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As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 791,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 60.1% 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 08, 8:50 am
New study suggests Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may only partially protect against omicron variant

Results from an initial laboratory study show that the omicron variant can partially dodge protection from two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

The companies announced the findings in a joint press release Wednesday. The study, which was not peer-reviewed, found that omicron likely reduces efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine but does not render it ineffective and that a third dose offers even greater protection against the new variant.

“Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the omicron strain, it’s clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine,” Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement Wednesday. “Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

The study was conducted in a laboratory by exposing a vaccinated individual’s blood to omicron to see whether the vaccine would neutralise the variant. Some of the participants included in the study had received two doses of the vaccine, while others had gotten a third booster dose.

For those with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, researchers found there was a 25-fold less antibody neutralization ability of omicron compared to the original virus variant. But within a month after getting a booster shot, researchers found that antibodies were restored to a high level, even against omicron. Giving a third dose of the vaccine appeared to boost antibody levels 25-fold — roughly equivalent to a level seen after two doses against the original virus variant.

“Our preliminary, first dataset indicate that a third dose could still offer a sufficient level of protection from disease of any severity caused by the Omicron variant,” BioNTech co-founder and CEO Ugur Sahin said in a statement Wednesday. “Broad vaccination and booster campaigns around the world could help us to better protect people everywhere and to get through the winter season. We continue to work on an adapted vaccine which, we believe, will help to induce a high level of protection against Omicron-induced COVID-19 disease as well as a prolonged protection compared to the current vaccine.”

The study measured antibody levels, which are only one part of a person’s overall protection. The exact percentage of vaccine efficacy against the omicron variant remains unclear.

-Sony Salzman

Dec 07, 1:50 pm
Fauci: Omicron ‘almost certainly’ not more severe than delta

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday told news agency Agence France-Presse that the omicron variant is “almost certainly” not more severe than delta.

He stressed, however, that it is important to not overinterpret early data, as the patients being followed skew younger and are less likely to become hospitalized. Severe illness can take weeks to develop.

“There is some suggestion that it might even be less severe, because when you look at some of the cohorts that are being followed in South Africa, the ratio between the number of infections and the number of hospitalizations seems to be less than with delta,” Fauci said.

He also reiterated that it would take at least several more weeks to understand key questions surrounding omicron’s severity.

Results from labs testing current vaccines against omicron should come in the “next few days to a week,” Fauci said.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 07, 11:05 pm
US daily death average surges

The daily death average in the U.S. has increased to more than 1,150 — up by 57% in the last week, according to federal data.

The U.S. is about 10,000 deaths away from reaching yet another grim milestone of 800,000 Americans lost to COVID-19.

The U.S. is now averaging approximately 103,000 new cases per day, which is a 19% increase in the last week and a 62% jump since late-October, according to federal data.

Minnesota currently holds the country’s highest case rate followed by Vermont and Wisconsin. Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Louisiana have the nation’s lowest infection rate.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 07, 10:27 am
Near pre-pandemic travel volumes expected to continue through December holidays

The TSA screened nearly 21 million travelers during the 10-day Thanksgiving holiday period. Despite new concerns over omicron, the agency expects to see the near pre-pandemic travel volumes continue through the December holidays.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — At least 12 major U.S. cities have broken annual homicide records in 2021 — and there’s still three weeks to go in the year.

Of the dozen cities that have already surpassed the grim milestones for killings, five topped records that were set or tied just last year.

“It’s terrible to every morning get up and have to go look at the numbers and then look at the news and see the stories. It’s just crazy. It’s just crazy and this needs to stop,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said after his city surpassed its annual homicide record of 500, which stood since 1990.

Philadelphia, a city of roughly 1.5 million people, has had more homicides this year (521 as of Dec. 6) than the nation’s two largest cities, New York (443 as of Dec. 5) and Los Angeles (352 as of Nov. 27). That’s an increase of 13% from 2020, a year that nearly broke the 1990 record.

Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, leads the nation with 739 homicides as of the end of November, up 3% from 2020, according to Chicago Police Department crime data. Chicago’s deadliest year remains 1970 when there were 974 homicides.

Philadelphia’s homicide record was broken in the same week that Columbus, Indianapolis and Louisville eclipsed records for slayings.

Experts say there are a number of reasons possibly connected to the jump in homicides, including strained law enforcement staffing, a pronounced decline in arrests and continuing hardships from the pandemic, but that there is no clear answer across the board.

Five cities surpass records set in 2020

Other major cities that have surpassed yearly homicide records are St. Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Toledo, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Austin, Texas; Rochester, New York; and Albuquerque, New Mexico, which broke its record back in August.

“The community has to get fed up,” Capt. Frank Umbrino, of the Rochester Police Department, said at a news conference after the city of just over 200,000 people broke its 30-year-old record on Nov. 11. “We’re extremely frustrated. It has to stop. I mean, it’s worse than a war zone around here lately.”

Indianapolis, Columbus, Louisville, Toledo and Baton Rouge broke records set in 2020, while St. Paul surpassed a record set in 1992.

Among the major cities on the brink of setting new homicide records are Milwaukee, which has 178 homicides, 12 short of a record set in 2020; and Minneapolis, which has 91 homicides, six shy of a record set in 1995.

According to the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report released in September, the nation saw a 30% increase in murder in 2020, the largest single-year jump since the bureau began recording crime statistics 60 years ago.

‘Nobody’s getting arrested’

Robert Boyce, retired chief of detectives for the New York Police Department and an ABC News contributor, said that while there is no single reason for the jump in slayings, one national crime statistic stands out to him.

“Nobody’s getting arrested anymore,” Boyce said. “People are getting picked up for gun possession and they’re just let out over and over again.”

The FBI crime data shows that the number of arrests nationwide plummeted 24% in 2020, from the more than 10 million arrests made in 2019. The number of 2020 arrests — 7.63 million — is the lowest 25 years, according to the data. FBI crime data is not yet available for 2021.

Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor in the Department of Law & Police Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, said the decrease in arrests could be attributed to the large number of police officers who retired or resigned in 2020 and 2021.

A workforce survey released in June by the Police Executive Research Forum found the retirement rate in police departments nationwide jumped 45% over 2020 and 2021. And another 18% of officers resigned, the survey found, a development with nationwide social justice protests and calls to defund law enforcement agencies following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

On average, the survey found that law enforcement agencies are currently filling only 93% of the authorized number of positions available and Herrmann said many departments have been hampered in hiring because of an inability to get large classes into police academies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think, unfortunately, police departments are just losing a lot of their best and experienced officers and then because of the economic crisis, because of COVID, are having difficulties in hiring or just delays in hirings,” Herrmann said.

Herrmann said he suspects that a confluence of other factors has also contributed to the spike in lethal violence over the last two years. He said the COVID-19 pandemic not only prompted a shutdown of courts and reduction in jail population to slow the spread of the virus but also derailed after-school programs and violence disruption programs.

Confluence of factors

“I wish there was one good solid reason that I could give you for the increases, but the reality is there is none,” Herrmann, a former crime analyst supervisor for the New York City Police Department, told ABC News.

Herrmann said he was surprised to see the number of homicides going up in major cities across the United States after an overall 30% jump last year. He said the COVID-19 pandemic not only prompted a shutdown of courts and reduction in jail population to slow the spread of the virus, but it also derailed after-school programs and violence disruption indirectly led to the homicide spike in 2020.

“I knew 2020 was going to be a bad year because of the (COVID-19) pandemic but I really thought that a lot of these numbers would come down in 2021 just because a lot of society reopened and reopened pretty quickly,” Herrmann said. “We don’t have the unemployment problem, we don’t have a lot of the economic stresses, housing and food insecurities aren’t as much of an issue. A lot of those things were leading to the mental health stressors that were plaguing the country.”

