As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 812,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dec 23, 5:44 am
Rep. Jan Schakowsky tests positive for COVID
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., has tested positive for COVID-19.
Schakowsky said her husband, Bob, had tested positive last week. After several negative tests, the lawmaker also tested positive on Tuesday night, she said on Twitter.
Both Schakowskys were vaccinated and received boosters. They’re now quarantining, she said.
“We got tested when we felt something was off, and now we can prevent exposure to our family and loved ones,” Schakowsky said. “I implore you to do the same before holiday gatherings this week and next. Get tested if you feel sick or have been around someone who tests positive.”
ABC News’s Ben Siegel
Dec 22, 10:58 pm
Rep. Jim Clyburn, majority whip, tests positive for COVID
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the No. 3 Democrat in the House, said Wednesday night that he had tested positive for COVID. The 81-year-old lawmaker said he’s vaccinated and currently asymptomatic.
“America is in a new phase of this pandemic. No one is immune,” he wrote. “I urge anyone who has not done so to protect themselves by getting vaccinated and boosted.”
He said he has been in quarantine since Sunday awaiting results and missed his granddaughter’s wedding because of testing positive.
Clyburn played a crucial role in getting President Joe Biden elected last year when he endorsed him ahead of the South Carolina primary. Biden won the contest and carried the momentum through to the presidency.
The congressman appeared on stage with Biden on Dec. 17 at South Carolina State University’s graduation ceremony. Biden gave the commencement address while Clyburn received his diploma after graduating in 1961 but missing the ceremony. Both were wearing masks on stage and Clyburn said he tested negative ahead of the ceremony.
Clyburn was the eighth member of Congress — six representatives and two senators — to publicly disclose they tested positive for COVID this week. Later on Wednesday, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., became the ninth member to confirm a positive test.
The Critics Choice Awards, initially scheduled to be held in person in Los Angeles next month, will be postponed, the association behind the film and television awards show announced Wednesday.
“After thoughtful consideration and candid conversations with our partners at The CW and TBS, we have collectively come to the conclusion that the prudent and responsible decision at this point is to postpone the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards,” the Critics Choice Association said in a statement.
Organizers are working to find a new date during the upcoming awards season to hold the gala in person “with everyone’s safety and health remaining our top priority,” it said.
The Critics Choice Awards would have been the first major televised awards show of the season.
The announcement comes as the Los Angeles County health department reported 6,500 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, double the number from the day before and one of the steepest rises the county has seen during the pandemic.
The daily average case rate for the county has also more than doubled since last week, to 29 cases per 100,000 people. Test positivity has jumped to 4.5%, up from 1.9% last Thursday.
Health officials said new cases could reach over 20,000 by the end of the year due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.
ABC News’ Jason Nathanson and Nick Kerr
Dec 22, 7:36 pm
SCOTUS to decide fate of Biden vaccine mandates for large businesses, health care workers
The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday it will take up challenges to the Biden administration’s federal vaccine mandates for large businesses and health care workers, scheduling an expedited hearing for Jan. 7, 2022.
In a pair of orders accepting the cases, the high court put off immediate action on the mandates until after oral arguments next month.
Last week, a federal appeals court reinstated the emergency rule from the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration requiring private companies with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccinations or conduct weekly testing to ensure workplace safety. Multiple Republican state attorneys general, business organizations and other groups appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration has since said masks among unvaccinated employees must be enforced starting Jan. 10 and proof of vaccination or testing compliance begins Feb. 9. The requirement remains in effect.
A separate rule by the Department of Health and Human Services requiring vaccinations of workers at facilities that receive funds to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients remains on hold. The Biden administration has asked the justices to reinstate it.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 810,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.6% 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:
The Critics Choice Awards, initially scheduled to be held in person in Los Angeles next month, will be postponed, the association behind the film and television awards show announced Wednesday.
“After thoughtful consideration and candid conversations with our partners at The CW and TBS, we have collectively come to the conclusion that the prudent and responsible decision at this point is to postpone the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards,” the Critics Choice Association said in a statement.
Organizers are working to find a new date during the upcoming awards season to hold the gala in person “with everyone’s safety and health remaining our top priority,” it said.
The Critics Choice Awards would have been the first major televised awards show of the season.
The announcement comes as the Los Angeles County health department reported 6,500 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, double the number from the day before and one of the steepest rises the county has seen during the pandemic.
The daily average case rate for the county has also more than doubled since last week, to 29 cases per 100,000 people. Test positivity has jumped to 4.5%, up from 1.9% last Thursday.
Health officials said new cases could reach over 20,000 by the end of the year due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.
-ABC News’ Jason Nathanson and Nick Kerr
Dec 22, 7:36 pm
SCOTUS to decide fate of Biden vaccine mandates for large businesses, health care workers
The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday it will take up challenges to the Biden administration’s federal vaccine mandates for large businesses and health care workers, scheduling an expedited hearing for Jan. 7, 2022.
In a pair of orders accepting the cases, the high court put off immediate action on the mandates until after oral arguments next month.
Last week, a federal appeals court reinstated the emergency rule from the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration requiring private companies with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccinations or conduct weekly testing to ensure workplace safety. Multiple Republican state attorneys general, business organizations and other groups appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration has since said masks among unvaccinated employees must be enforced starting Jan. 10 and proof of vaccination or testing compliance begins Feb. 9. The requirement remains in effect.
A separate rule by the Department of Health and Human Services requiring vaccinations of workers at facilities that receive funds to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients remains on hold. The Biden administration has asked the justices to reinstate it.
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer
Dec 22, 7:07 pm
Biden on at-home testing: ‘Nothing’s been good enough’
In an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir Wednesday, President Joe Biden said “nothing’s been good enough” when it comes to accessing rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests, and expressed some regret about not ordering them sooner.
