weekend alone, according to Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter.
“Whether you’re driving by over the Teddy Roosevelt bridge, or you come as a destination to walk through the center, it’s just really, really beautiful,” Rutter said.
Next to the lanterns shaped like squirrels in the mushroom forest, Ming Gault, who recently moved to the area, reflected on her Chinese American heritage.
“Every year I learn something new about what it means to be like Asian and Chinese American,” said Gault, who was adopted. “This year, it really just means friends. A lot of times New Year’s is for time with my family, but for me, my family is like a found family and my friends.”
Visiting the lanterns — which have been displayed annually since 2016 — has become a tradition for many Asian Americans like Grace Jeong and her boyfriend, Gary Winthorg, both from Virginia. Jeong said this year has been challenging with attacks on Asian Americans and the pandemic but she hopes the new year will bring brighter times.
“I feel like, during the two years that we’ve been cooped up, a lot of people have gotten really used to being inside and being alone as well,” said Jeong. “Hopefully, as things get better people do get together and enjoy events like this where it helps people come outside and enjoy different things.”
For the next week, the REACH will host various Chinese and Korean artists, musicians and performances.
(WASHINGTON) — Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday for emergency use authorization for its vaccine for children under the age of 5.
The move puts the process in motion for the FDA to review the data, bring it before its independent advisers and potentially authorize the vaccine in the coming weeks. The FDA independent advisers are already slated to have a public hearing on Feb. 15.
The data would then be brought before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent advisers for another review, and finally, a potential recommendation by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky — all potentially within the month.
As of now, Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine is available to anyone over 5 years old. A booster shot after five months is available to anyone over 12 years old. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are available to adults.
Pfizer announced it had safety and efficacy for its vaccine for kids under 5 in December, but determined that the two-dose regimen wasn’t as effective for children 2, 3 and 4 years-old as it was for adults. The dose for kids under 5 is one-tenth the dose for adults.
On Tuesday, Pfizer again submitted data on two doses of the vaccine, but with the expectation that data will soon be available to make it a three-dose vaccine, which will likely be more effective at preventing illness.
Pfizer is expected to have more information on the efficacy of a three-dose regimen in March or April, but authorizing the first two doses in February would start the immunization process earlier.
The third dose would be given at least eight weeks after the second dose.
“As hospitalizations of children under 5 due to COVID-19 have soared, our mutual goal with the FDA is to prepare for future variant surges and provide parents with an option to help protect their children from this virus,” Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, said in a press release Tuesday.
“Ultimately, we believe that three doses of the vaccine will be needed for children 6 months through 4 years of age to achieve high levels of protection against current and potential future variants. If two doses are authorized, parents will have the opportunity to begin a COVID-19 vaccination series for their children while awaiting potential authorization of a third dose.”
Some parents of young kids have been desperate for a shot to be authorized so they can protect their children against severe disease. Kids under the age of 5 have now spent nearly half of their lives in the pandemic, and for many parents their unvaccinated status has been a huge stressor.
Last week, about 808,000 children tested positive for COVID-19, down from the peak level of 1,150,000 reported the week ending Jan. 20, according to a new weekly report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).
However, the organizations warn that pediatric infections remain “extremely high,” still triple the peak level of the summer delta surge in 2021.
A total of 11.4 million children have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the pandemic. Child COVID-19 cases have “spiked dramatically” during the omicron variant surge, with more than 3.5 million child cases reported in January.
Still, because kids are less likely to get seriously sick from COVID-19, many parents have opted not to vaccinate them even when they become eligible.
Nearly 70% of eligible kids ages 5 to 11 have yet to get a shot, according to a January survey from KFF, a nonpartisan health nonprofit. It’s unclear how many parents will opt to vaccinate their children under 5, when the vaccine becomes available.
But experts point to many reasons to get children vaccinated, including their own health and the health of the community around them.
According to the CDC, unvaccinated 12 to 17-year-olds had an 11 times higher risk of hospitalization than fully vaccinated adolescents.
And while young kids are less likely to end up in the hospital, it’s still possible. They can also be vectors for spread, infecting other, higher-risk adults in their community.
Both the delta and omicron surges saw full pediatric wards in hospitals, often with doctors pleading for communities to increase their vaccination rates.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(RICHFIELD, Minn.) — One student is dead and another is critically injured after being shot on the sidewalk outside of a school Tuesday in Richfield, Minnesota, according to police.