As part of a recent ABC News series “Rethinking Gun Violence,” Dr. Daniel Webster, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, said 2020 was the “perfect storm” of conditions where “everything bad happened at the same time — you had the COVID outbreak, huge economic disruption, people were scared.”

Webster added, “It’s particularly challenging to know with certainty which of these things independently is associated with the increased violence. Rather it was the ‘cascade’ of events all unfolding in a similar time frame.”

Chief LeRonne Armstrong of the Oakland, California, Police Department told ABC News recently that the lack of resources to fight crime is one of the reasons he suspects is why his city is seeing the highest number of homicides in decades. Oakland police have investigated at least 127 homicides in 2021, up from 102 in all of 2020. The Bay Area city’s all-time high for homicides is 175 set in 1992.

Armstrong said his department’s 676 officers is the smallest staff his agency has had in years, nearly 70 fewer officers than in 2020.

“To have 70, nearly 70 less officers a year later,” Armstrong said, “is definitely going to have an impact on our ability to address public safety.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — A shooting outside a Los Angeles elementary school left a 13-year-old boy dead and two people critically wounded, including a 9-year-old girl who was hit by a stray bullet while on a playground, authorities said.

The violent episode marked the latest in an escalating number of shootings in Los Angeles, which has seen a 12% increase in homicides and a nearly 14% jump in shooting incidents this year as compared to 2020, according to Los Angeles Police Department crime statistics.

Gunfire erupted shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday outside the Wilmington Park Elementary School when at least two gunmen walked up to an occupied vehicle stopped near the school and opened fire, according to police.

The boy who was killed and a 20-year-old woman were inside the apparently targeted Dodge Durango, police said. The wounded woman drove several blocks from the shooting scene and called 911, police said.

The gravely wounded child was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Los Angeles Fire Department officials told ABC station KABC in Los Angeles. The female driver was in critical condition at a hospital Monday night, officials said.

The 9-year-old girl, a fourth grader, was on the playground at Wilmington Park Elementary School as part of an after-school program when she was struck by a stray bullet and critically injured, school officials said.

“She was in the schoolyard just playing, just doing what a 9-year-old is supposed to do,” LAPD Capt. Adrian Gonzalez told reporters at the scene.

Police officials said officers initially suspected two separate shootings occurred but after speaking to witnesses determined the shootings were connected.

No arrests have been made and a motive was under investigation, police said.

The shooting left parents of students at the school shocked and frightened for their own children.

“It’s sad and scary,” Maria Garcia, whose daughter attends the school, told KABC. “I’m always paranoid. I’m always scared. I’m always checking on her, always calling her, always making sure she’s OK and safe.”

Los Angeles has had at least 352 homicides through the end of November, up from 314 at this time last year, according to police department crime statistics. The city has also recorded 1,328 shooting victims, up from 1,168 at this time last year, the statistics show.

“This is such a tragedy. Gun violence has destroyed too many lives in this country and tonight it has terrorized another community,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the Wilmington area, wrote on Twitter Monday night. “I am praying for the family of this little boy and for the recovery of the little girl and young woman.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HONOLULU) — Following a forecast of “catastrophic” rainfall, flash floods and landslides, Hawaii Gov. David Ige declared a state of emergency for the tropical state.

“Now is the time to make sure you have an emergency plan in place and supplies ready should you need to move away from rising water,” Ige said in a press conference Monday night.

The city of Honolulu recorded its wettest December day on Monday after receiving 8 inches of rainfall. It also recorded the most single-day rainfall since 1958, when it received 15.32 inches.

“A kona low northwest of the islands will continue to bring the threat of heavy rain and a few thunderstorms with gusty winds to Kauai County and Oahu today, and potentially tonight,” the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Honolulu said.

While Monday’s flash flood warning for Oahu has since expired, there is still an active flood watch for the island.

Due to the heavy downpour, the Oahu Department of Emergency Management reported cases of vehicle rescues, water evacuation requests, inundated homes and road closures.

“The H-1 freeway and several roads in town are experiencing considerable flooding, so limit travel wherever possible,” the department said.