“I wish I had thought about ordering” 500 million at-home tests “two months ago,” he told Muir.
The president did emphasize strides the country has made in vaccinations in the past year.
“We’re in a situation now where we have 200 million people fully vaccinated,” he said. “And we have more than that who have had one shot.”
Click here to read more from Muir’s interview with Biden.
Dec 22, 6:20 pm
Harris tests negative after COVID-19 exposure from staffer
Vice President Kamala Harris had close contact with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday morning, her spokeswoman said.
The staffer was with Harris throughout the day on Tuesday after testing negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, Monday “and every day last week,” but on Wednesday morning the staffer tested positive, Harris’ spokeswoman, Symone Sanders, said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Harris had a negative antigen test Wednesday morning and a negative PCR test after being notified of the staffer’s positive test, according to Sanders.
The vice president will be tested again Friday and Monday and will “continue with her daily schedule,” including departing for Los Angeles Wednesday evening for a stay through the new year, Sanders said.
President Joe Biden tested negative again Wednesday morning following exposure to a staff member who recently tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said.
Both are fully vaccinated and have received their booster doses.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Dec 22, 4:51 pm
New York state reports another record-breaking day
New York state hit another record high with more than 28,924 new daily cases, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.
The record-high numbers come as the state sees an increase in testing, with New Yorkers waiting in lines to test ahead of seeing family for the holidays.
Hospitalizations are increasing, Hochul said.
New York has 4,500 COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals, which is nearly double the total number of patients from one month ago, according to state data.
Hochul added, “We’re not panicking. We have the resources we need. We have vaccines, we have boosters, we have masks.”
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 22, 4:40 pm
US will have 265K doses of Pfizer pill in January: White House
Ten million treatment courses of Pfizer’s newly FDA-authorized COVID-19 pill have been purchased by the federal government, the White House announced.
The White House said 265,000 doses will be available in January and all 10 million will be delivered by late summer.
The White House said it also bought 3 million courses of Merck’s treatment, though that pill is not yet authorized.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Dec 22, 3:47 pm
Fauci says he’d ask unvaccinated relatives not to attend holiday gatherings
Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC that he’d ask unvaccinated relatives not to attend a family holiday gathering this year due to the omicron surge.
Passengers are seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Dec. 20, 2021.
“I think we’re dealing with a serious enough situation right now that if there’s an unvaccinated person I would say, ‘I’m very sorry, but not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over,'” Fauci told MSNBC Tuesday night.
“It’s a problem when you’re dealing with [a variant] that’s spread so rapidly and you are unvaccinated. The virus is going to find you,” he said.
Ahead of the holidays, the best way to protect yourself and those around you is still to get vaccinated and boosted, Fauci said. Testing provides another layer of protection, though Fauci acknowledged that if people cannot get ahold of a test, given the increase in demand, they may need to make tough decisions, depending on their individual risk.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Josh Hoyos
Dec 22, 3:36 pm
California requiring booster for health care workers
California is requiring health care workers to get the booster shot by Feb. 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.
As of Wednesday, California has a 3.3% positivity rate, the lowest in the country, Newsom said. Newsom, however, warned that cases have nearly doubled in one week.
The governor also announced that the state bought 6 million rapid tests to be distributed to school children, so each student has about one or two tests. Students can test at home before returning to classrooms after the holidays, he said.
California is also working on expanding hours at test sites to provide more access, he said.
-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr
Dec 22, 2:33 pm
Testing soon available at some NYC subway stops
For the first time, some New York City subway stations will offer walk-in PCR testing, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.
The initiative begins Dec. 27 at the Times Square-42nd St subway station from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Grand Central Terminal from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Testing will be seven days a week but not available on New Year’s Day.
Five other subway testing locations will open next week and will be announced when they’re finalized, the governor said.
New York also offers vaccinations at some subway stations. Boosters are now available at Times Square-42nd St and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av/74 St. Grand Central Terminal will offer boosters beginning Dec. 27, according to the governor’s office.
Dec 22, 1:58 pm
Omicron confirmed in all 50 states
Omicron cases have now been reported in all 50 states, according to an ABC News count.
The South Dakota Department of Health announced Wednesday that officials detected omicron in a young man in his 20s, making South Dakota the final state to confirm the highly transmissible variant.
The CDC on Monday said omicron was estimated to be the dominant variant in the U.S., representing more than 73% of new cases as of Dec. 18.
The CDC warned this week that models, which estimate the trajectory of coronavirus in the U.S., suggest that the number of new omicron infections will likely surge in the weeks to come and could exceed previous peaks.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Darren Reynolds
Dec 22, 12:45 pm
Pfizer COVID treatment pill authorized by FDA
Pfizer’s at-home pill treatment for COVID-19 was authorized by the FDA on Wednesday.
When taken early, Pfizer’s pill was 89% effective at reducing the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, according to the company.
It’s also effective against omicron, Pfizer said.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Dec 22, 12:31 pm
Biden again tests negative after staff exposure
President Joe Biden received another PCR test Wednesday and again tested negative following exposure to a staff member who recently tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said.
Biden was near the staff member for about 30 minutes on Air Force One on Friday, during a trip to Philadelphia from South Carolina, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
The staff member, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, tested negative Friday morning but tested positive Monday, according to the White House.
The president first received an antigen test Sunday and a PCR test Monday and both came back negative, Psaki said.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Dec 22, 12:01 pm
Delta says omciron surge may ‘create significant disruptions,’ asks CDC to shorten isolation period for the fully vaccinated
Delta Air Lines said the omicron surge “may exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions.”