Police said the incident took place around noon outside the South Education Center, but the suspects fled the scene, Jay Henthorne, chief of Richfield Police, told reporters.
The cause of the shooting is still under investigation.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is on the scene and assisting with the investigation.
Erica Barlow, who is the principal at nearby Richfield Middle School, sent a letter to parents informing them of the incident.
“The officers had weapons drawn and were in bullet-proof vests. It is unlikely that many students witnessed the event, as they were in class at the time,” she wrote. “However, it is important that you are aware of the incident in the event that your child hears about it, as some children may be deeply impacted by this type of news.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — During the omicron wave, unvaccinated Americans had much higher rates of COVID-19 cases and hospitalization than fully vaccinated people — especially those who received a booster shot, officials said Tuesday.
In a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health looked at county-level COVID data between Nov. 7, 2021 and Jan. 8, 2022.
They found that in the 14-day period ending Dec. 11 — the last period in which the delta variant was dominant — COVID case rates in Los Angeles were 12.3 times higher among the unvaccinated compared to boosted individuals. Hospitalization rates were 83 times higher.
By the time the omicron variant became dominant, the rate ratios were lower, but still showed that vaccinated people are much more protected.
During the week ending Jan. 8, unvaccinated people had infection rates 3.6 times higher than people who had received boosters and hospitalization rates were 23 times higher.
Additionally, fully vaccinated people in Los Angeles who had not received a booster had COVID case rates that were twice as low and hospitalization rates 5.3 times lower than the unvaccinated group.
The report found that, over the course of the two-month study period, nearly 423,000 COVID-19 cases were reported in Los Angeles County residents aged 18 and older.
Of the cases, 33.6% were among the unvaccinated, 53.2% were among the fully vaccinated without a booster and 13.3% were among fully vaccinated people who had received a booster.
It’s worth noting that, as of Jan. 8, 71% of county residents were fully vaccinated, according to county health department data. This means there will be a higher risk of breakthrough infections due to the higher absolute number of people being vaccinated.
Nearly 3% of unvaccinated individuals were hospitalized, 0.5% were admitted to the ICUs and 0.3% died of the virus, according to the report.
By comparison, 1% of fully vaccinated people without a booster and 0.7% of people with a booster were hospitalized.
Additionally, 0.12% of unboosted people and 0.08% of boosted people were admitted to ICUs and 0.05% and 0.03% died, respectively.
The report found that, during the omicron wave 6,743.5 per 100,000 unvaccinated people were contracting COVID-19 and 187.8 per 100,000 were hospitalized.
Among fully vaccinated people without a booster, rates were lower at 3,355.5 per 100,000 for COVID-19 cases and 35.4 per 100,000 for hospitalizations.
Rates were lowest among fully vaccinated people with a booster at 1,889 per 100,000 for infections and and 8.2 per 100,00 for hospitalizations.
“These findings align with those from recent studies, indicating that COVID-19 vaccination protects against severe COVID-19 caused by … variants, including omicron,” the authors wrote in the report. “Efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccination and boosters are critical to preventing COVID-19–associated hospitalizations and severe outcomes.
The CDC has previously released similar estimates on the high risks for the unvaccinated when it comes to the omicron variant.
A report published last month from the agency found unvaccinated adults had a three times higher risk of infection than fully vaccinated adults and five times higher risk than those who had also been boosted.
(NEW YORK) — Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s three largest drug distributors agreed Tuesday to settle opioids-related claims by Native American tribes for nearly $600 million.
The settlement, announced in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, is tentative until hundreds of tribes sign on, which is expected.
“The Native American population has suffered some of the worst consequences of the opioid epidemic of any population in the United States. Indeed, American Indians have suffered the highest per capita rate of opioid overdoses,” the tribal leadership committee said in a statement filed with the court. “American Indians and Alaska Natives had the highest drug overdose death rates in 2015 and the largest percentage increase in the number of deaths over time from 1999-2015 compared to other racial and ethnic groups.”
Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $150 million over the next two years while not admitting liability or wrongdoing. The company defended its promotion of the medications.
“The Company’s actions relating to the marketing and promotion of important prescription opioid medications were appropriate and responsible,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement. “DURAGESIC®, NUCYNTA® and NUCYNTA® ER accounted for less than one percent of total opioid prescriptions in the U.S. since launch. The Company no longer sells prescription opioid medications in the United States as part of our ongoing efforts to focus on transformational innovation and serving unmet patient needs.”