Images and videos from Twitter showed indoor flooding and cars and buses driving in and stranded in floodwater.

ABC News’ Daniel Peck contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 790,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 60% 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:
-US daily death average surges
-NYC mandating vaccines for all private sector employees
-Man who became one of the 1st omicron cases in US speaks out

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Dec 07, 1:50 pm
Fauci: Omicron ‘almost certainly’ not more severe than delta

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday told news agency Agence France-Presse that the omicron variant is “almost certainly” not more severe than delta.

He stressed, however, that it is important to not overinterpret early data, as the patients being followed skew younger and are less likely to become hospitalized. Severe illness can take weeks to develop.

“There is some suggestion that it might even be less severe, because when you look at some of the cohorts that are being followed in South Africa, the ratio between the number of infections and the number of hospitalizations seems to be less than with delta,” Fauci said.

He also reiterated that it would take at least several more weeks to understand key questions surrounding omicron’s severity.

Results from labs testing current vaccines against omicron should come in the “next few days to a week,” Fauci said.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 07, 1:30 pm
US daily death average surges

The daily death average in the U.S. has increased to more than 1,150 — up by 57% in the last week, according to federal data.

The U.S. is about 10,000 deaths away from reaching yet another grim milestone of 800,000 Americans lost to COVID-19.

The U.S. is now averaging approximately 103,000 new cases per day, which is a 19% increase in the last week and a 62% jump since late-October, according to federal data.

Minnesota currently holds the country’s highest case rate followed by Vermont and Wisconsin. Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Louisiana have the nation’s lowest infection rate.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 07, 10:27 am
Near pre-pandemic travel volumes expected to continue through December holidays

The TSA screened nearly 21 million travelers during the 10-day Thanksgiving holiday period. Despite new concerns over omicron, the agency expects to see the near pre-pandemic travel volumes continue through the December holidays.

ABC News’ Mina Kaji

Dec 06, 10:26 pm
Omicron detected in Houston’s wastewater, Houston Health Department reports

The omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in Houston’s wastewater, the Houston Health Department announced Monday night. “The detection is the first indication the new variant is in Houston, although a case has not yet been confirmed in the city,” the department said.

Wastewater samples collected between Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 showed omicron at eight of the city’s 39 wastewater treatment plants, and the genomic sequencing results confirming the variant were received Monday evening.

“The Houston Health Department and Houston Water continue to do an exceptional job tracking the impact of the virus in our community. While no specific case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in an individual in the city of Houston, we should use this information as a reminder to get fully vaccinated, including a booster shot,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement. “Vaccines help protect us, our loved ones, friends, and colleagues in the work environment. As the holidays approach, I encourage everyone to remain vigilant about their health and safety.”

The health department said it routinely tests the city’s wastewater for COVID-19, including variants, and recently started testing samples for omicron, as “people infected with COVID-19 shed the virus in their feces.”

“The wastewater data helps to more quickly identify emerging outbreaks and hotspots needing interventions to help stop the spread of the virus,” the health department added.

 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Police investigating the mysterious Delphi, Indiana, murders are looking for the person who, they said, created fake Snapchat and Instagram profiles, posed as a wealthy male model and contacted underage girls.

Delphi eighth-graders Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, were killed on Feb. 13, 2017 while walking on a local hiking trail. The girls had documented some of their walk on Snapchat. Years later, no arrests have been made.

While investigating the double killing, authorities found a fake online profile called “anthony_shots,” which used photos of a known male model and communicated with underage girls “to solicit nude images, obtain their addresses, and attempt to meet them,” Indiana State Police said in a news release Monday.

Anthony_shots “portrayed himself as being extremely wealthy and owning numerous sports cars,” police said.

Authorities are now looking for information about the person who created the anthony_shots profile, which was used in 2016 and 2017 on Snapchat and Instagram, police said.

The male model in the photos has been identified and isn’t a person of interest, police said.

Police asked anyone who communicated with, met with or tried to meet the anthony_shots profile to contact law enforcement at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535. Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Piers wouldn’t say if Abby and Libby communicated with the fake profile.