Delta is urging the CDC to shorten the time fully vaccinated people must isolate following breakthrough infections, saying the current 10-day period “may significantly impact [its] workforce and operations.”
Delta proposed a five-day isolation from symptom onset for those who experience a breakthrough infection.
“Our employees represent an essential workforce to enable Americans who need to travel domestically and internationally,” Delta said in a letter.
Ninety percent of Delta’s workforce is fully vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Amanda Maile
Dec 22, 11:19 am
UK records over 100K daily cases for 1st time
The United Kingdom recorded 106,122 new cases in the last 24 hours, surpassing 100,000 daily cases for the first time, according to government data.
That brings the total of cases over the past seven days to 643,219 — a 58.9% jump from the previous week.
Deaths, however, are not rising. This week’s death toll is down 2.7% from the week before.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Dec 22, 10:26 am
New York City, DC, Vermont averaging more daily cases than any other point of pandemic
The U.S. is now averaging nearly 150,000 new COVID-19 cases every day, up about 72% in the last month. Over the last week alone, the nation has recorded more than 1 million new cases, according to federal data.
Every state in the country except for one — Montana — is currently experiencing high community transmission, according to federal data.
New York City, Vermont and Washington, D.C., are now averaging more daily cases than at any other point in the pandemic.
Florida is now reporting its highest number of new cases in about three months.
Since early December, Georgia’s daily case average has more than doubled, while Hawaii’s average has quadrupled, according to federal data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 22, 9:33 am
Ohio hospitals take out an ad in local paper pleading for people to get vaccinated
Six hospitals in Ohio have taken out a full-page ad in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer in a desperate plea for people to get vaccinated as the state faces a renewed surge.
The ad, which appeared in Sunday’s paper, says in big letters: “Help.”
“We need your help. We now have more COVID-19 patients in our hospitals than ever before,” the ad says. “And the overwhelming majority are unvaccinated. This is preventable.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced last week that he would deploy the state’s National Guard to help with hospital strain. Ohio is now averaging more than 9,100 new cases every day — up 67.5% in the last month. Statewide, more than 5,200 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
“The best way to avoid serious illness is the vaccine,” the ad said. “So, get vaccinated and get your booster … we need you to care as much as we do.”
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 22, 8:48 am
Booster shots ‘will really help us’ with omicron: CDC director
About 73% of U.S. COVID-19 cases are now the omicron variant, but that number rises to 90% in areas like New York, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
“Things are moving quickly,” she said. “The doubling times of this virus are very fast, around two days.”
But Walensky said the booster shot “will really help” with this variant.
“What we know about omicron is that it has a lot of mutations, and with more mutations we need more immune protection. And that’s really why this booster shot will really help us,” Walensky said.
Asked if President Joe Biden’s decision to mail 500 million free at-home rapid tests to Americans in January is too late to help the current surge, Walensky responded, “We have been ramping up testing.”
“We have much more testing now than we had just months ago,” she said. “And we were in the middle of a delta surge as omicron hit, so really right now there are so many things that we can do in addition to testing to keep safe — and that really does mean getting 40 million Americans who continue to be unvaccinated vaccinated and making sure that people get that booster shot.”
Dec 22, 3:46 am
Portugal bans outdoor drinking, large gatherings for New Year’s Eve
Portugal said it would limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and prohibit outdoor drinking on New Year’s Eve.
The country, which has 52 confirmed omicron cases, will also require most people to work from home starting on Saturday, the president’s office told ABC News on Tuesday.
The new restrictions, which are set to expire Jan. 10, will require people to present negative COVID-19 tests as they enter sporting events, theaters, weddings and other large gatherings.
Bars, discos, and schools will close on Saturday, the president’s office said.
The country reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, but numbers were slightly down on Tuesday, with 2,752 newly diagnosed cases and 18 deaths, according to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 dashboard. Portugal’s adult population is 87% fully vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Aicha El-Hammar Castano
Dec 21, 7:53 pm
California to require all health care workers to get booster
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Tuesday evening that he will require that all health care workers in the state to get their booster shot.
“With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared,” he tweeted.
More details about the order will be shared on Wednesday, according to Newsom.
Dec 21, 7:05 pm
Chicago to institute vaccine mandate for indoor events
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a vaccine mandate for most indoor events as the city grasps with a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Starting Jan. 3, anyone over the age of 5 will have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated to “to dine indoors, visit gyms, or enjoy entertainment venues where food or drink are being served,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Patrons 16 and older will also need to “provide identification that matches their vaccination record,” according to the statement.
Chicago is averaging more than 1,700 new COVID-19 cases a day — a 79% increase from one week ago, the mayor’s office said.
Dec 21, 4:36 pm
New Hampshire hospital seeing record-high number of patients
Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire is now seeing three to four times as many patients as it had at the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Laura McPhee told ABC News.
She said their ICU is full with COVID-19 patients and staff is running thin.
“We’re tired. It’s been extremely hard on everybody,” McPhee said, stressing that “most of the patients that we’re seeing are unvaccinated.”
“Most days I’ve been angry and frustrated. … Because this is preventable. It doesn’t have to happen,” she said. “I’ve not ever seen a patient here in the ICU who has been fully vaccinated with a booster.”
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 810,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.6% 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:
Dec 22, 3:47 pm
Fauci says he’d ask unvaccinated relatives not to attend holiday gatherings
Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC that he’d ask unvaccinated relatives not to attend a family holiday gathering this year due to the omicron surge.
Passengers are seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Dec. 20, 2021.
“I think we’re dealing with a serious enough situation right now that if there’s an unvaccinated person I would say, ‘I’m very sorry, but not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over,'” Fauci told MSNBC Tuesday night.
“It’s a problem when you’re dealing with [a variant] that’s spread so rapidly and you are unvaccinated. The virus is going to find you,” he said.