The drug distributors — AmerisourceBergen Corp., McKesson Corp., and Cardinal Health, Inc. — agreed to pay $440 million over the next seven years.
The tribal leadership committee said the money would help offset the “considerable” funds tribes have had to spend to cover the costs of the opioid crisis.
“The burden of paying these increased costs has diverted scarce tribal funds from other needs and has imposed severe financial burdens on the Tribal Plaintiffs, which will continue to bear significant costs related to abatement of the opioid addiction problem in their communities,” the tribal leadership committee said in its statement.
“This is a monumentally historic settlement that goes a small but very important distance toward addressing a killing epidemic that devastated tribal communities,” said Lloyd Miller, one of the lead tribal attorneys.
“Tribes are sovereign governments and must be able to vindicate their own interests to protect the health and welfare of their tribal communities,” Miller added.
The settlement puts Native American tribes on equal footing with states and cities as they try to abate the opioid crisis.
“The tribes have established in this case that they can play a major litigation role along with the state and local governments,” fellow tribal attorney Steve Skikos said. “The focus should be on the tribes themselves and how this settlement can help continue their efforts to address the opioid crisis.”
Tuesday’s result is different than Big Tobacco litigation, in which tribes were relegated to the sidelines and given only a share of what states received to address the consequences of tobacco and nicotine.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 886,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 63.8% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 01, 3:24 pm
Unvaccinated 23 times more likely to be hospitalized with omicron than those vaccinated, boosted
A new study from Los Angeles County’s health department estimates that during the city’s omicron surge, people who were unvaccinated were 3.6 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 23 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to people who were vaccinated and boosted.
The unvaccinated were 2 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 5.3 times more likely to be hospitalized compared to people who were vaccinated but not yet boosted, according to the study, which was published in the CDC’s weekly journal, MMWR.
-ABC News’ Sony Salzman
Feb 01, 2:55 pm
US daily case rate drops below 500,000 for 1st time in weeks
The U.S. daily case rate has dropped below 500,000 for the first time in nearly one month, falling by 37.4% in the last two weeks to an average of 497,000 cases per day, according to federal data.
However, experts continue to caution that case levels remain much higher than previous surges, with the U.S. still reporting millions of new cases every week.
Alaska now leads the nation in new cases per capita followed by Kentucky, Washington, Oklahoma, Minnesota, California and North Dakota.
The number of COVID-19-positive Americans requiring hospitalization continues to steadily fall, with now under 129,000 virus-positive Americans currently receiving care — down by about 31,000 patients from 12 days ago, according to federal data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 01, 1:21 pm
FDA advisory committee to review Pfizer vaccines for kids under 5 on Feb. 15
The FDA’s advisory committee will meet on Feb. 15 to review the Pfizer vaccine for use in children under the age of 5. The advisory committee is an independent group whose vote is non-binding, but the FDA takes it into consideration when making a final decision.
The vaccine would still need to go through several other approvals before it can be used on children under the age of 5. It would need to be authorized by the FDA, then the CDC advisory committee would need to meet for recommendations and it would need to be approved by the CDC.
Feb 01, 11:35 am
WHO: ‘Worrying’ increase in COVID deaths in most regions
Since omicron was first identified 10 weeks ago, nearly 90 million COVID-19 cases have been reported around the world — more than all the COVID-19 cases reported in 2020, according to the World Health Organization.
Now most regions of the world are “starting to see a very worrying increase in deaths,” WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday.
“This virus will continue to evolve, which is why we call on countries to continue testing, surveillance and sequencing. We can’t fight this virus if we don’t know what it’s doing. And we must continue to work to ensure all people have access to vaccines,” he said.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 01, 10:18 am
Vaccines for kids under 5 might come this month: Report
Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to ask the FDA to authorize their vaccine for kids under 5 as soon as Tuesday. If the FDA grants authorization, the vaccine may be available for children ages 6 months to 5 years by the end of February, The Washington Post reported.
Pfizer is expected to ask for authorization with two doses as the company continues to wait for data on three doses, the report said.
Vaccines are currently authorized for people 5 and older.
-ABC News’ Eric M. Strauss and Cheyenne Haslett
Feb 01, 6:19 am
American bobsled star Elana Meyers Taylor tests positive for COVID-19
American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor has tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Taylor, 37, announced her positive test in a statement posted on social media Tuesday. The three-time Olympic medalist and mother to a 1-year-old son revealed that she tested positive on Saturday, just two days after arriving in the Chinese capital.