The Delphi case has been a mystery for years.

Soon after Abby and Libby were killed, authorities released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the hiking trail the day the girls went missing. State police in 2019 released video footage from Libby’s phone; the brief video clip showed a grainy image of the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.

Police also publicized the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying “down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone.

Police in 2019 released a new suspect sketch that officials said was based on a witness’ recollection of what he or she saw.

 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(OXFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich.) — Family and friends are gathering Tuesday to remember 16-year-old football player Tate Myre, who was killed one week ago in a shooting at his Michigan high school.

Myre, a junior, was one of four students killed in the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School in Oxford Township. The suspected gunman and his parents have been charged.

Myre died in a patrol car while deputies were taking him from his school to a hospital, authorities said.

Myre, an honors student, was “beloved by all” and had a “bright future,” the Oxford football team said. Myre had been on the school’s varsity football team since he was a freshman, the team said.

The teen loved Christmas, his family dog and spending time with his family, friends and girlfriend, his obituary said.

The funeral begins at noon.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 789,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 60% 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 06, 10:26 pm
Omicron detected in Houston’s wastewater, Houston Health Department reports

The omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in Houston’s wastewater, the Houston Health Department announced Monday night. “The detection is the first indication the new variant is in Houston, although a case has not yet been confirmed in the city,” the department said.

Wastewater samples collected between Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 showed omicron at eight of the city’s 39 wastewater treatment plants, and the genomic sequencing results confirming the variant were received Monday evening.

“The Houston Health Department and Houston Water continue to do an exceptional job tracking the impact of the virus in our community. While no specific case of the Omicron variant has been confirmed in an individual in the city of Houston, we should use this information as a reminder to get fully vaccinated, including a booster shot,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement. “Vaccines help protect us, our loved ones, friends, and colleagues in the work environment. As the holidays approach, I encourage everyone to remain vigilant about their health and safety.”

The health department said it routinely tests the city’s wastewater for COVID-19, including variants, and recently started testing samples for omicron, as “people infected with COVID-19 shed the virus in their feces.”

“The wastewater data helps to more quickly identify emerging outbreaks and hotspots needing interventions to help stop the spread of the virus,” the health department added.

Dec 06, 8:40 pm
CDC recommends people use rapid tests before indoor gatherings

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on COVID-19 testing and is advising people, even those who are vaccinated, to get a test before they head to an indoor gathering.

The agency said a rapid test ahead of a gathering is important if the gathering includes unvaccinated children and older people who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

“Even if you don’t have symptoms and have not been exposed to an individual with COVID-19, using a self-test before gathering indoors with others can give you information about the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC said in its guidance.

-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty

Dec 06, 8:12 pm
Omicron detected in Harris County, Texas

Harris County, Texas, Judge Linda Hidalgo tweeted Monday night that the area recorded its first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant.

The judge shared few details about the case but said the patient was “a woman in her 40s from [north west] Harris County with no recent travel history.”

ABC News’ Scottye Kennedy

Dec 06, 6:05 pm
France shuts down night clubs as cases rise

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that the country’s night clubs will be closed for four weeks starting Friday, amid rising cases in the country.

“We are doing this because the virus is spreading amongst young people, even those who are vaccinated, because it is extremely difficult to keep a mask on at these venues,” Castex said at a news conference Monday.

The decision came after the French Health Defense Council held a meeting to decide on what new health measures have to be taken to stop the spread of the virus in France.

Castex also announced that primary school students would have to wear face masks at recess and between classes — not only inside the classroom — starting Thursday.

France will not follow other European Union countries, like Germany and Italy, that are imposing restrictions on unvaccinated residents, the prime minister said.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Dec 06, 5:57 pm
2nd omicron case detected in Los Angeles

Los Angeles health officials announced Monday a second case of the omicron variant was detected in the county.

The patient is a student at the University of Southern California, who was returning from a trip from the East Coast, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The student likely acquired the infection outside of LA county, health officials said in a statement.