Ahead of the holidays, the best way to protect yourself and those around you is still to get vaccinated and boosted, Fauci said. Testing provides another layer of protection, though Fauci acknowledged that if people cannot get ahold of a test, given the increase in demand, they may need to make tough decisions, depending on their individual risk.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Josh Hoyos
Dec 22, 3:36 pm
California requiring booster for health care workers
California is requiring health care workers to get the booster shot by Feb. 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.
As of Wednesday, California has a 3.3% positivity rate, the lowest in the country, Newsom said. Newsom, however, warned that cases have nearly doubled in one week.
The governor also announced that the state bought 6 million rapid tests to be distributed to school children, so each student has about one or two tests. Students can test at home before returning to classrooms after the holidays, he said.
California is also working on expanding hours at test sites to provide more access, he said.
-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr
Dec 22, 2:33 pm
Testing soon available at some NYC subway stops
For the first time, some New York City subway stations will offer walk-in PCR testing, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.
The initiative begins Dec. 27 at the Times Square-42nd St subway station from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Grand Central Terminal from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Testing will be seven days a week but not available on New Year’s Day.
Five other subway testing locations will open next week and will be announced when they’re finalized, the governor said.
New York also offers vaccinations at some subway stations. Boosters are now available at Times Square-42nd St and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av/74 St. Grand Central Terminal will offer boosters beginning Dec. 27, according to the governor’s office.
Dec 22, 1:58 pm
Omicron confirmed in all 50 states
Omicron cases have now been reported in all 50 states, according to an ABC News count.
The South Dakota Department of Health announced Wednesday that officials detected omicron in a young man in his 20s, making South Dakota the final state to confirm the highly transmissible variant.
The CDC on Monday said omicron was estimated to be the dominant variant in the U.S., representing more than 73% of new cases as of Dec. 18.
The CDC warned this week that models, which estimate the trajectory of coronavirus in the U.S., suggest that the number of new omicron infections will likely surge in the weeks to come and could exceed previous peaks.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Darren Reynolds
Dec 22, 12:45 pm
Pfizer COVID treatment pill authorized by FDA
Pfizer’s at-home pill treatment for COVID-19 was authorized by the FDA on Wednesday.
When taken early, Pfizer’s pill was 89% effective at reducing the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, according to the company.
It’s also effective against omicron, Pfizer said.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Dec 22, 12:31 pm
Biden again tests negative after staff exposure
President Joe Biden received another PCR test Wednesday and again tested negative following exposure to a staff member who recently tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said.
Biden was near the staff member for about 30 minutes on Air Force One on Friday, during a trip to Philadelphia from South Carolina, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
The staff member, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, tested negative Friday morning but tested positive Monday, according to the White House.
The president first received an antigen test Sunday and a PCR test Monday and both came back negative, Psaki said.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Dec 22, 12:01 pm
Delta says omciron surge may ‘create significant disruptions,’ asks CDC to shorten isolation period for the fully vaccinated
Delta Air Lines said the omicron surge “may exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions.”
Delta is urging the CDC to shorten the time fully vaccinated people must isolate following breakthrough infections, saying the current 10-day period “may significantly impact [its] workforce and operations.”
Delta proposed a five-day isolation from symptom onset for those who experience a breakthrough infection.
“Our employees represent an essential workforce to enable Americans who need to travel domestically and internationally,” Delta said in a letter.
Ninety percent of Delta’s workforce is fully vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Amanda Maile
Dec 22, 11:19 am
UK records over 100K daily cases for 1st time
The United Kingdom recorded 106,122 new cases in the last 24 hours, surpassing 100,000 daily cases for the first time, according to government data.
That brings the total of cases over the past seven days to 643,219 — a 58.9% jump from the previous week.
Deaths, however, are not rising. This week’s death toll is down 2.7% from the week before.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Dec 22, 10:26 am
New York City, DC, Vermont averaging more daily cases than any other point of pandemic
The U.S. is now averaging nearly 150,000 new COVID-19 cases every day, up about 72% in the last month. Over the last week alone, the nation has recorded more than 1 million new cases, according to federal data.
Every state in the country except for one — Montana — is currently experiencing high community transmission, according to federal data.
New York City, Vermont and Washington, D.C., are now averaging more daily cases than at any other point in the pandemic.
Florida is now reporting its highest number of new cases in about three months.
Since early December, Georgia’s daily case average has more than doubled, while Hawaii’s average has quadrupled, according to federal data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 22, 9:33 am
Ohio hospitals take out an ad in local paper pleading for people to get vaccinated
Six hospitals in Ohio have taken out a full-page ad in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer in a desperate plea for people to get vaccinated as the state faces a renewed surge.
The ad, which appeared in Sunday’s paper, says in big letters: “Help.”
“We need your help. We now have more COVID-19 patients in our hospitals than ever before,” the ad says. “And the overwhelming majority are unvaccinated. This is preventable.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced last week that he would deploy the state’s National Guard to help with hospital strain. Ohio is now averaging more than 9,100 new cases every day — up 67.5% in the last month. Statewide, more than 5,200 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
“The best way to avoid serious illness is the vaccine,” the ad said. “So, get vaccinated and get your booster … we need you to care as much as we do.”
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 22, 8:48 am
Booster shots ‘will really help us’ with omicron: CDC director
About 73% of U.S. COVID-19 cases are now the omicron variant, but that number rises to 90% in areas like New York, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
“Things are moving quickly,” she said. “The doubling times of this virus are very fast, around two days.”
But Walensky said the booster shot “will really help” with this variant.
“What we know about omicron is that it has a lot of mutations, and with more mutations we need more immune protection. And that’s really why this booster shot will really help us,” Walensky said.