“I am asymptomatic and currently at an isolation hotel — and yes I am completely isolated,” Taylor said. “Getting to the Olympics is never easy, and this time, as a new mom, it has been the most challenging, but also, incredibly rewarding, to be able to show that it can still be done.”
“So many people, especially other moms from all walks of life, have been so supportive of my efforts to get back to the Olympics,” she continued. “It’s been an incredible wave of positivity that I’ve been riding to a while so I’m going to continue to do that. This is just the latest obstacle that my family and I have faced on this journey, so I’m remaining optimistic that I’ll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete.”
The Winter Games kick off Friday with the opening ceremony. Bobsled competition doesn’t start until Feb. 13.
Feb 01, 6:19 am
American bobsled star Elana Meyers Taylor tests positive for COVID-19
American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor has tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Taylor, 37, announced her positive test in a statement posted on social media Tuesday. The three-time Olympic medalist and mother to a 1-year-old son revealed that she tested positive on Saturday, just two days after arriving in the Chinese capital.
“I am asymptomatic and currently at an isolation hotel — and yes I am completely isolated,” Taylor said. “Getting to the Olympics is never easy, and this time, as a new mom, it has been the most challenging, but also, incredibly rewarding, to be able to show that it can still be done.”
“So many people, especially other moms from all walks of life, have been so supportive of my efforts to get back to the Olympics,” she continued. “It’s been an incredible wave of positivity that I’ve been riding to a while so I’m going to continue to do that. This is just the latest obstacle that my family and I have faced on this journey, so I’m remaining optimistic that I’ll be able to recover quickly and still have the opportunity to compete.”
The Winter Games kick off Friday with the opening ceremony. Bobsled competition doesn’t start until Feb. 13.
Jan 31, 5:00 pm
Pediatric cases drop for 1st time since Thanksgiving
New COVID-19 cases among children dropped last week for the first time since Thanksgiving, according to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. About 808,000 children tested positive last week, down from a peak of 1,150,000 cases reported the week ending Jan. 20.
However, the organizations warn that pediatric cases remain “extremely high,” still triple the peak level of the delta surge in the summer of 2021.
AAP and CHA noted there is an “urgent” need to collect more age-specific data to assess the severity of illness related to new variants as well as potential longer-term effects. The two organizations note in their report that a small percentage of pediatric cases have resulted in hospitalization and death.
More than 28 million eligible children remain completely unvaccinated, according to federal and census data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Jan 31, 3:30 pm
Novavax asks FDA for emergency use authorization for its vaccine
Novavax on Monday submitted a request to the FDA for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Novavax uses a more traditional protein-based vaccine platform, which is different from Pfizer and Modena’s mRNA technology and Johnson & Johnson’s viral vector technology.
Novavax’s vaccine exposes a person to a lab-based piece of coronavirus to build immunity.
Novavax’s studies — conducted before the omicron variant — showed an approximately 90% efficacy.
Novavax was one of the early contenders for a COVID-19 vaccine; Operation Warp Speed allocated $1.6 billion for 100 million doses if the vaccine was authorized by the FDA.
-ABC News’ Eric M. Strauss
Jan 31, 12:00 pm
Only 5 states reporting jump in cases
After weeks of surging cases, many U.S. states continue to see impressive declines in their national case averages.
The U.S. is reporting an average of about 543,000 new cases per day, down by about 32.2% in the last two weeks, according to federal data. Two weeks ago the nation was reporting more than 800,000 new cases every day.
Only five states are seeing at least a 10% increase in new cases: Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana and Washington.
But case levels still remain much higher than the nation’s previous surges. Experts point out that many Americans who are taking at-home tests are not submitting their results, and thus, case totals may be higher than reported.
Alaska now leads the nation in new cases per capita followed by Washington state, Kentucky and Oklahoma, according to federal data.
(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) — At least one law enforcement officer has been shot in a gun-related incident at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Deputies from the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office are responding to reports of an active shooter at the college, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
The shooter is in custody, according to a tweet from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“I have been briefed on the situation at Bridgewater College. The shooter is in custody and state and local police are on the scene. I will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with law enforcement,” Youngkin said.
The Harrisonburg Police Department has also responded to the scene. The FBI is also sending agents to the scene, according to a spokesperson.
The is a developing story. Check back for updates.