“The individual is fully vaccinated, had mild symptoms, and is self-isolating,” the health department said in a statement.

Officials at USC said the student “did not attend classes or organized activities on campus during their infectious period.”

ABC News’ Bonnie McClean and Jen Watts

Dec 06, 3:17 pm
Northeast sees highest number of child cases since beginning of pandemic

Another 133,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Hospital admissions among children have also increased by 20% over the last week, according to federal data.

The Northeast is currently seeing its highest number of child cases since the beginning of pandemic, though the Midwest continues to see the highest number of pediatric cases.

Twenty million children ages 5 to 17 have received at least one vaccine dose, accounting for about 38.3% of that population.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. However, AAP and CHA continue to warn that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(VISALIA, Calif.) — All four people on board a small plane that crashed in California Saturday are dead, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. They were all related.

It is unknown what led to the crash.

Around 6:35 p.m. Saturday, deputies were called to the area of Road 68 and Avenue 288 near the Visalia Airport in Visalia, California, for a possible downed plane, authorities said.

When deputies arrived, they found a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza had crashed, killing all on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board ​said Sunday it is investigating the crash.

ABC News California affiliate KFSN reported the plane crashed just a few seconds after taking off.

Late Monday night, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as 78-year-old David Chelini, his 58-year-old nephew, Steven Chelini, and his two daughters, 46-year-old Karen Baker and 48-year-old Donna Chelini.

All of the victims were from the Sacramento area.

“Sheriff Boudreaux asks that you keep the Chelini family in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” the sheriff’s office said.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 789,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 60% 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:
-France shuts down night clubs as cases rise
-2nd omicron case detected in Los Angeles
-Northeast sees highest number of child cases since beginning of pandemic
-NYC mandating vaccines for all private sector employees
-Man who became one of the 1st omicron cases in US speaks out

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Dec 06, 8:12 pm
Omicron detected in Harris County, Texas

Harris County, Texas, Judge Linda Hidalgo tweeted Monday night that the area recorded its first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant.

The judge shared few details about the case but said the patient was “a woman in her 40s from [north west] Harris County with no recent travel history.”

ABC News’ Scottye Kennedy

Dec 06, 6:05 pm
France shuts down night clubs as cases rise

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that the country’s night clubs will be closed for four weeks starting Friday, amid rising cases in the country.

“We are doing this because the virus is spreading amongst young people, even those who are vaccinated, because it is extremely difficult to keep a mask on at these venues,” Castex said at a news conference Monday.

The decision came after the French Health Defense Council held a meeting to decide on what new health measures have to be taken to stop the spread of the virus in France.

Castex also announced that primary school students would have to wear face masks at recess and between classes — not only inside the classroom — starting Thursday.

France will not follow other European Union countries, like Germany and Italy, that are imposing restrictions on unvaccinated residents, the prime minister said.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Dec 06, 5:57 pm
2nd omicron case detected in Los Angeles

Los Angeles health officials announced Monday a second case of the omicron variant was detected in the county.

The patient is a student at the University of Southern California, who was returning from a trip from the East Coast, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The student likely acquired the infection outside of LA county, health officials said in a statement.

“The individual is fully vaccinated, had mild symptoms, and is self-isolating,” the health department said in a statement.

Officials at USC said the student “did not attend classes or organized activities on campus during their infectious period.”

ABC News’ Bonnie McClean and Jen Watts

Dec 06, 3:17 pm
Northeast sees highest number of child cases since beginning of pandemic

Another 133,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Hospital admissions among children have also increased by 20% over the last week, according to federal data.

The Northeast is currently seeing its highest number of child cases since the beginning of pandemic, though the Midwest continues to see the highest number of pediatric cases.

Twenty million children ages 5 to 17 have received at least one vaccine dose, accounting for about 38.3% of that population.

Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains “uncommon” among children, the two organizations wrote in the report. However, AAP and CHA continue to warn that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, “including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects.”

 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.