Asked if President Joe Biden’s decision to mail 500 million free at-home rapid tests to Americans in January is too late to help the current surge, Walensky responded, “We have been ramping up testing.”
“We have much more testing now than we had just months ago,” she said. “And we were in the middle of a delta surge as omicron hit, so really right now there are so many things that we can do in addition to testing to keep safe — and that really does mean getting 40 million Americans who continue to be unvaccinated vaccinated and making sure that people get that booster shot.”
Dec 22, 3:46 am
Portugal bans outdoor drinking, large gatherings for New Year’s Eve
Portugal said it would limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and prohibit outdoor drinking on New Year’s Eve.
The country, which has 52 confirmed omicron cases, will also require most people to work from home starting on Saturday, the president’s office told ABC News on Tuesday.
The new restrictions, which are set to expire Jan. 10, will require people to present negative COVID-19 tests as they enter sporting events, theaters, weddings and other large gatherings.
Bars, discos, and schools will close on Saturday, the president’s office said.
The country reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, but numbers were slightly down on Tuesday, with 2,752 newly diagnosed cases and 18 deaths, according to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 dashboard. Portugal’s adult population is 87% fully vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Aicha El-Hammar Castano
Dec 21, 7:53 pm
California to require all health care workers to get booster
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Tuesday evening that he will require that all health care workers in the state to get their booster shot.
“With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared,” he tweeted.
More details about the order will be shared on Wednesday, according to Newsom.
Dec 21, 7:05 pm
Chicago to institute vaccine mandate for indoor events
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a vaccine mandate for most indoor events as the city grasps with a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Starting Jan. 3, anyone over the age of 5 will have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated to “to dine indoors, visit gyms, or enjoy entertainment venues where food or drink are being served,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Patrons 16 and older will also need to “provide identification that matches their vaccination record,” according to the statement.
Chicago is averaging more than 1,700 new COVID-19 cases a day — a 79% increase from one week ago, the mayor’s office said.
Dec 21, 4:36 pm
New Hampshire hospital seeing record-high number of patients
Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire is now seeing three to four times as many patients as it had at the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Laura McPhee told ABC News.
She said their ICU is full with COVID-19 patients and staff is running thin.
“We’re tired. It’s been extremely hard on everybody,” McPhee said, stressing that “most of the patients that we’re seeing are unvaccinated.”
“Most days I’ve been angry and frustrated. … Because this is preventable. It doesn’t have to happen,” she said. “I’ve not ever seen a patient here in the ICU who has been fully vaccinated with a booster.”
(NEW YORK) — With on-site work in a state of flux due to the pandemic, small towns, big towns, regions and even states, have launched programs to incentivize people to move.
Anela Malik and Ahmed Zuhairy have worked from their home in Washington, D.C., for over a year. They say that over the course of the pandemic, what they were looking for in a hometown, has changed.
“Though we loved our apartments, our various apartments over the years, they were all really small. With two people and two cats that were now working from home, fighting for space on calls, and trying not to interrupt each other’s Zooms,” said Malik. “Our life shifted dramatically during the last year.”
Anela Malik is a social media influencer and her husband, Ahmed Zuhairy, is a financial crimes analyst. They said they were looking to find more space, a good community and a place that suited their other interests outside of work.
“[My husband] really wants to be in a place with a great cycling infrastructure. We both really like nature,” said Malik. “I was looking for a place that had a thriving or at least a growing food scene. When we started our Google searches, Northwest Arkansas came up every single time.”
The couple decided to take advantage of an incentive program in Northwest Arkansas called, “Life Works Here,” that offered $10,000 and a credit that can be used at any local shop that piques interest. The two were chosen for the program out of more than 35,000 applicants.
“I filled out the application late at night on a whim and then we booked a trip here and right before we came, they notified us we were selected,” said Zuhairy. “So that was on our minds when we visited, but I would say that, in my view, it was the people here that made up our minds for us.”
Malik and Zuhairy signed a lease in October for their new home in Lowell, Arkansas, a town with a population less than 10,000.
The “Life Works Here” program was launched in November 2020 and only 64 applicants have been accepted, according to Nelson Peacock, the CEO and president of the Northwest Arkansas Council.
“People are finding that they can come here, have an exciting employment opportunity, just live their life and excel here,” said Peacock, who oversees the program. “And so I think that’s what we’re taking advantage of.”
Peacock said that the program focuses on accepting three different categories of professionals: remote workers, STEM workers and creative entrepreneurs.
“We also want to bring in these entrepreneurs so they can build, grow, and scale their companies to help us with job growth in the future,” said Peacock. “And then the creatives to help us build out a well-rounded quality of life here.”
Northwest Arkansas isn’t the only place taking advantage of newfound remote-work flexibility and offering incentives to urge people to relocate.
Tyler Jaggers, a 41-year-old video game designer, moved from his home in San Jose, California, to Topeka, Kansas, in October 2020.
He said the high cost of housing in Silicon Valley was a wake-up call.
After applying to the “Choose Topeka” relocation incentive grant, Jaggers was awarded $10,000 and decided to trade in his small rented California apartments for a house that he owns.
“There would be almost 20 people living in the same house where people were renting couches,” said Jaggers. “For me, when I saw that, I was like, ‘It’s time to start investing in my own personal, long-erm existence.'”
“Why would someone give you $10,000 if they don’t want you there, right?” he added.
Jaggers bought a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Topeka for $47,000.
“The real part of the move that was so exciting to me was the idea of home ownership,” said Jaggers.
In order to keep the awarded $10,000, relocated residents have to stay in Topeka for a minimum of a year.
It’s been a little over a year since Jaggers made the move, and he said he has no plans to leave anytime soon.
“I’m not planning on flipping this house, ever. I’m not planning on moving ever. It’s the best living experience I’ve ever had in my life,” said Jaggers, who is almost finished renovating his new home and continues to work remotely for a video game company.
Jaggers said that the pandemic forced him to rethink about what he values in a home.
“The pandemic years made me make the best decisions I’ve ever made and actually gave me that nudge to grow up in a sense,” said Jaggers.
Back in Arkansas, for Anela Malik and Ahmed Zuhairy it’s still too early to tell whether or not the move was the best decision for them, but they said they’re only optimistic.
“I think a lot of young people right now, especially, are thinking about leaving the bigger cities, because our work has changed so much, so our home lives also need to change to accommodate that,” said Malik.
She said one of the most important things to think about when thinking about relocating is to consider the community.
“I would say just make sure that you could imagine your life in that community and there are a lot of incentive programs out there,” she said. “And that is an opportunity. But just make sure you could imagine your life in that place.”
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 810,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.6% 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:
Dec 22, 9:33 am
Ohio hospitals take out an ad in local paper pleading for people to get vaccinated
Six hospitals in Ohio have taken out a full-page ad in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer in a desperate plea for people to get vaccinated as the state faces a renewed surge.
The ad, which appeared in Sunday’s paper, says in big letters: “Help.”
“We need your help. We now have more COVID-19 patients in our hospitals than ever before,” the ad says. “And the overwhelming majority are unvaccinated. This is preventable.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced last week that he would deploy the state’s National Guard to help with hospital strain. Ohio is now averaging more than 9,100 new cases every day — up 67.5% in the last month. Statewide, more than 5,200 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
“The best way to avoid serious illness is the vaccine,” the ad said. “So, get vaccinated and get your booster … we need you to care as much as we do.”
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 22, 8:48 am
Booster shots ‘will really help us’ with omicron: CDC director
About 73% of U.S. COVID-19 cases are now the omicron variant, but that number rises to 90% in areas like New York, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
“Things are moving quickly,” she said. “The doubling times of this virus are very fast, around two days.”
But Walensky said the booster shot “will really help” with this variant.
“What we know about omicron is that it has a lot of mutations, and with more mutations we need more immune protection. And that’s really why this booster shot will really help us,” Walensky said.
Asked if President Joe Biden’s decision to mail 500 million free at-home rapid tests to Americans in January is too late to help the current surge, Walensky responded, “We have been ramping up testing.”
“We have much more testing now than we had just months ago,” she said. “And we were in the middle of a delta surge as omicron hit, so really right now there are so many things that we can do in addition to testing to keep safe — and that really does mean getting 40 million Americans who continue to be unvaccinated vaccinated and making sure that people get that booster shot.”
Dec 22, 3:46 am
Portugal bans outdoor drinking, large gatherings for New Year’s Eve
Portugal said it would limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and prohibit outdoor drinking on New Year’s Eve.
The country, which has 52 confirmed omicron cases, will also require most people to work from home starting on Saturday, the president’s office told ABC News on Tuesday.
The new restrictions, which are set to expire Jan. 10, will require people to present negative COVID-19 tests as they enter sporting events, theaters, weddings and other large gatherings.
Bars, discos, and schools will close on Saturday, the president’s office said.
The country reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, but numbers were slightly down on Tuesday, with 2,752 newly diagnosed cases and 18 deaths, according to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 dashboard. Portugal’s adult population is 87% fully vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Aicha El-Hammar Castano
Dec 21, 7:53 pm
California to require all health care workers to get booster
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Tuesday evening that he will require that all health care workers in the state to get their booster shot.
“With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared,” he tweeted.
More details about the order will be shared on Wednesday, according to Newsom.
Dec 21, 7:05 pm
Chicago to institute vaccine mandate for indoor events
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a vaccine mandate for most indoor events as the city grasps with a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Starting Jan. 3, anyone over the age of 5 will have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated to “to dine indoors, visit gyms, or enjoy entertainment venues where food or drink are being served,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Patrons 16 and older will also need to “provide identification that matches their vaccination record,” according to the statement.
Chicago is averaging more than 1,700 new COVID-19 cases a day — a 79% increase from one week ago, the mayor’s office said.
Dec 21, 4:36 pm
New Hampshire hospital seeing record-high number of patients
Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire is now seeing three to four times as many patients as it had at the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Laura McPhee told ABC News.
She said their ICU is full with COVID-19 patients and staff is running thin.
“We’re tired. It’s been extremely hard on everybody,” McPhee said, stressing that “most of the patients that we’re seeing are unvaccinated.”
“Most days I’ve been angry and frustrated. … Because this is preventable. It doesn’t have to happen,” she said. “I’ve not ever seen a patient here in the ICU who has been fully vaccinated with a booster.”
(SAN ANTONIO) — The San Antonio Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding 3-year-old Lina Sadar Khil who authorities say may be in “grave, immediate danger.”
Lina was last seen on Monday between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. at a playground in San Antonio, according to police. She was with her mother who left her alone for an unknown amount of time, police said. When Lina’s mother returned, the young girl was gone, according to police.
A department spokesperson told ABC News there is no indication that Lina is with a family member.
Lina is white, about 4 feet tall and weighs 55 pounds. She has straight, shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes.
Police said she was last seen wearing a black jacket, red dress and black shoes.
This case is still active and being investigated, according to police.
Authorities are asking anyone who has information on the case to call SAPD Missing Person’s Unit at 210-207-7660.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 809,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.6% 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:
Dec 22, 3:46 am
Portugal bans outdoor drinking, large gatherings for New Year’s Eve
Portugal said it would limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and prohibit outdoor drinking on New Year’s Eve.
The country, which has 52 confirmed omicron cases, will also require most people to work from home starting on Saturday, the president’s office told ABC News on Tuesday.
The new restrictions, which are set to expire Jan. 10, will require people to present negative COVID-19 tests as they enter sporting events, theaters, weddings and other large gatherings.
Bars, discos, and schools will close on Saturday, the president’s office said.
The country reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, but numbers were slightly down on Tuesday, with 2,752 newly diagnosed cases and 18 deaths, according to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 dashboard. Portugal’s adult population is 87% fully vaccinated.
-ABC News’ Aicha El-Hammar Castano
Dec 21, 7:53 pm
California to require all health care workers to get booster
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Tuesday evening that he will require that all health care workers in the state to get their booster shot.
“With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared,” he tweeted.
More details about the order will be shared on Wednesday, according to Newsom.
Dec 21, 7:05 pm
Chicago to institute vaccine mandate for indoor events
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a vaccine mandate for most indoor events as the city grasps with a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Starting Jan. 3, anyone over the age of 5 will have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated to “to dine indoors, visit gyms, or enjoy entertainment venues where food or drink are being served,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
Patrons 16 and older will also need to “provide identification that matches their vaccination record,” according to the statement.
Chicago is averaging more than 1,700 new COVID-19 cases a day — a 79% increase from one week ago, the mayor’s office said.
Dec 21, 4:36 pm
New Hampshire hospital seeing record-high number of patients
Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire is now seeing three to four times as many patients as it had at the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Laura McPhee told ABC News.
She said their ICU is full with COVID-19 patients and staff is running thin.
“We’re tired. It’s been extremely hard on everybody,” McPhee said, stressing that “most of the patients that we’re seeing are unvaccinated.”
“Most days I’ve been angry and frustrated. … Because this is preventable. It doesn’t have to happen,” she said. “I’ve not ever seen a patient here in the ICU who has been fully vaccinated with a booster.”
(DENVER) — Truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was sentenced on Dec. 13 to 110 years in prison for a 2019 fiery crash just outside Denver that killed four people and injured several others – a sentence that the judge in the case said he wouldn’t have chosen if he had the discretion.
A spokesman for the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s Office told ABC News on Tuesday afternoon that the DA’s office “filed a motion to start the reconsideration process” of the sentence on Friday afternoon, and Jefferson County District Attorney Alexis King has requested that the court set a new hearing “as soon as practicable.”
“As Colorado law required the imposition of the sentence in this case, the law also permits the Court to reconsider its sentence in an exceptional case involving unusual and extenuating circumstances,” the motion says.
Mederos, who was 23 years old at the time of the crash, was charged with 42 counts and was found guilty on 27 – the most serious of which was first degree assault.
Prosecutors sought the minimum penalties for each of the charges — the highest of which is 10 years, but the number of the charges and a law that says that some have to be served consecutively resulted in the lengthy sentence.
Progressive prosecutors aim to change the criminal justice system from the inside
“The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution says punishments can’t be cruel and unusual, and as far as Mr. Mederos is concerned, this is a cruel and unusual punishment,” Mederos’ attorney, James Colgan, told ABC News Tuesday.
A Change.org petition advocating for a commutation for Mederos, indicating that the crash was “not intentional,” was signed by more than 4.5 million people as of Tuesday afternoon, becoming one of fastest growing petitions on the website.
Mederos was driving a semitrailer loaded with lumber along a highway in Lakewood, Colorado, on April 25, 2019.
Those killed in the crash on Interstate 70 were Miguel Angel Lamas Arellano, 24; William Bailey, 67; Doyle Harrison, 61; and Stanley Politano, 69.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Mederos could have taken a runaway truck ramp after losing control of his brakes, instead of driving into traffic.
Colgan said that his client “may have made some negligent mistakes,” but the punishment is “completely disproportionate to what happened.”
“What he did does not deserve a life sentence,” he said.
Why the judge didn’t have a choice
Ian Farrell, a professor of law at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, said that this case has sparked outrage because Mederos “got the same sentence as someone who intentionally killed 100 people would have gotten in Colorado.”
“In every state in the country, which doesn’t have the death penalty, the maximum possible sentence is a life sentence,” Farrell said.
A Jefferson County jury found Mederos guilty of six counts of first-degree assault, 10 counts of attempted first-degree assault, four counts of vehicular homicide, four counts of careless driving causing death, two counts of vehicular assault and one count of reckless driving.
“I will state that if I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence,” the district court judge, A. Bruce Jones, said during the sentencing. ABC News has reached out to Jones but a request for comment was not responded to.
Mederos was sentenced to 10 years each for six counts of first degree assault, as well as five years each for 10 counts of attempted first degree assault, resulting in the 110-year sentence.
“When the judge said he didn’t have discretion, he was accurate,” Colgan said.
Jones was bound by “sentence enhancers” that are outlined in Colorado law, Farrell said, pointing to mandatory minimum penalties for certain crimes and certain classifications that enhance penalties for violent crimes.
Under Colorado law, first degree assault and attempted first degree assault are classified as “crimes of violence,” Farrell said, which mandates that an individual convicted of more than two “crimes of violence” serve the sentences consecutively, not concurrently.
“One of the things that the sentence enhances and mandatory minimums do is it takes power away from the judge, and gives it to the prosecutor,” Farrell said.
Since vehicular homicide, a class four felony, and the remaining lesser charges are not classified as “crimes of violence,” Colgan said that the judge “had discretion to run [them] concurrently, which he did.”
Prosecutors face backlash
Asked about the backlash over the number of charges and the length of the sentence, District Attorney King told ABC News in a statement on Tuesday that prosecutors “initiated plea negotiations but Mr. Aguilera-Mederos declined to consider anything other than a traffic ticket.”
“The actions and decisions of Mr. Mederos resulted in the loss of four lives, devastating injuries to the survivors and – as we heard them state during the sentencing hearing – grave impacts to their families and loved ones,” King said.
Colgan argued Mederos was “overcharged” in an attempt to “coerce” him into pleading guilty.
Domingo Garcia, President of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told ABC News he believes that “racial bias played a big part” in Mederos’ case, pointing to the fact that he is a Cuban immigrant who used a translator during the trial.
Farrell said that it’s “impossible to know” if racial bias played a part, but “Black and brown people are overcharged [and] over sentenced in every different area of the law.”
PHOTO: District Attorney Alexis King speaks during a news conference in Golden, Colo., Nov. 8, 2021.
David Zalubowski/AP, FILE
David Zalubowski/AP, FILE
District Attorney Alexis King speaks during a news conference in Golden, Colo., Nov. 8, 2021.
King’s office did not comment directly on the allegations of racial bias when asked by ABC News, but said in a statement that “the sentence – which our office requested the minimum for – is within the purview of the court and reflects the judgment of the legislature.”
“Just as the law mandates this outcome, it also provides future opportunity to revisit the sentence, and we will again pursue an appropriate outcome if that opportunity arises, after consulting with the victims and survivors and receiving their input,” King said.
Derek Chauvin wants to go to federal prison, even though it means he’ll do more time
Seeking a commutation
On the witness stand, Mederos expressed remorse for those who were killed and injured in the crash and said that the accident was unintentional and he is “not a criminal.”
“I want to say sorry. Sorry for the loss, for the people injured. I know they have trauma, I know, I feel that,” he said while crying.
“But please, don’t be angry with me … I was working hard for a better future for my family. I have never thought about hurting anybody in my entire life,” Mederos, who emigrated from Cuba to the U.S. at the age of 19, said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said during a press conference on Tuesday that he received a clemency application from Mederos’ attorney.
Clemency could mean commutation or a pardon but Colgan told ABC News Tuesday morning he is “actively seeking a commutation” and not a pardon at this time.
Conor Cahill, the press secretary for Polis, told ABC News on Sunday before the application was received that Polis “would expedite consideration.”
A spokesman for LULAC, one of the largest Latino civil rights organizations in the U.S, told ABC News on Tuesday that the organization is set to meet with Polis on Wednesday morning to advocate for Mederos.
Asked if he plans to appeal the case, Colgan said that “everything’s on the table.”
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 809,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
-Biden calls out those spreading misinformation ‘that can kill their own customers’
-New York City has highest new case rate in US
-Biden to announce plan to send 500 million free rapid tests to Americans
-Fauci on omicron’s ‘unprecedented’ spread
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 21, 4:36 pm
New Hampshire hospital seeing record-high number of patients
Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire is now seeing three to four times as many patients as it had at the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Laura McPhee told ABC News.
She said their ICU is full with COVID-19 patients and staff is running thin.
“We’re tired. It’s been extremely hard on everybody,” McPhee said, stressing that “most of the patients that we’re seeing are unvaccinated.”
“Most days I’ve been angry and frustrated. … Because this is preventable. It doesn’t have to happen,” she said. “I’ve not ever seen a patient here in the ICU who has been fully vaccinated with a booster.”
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 21, 4:08 pm
Inmates on home confinement due to pandemic can stay out of prison, DOJ says
About 4,000 nonviolent inmates placed under home confinement due to COVID-19 will not be forced to return to prison at the expiration of the public health emergency, as long as officials determine they have not broken rules and made rehabilitative progress during the period of their release, the Justice Department said.
The announcement follows an extensive review by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that for months weighed whether there was any way to keep the inmates placed on home confinement from being forced back into incarceration. An earlier OLC opinion released during the final days of the Trump administration determined they would have to return to prison within a month of the emergency’s expiration.
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin
Dec 21, 3:42 pm
Biden calls out those spreading misinformation ‘that can kill their own customers’
With omicron now the dominant variant in the U.S., President Joe Biden said in a public address Tuesday, “If you’re not fully vaccinated, you have good reason to be concerned.”
“The unvaccinated have a significantly higher risk of ending up in a hospital — or even dying,” he said.
Biden said “the unvaccinated are responsible for their own choices” but also blamed “dangerous misinformation on cable TV and social media.”
“These companies and personalities are making money by peddling lies and allowing misinformation that can kill their own customers and their own supporters. It’s wrong. It’s amoral,” he said. “I call on the purveyors of these lies and misinformation to stop it.”
When reporters confronted the president about people struggling to find tests before the holidays, Biden said omicron “spread even more rapidly than anybody thought.”
Biden said the omicron surge created a “big rush” for tests and that this does not resemble a “failure” from the administration.
Biden announced a new plan to distribute 500 million free at-home rapid tests to Americans beginning in January. The free at-home rapid tests will be delivered by mail to Americans who request them. Americans will have to request the tests through a website that will launch in January.
The federal government is also opening more testing sites and mobilizing 1,000 military doctors and nurses to overburdened hospitals.
(NEW YORK) — In an effort to stop bad behavior on planes, unruly passengers could lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is partnering with TSA to share information on passengers facing fines for unruly behavior. After receiving the information, TSA said it can then remove those passengers from its PreCheck program.
“If you act out of line, you will wait in line,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said.
The FAA has been cracking down on the unfriendly skies for almost a year, taking a “zero-tolerance approach.” The agency has warned passengers that they could face hefty fines as much as $37,000 for interfering with a flight crew.
Despite the crackdown, there has been a record number of unruly incidents on flights; this year alone the FAA has received 5,664 reports of which 4,000 were mask related.
“Our partnership aims to promote safe and responsible passenger behavior,” Dickson said. “One unruly incident is one too many.”
