News

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 820,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.9% 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 29, 8:38 am
Why CDC doesn’t require testing at end of isolation: Director

The newly updated CDC guidelines don’t require testing at the end of isolation because PCR tests can stay positive for up to 12 weeks, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Good Morning America” Wednesday.

“So we would have people in isolation for a very long time if we were relying on PCRs,” Walensky said.

Walensky also addressed Tuesday’s news from the FDA that, according to early data, rapid antigen tests may be less sensitive when it comes to the omicron variant.

“We do know that the most sensitive test you can do is a PCR test,” Walensky said. “So if you have symptoms and you have a negative antigen test, we do ask you to go and get a PCR to make sure those symptoms are not attributable to COVID.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Walensky said rapid tests do work “quite well,” especially in places where people are being tested regularly, like at schools.

“They may not work as well as they have for the delta variant,” Walensky said, but “we still are encouraging their use.”

Dec 29, 5:47 am
Global COVID cases rose 11% last week, WHO says

New COVID-19 cases increased 11% last week over the week prior, The World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Almost 5 million new infections were recorded in the week that ended Dec. 26, the agency said in its weekly epidemiological update. The rise followed a “gradual increase” since October, the agency said.

WHO officials said the risk from the omicron variant “remains very high.”

The agency said early data from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Denmark suggested a reduced risk of hospitalization for those infected with omicron, but said “further data are needed to understand the clinical markers of severity including the use of oxygen, mechanical ventilation and death, and how severity may be impacted by vaccination and/or prior SARSCoV-2 infection.”

Dec 29, 2:13 am
San Francisco cancels New Year’s Eve fireworks

San Francisco officials canceled the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show, citing concerns about the spread of the omicron variant.

“After closely monitoring local health indicators, the decision to cancel is a proactive measure that will best protect SF & essential front-line workers,” the city’s department of emergency management said in a statement on Tuesday.

About 84% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated and 55% have had a booster shot, according to city health data. But omicron still “poses a significant risk,” officials said in a statement.

“While we are all understandably eager to ring in a new year with San Francisco’s customary New Year’s Eve fireworks show, we must remain vigilant in doing all we can to stop the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant,” Mayor London Breed said.

Dec 28, 7:19 pm
Former Trump surgeon general slams CDC over new isolation guidance

Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon general under former President Donald Trump, slammed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over its change on isolation times for infected individuals.

In a Twitter thread, Adams criticized the agency’s decision to omit the recommendation for COVID-19-positive individuals to take a COVID-19 test, prior to ending isolation.

The CDC reduced the isolation period from 10 days to five for asymptotic patients.

“Regardless of what CDC says, you really should try to obtain an antigen test (I know- easier said than done) and confirm it’s negative prior to leaving isolation and quarantine. There’s not a scientist or doctor I’ve met yet who wouldn’t do this for themselves/ their family,” Adams tweeted.

The former surgeon general added, “This isn’t about the best science – it’s a compromise to keep the economy open in the face of inadequate tests.”

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 28, 6:41 pm
NFL to cut isolation time to 5 days: ESPN

The NFL and NFL Players Union agreed to new guidelines for when a player who is infected with COVID-19 can return to the field, according to ESPN.

Players who test positive can isolate for five days, in accordance with the new recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agreement includes both vaccinated and unvaccinated players and is contingent on the players being asymptomatic, or at least demonstrating that their symptoms are resolving, after the five-day period, ESPN reported.

Under the current rules, unvaccinated players are required to isolate for 10 days when they test positive. Vaccinated players can return to the field as soon as they test negative.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(DENVER) — A shooter allegedly went on a “killing spree” across the Denver area Monday night, killing five and wounding two others, across at least four locations, officials said.

The suspect also died following an exchange of gunfire with police, officials said. Prior to the shooting, federal law enforcement was aware that the suspect, Lyndon Mcleod, harbored extremist views and had a history of psychiatric episodes, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News.

Law enforcement is now scouring the suspect’s writings, both physical and online, and trying to determine what led up to the shooting spree, sources said. Police said they had investigated the suspect in 2020 and 2021 for previous incidents, but he was not arrested either time.

All of the victims were known to Mcleod through personal or business relationships, police said at a press conference Tuesday evening. Police confirmed on Tuesday that a fifth shooting victim had died, but did not specify which person died of those who were injured.

The incident began at about 5 p.m. on Monday in downtown Denver, where three people were shot, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. Two women were killed and a man was injured, he said.

The shooting appeared to start with a tattoo parlor as the target, sources said, citing preliminary findings of the investigation. State business records obtained by ABC News indicate Mcleod used to own a tattoo business in Denver.

Gunshots were then reported at a second location, but there were no injuries, he said. That location, on Bannock Street and Sixth Avenue, was where Mcleod owned a tattoo business as recently as 2017, according to state business records. A van was also set on fire in a nearby alley, allegedly by the suspect.

Police received a call moments later about a third shooting nearby, where one man was killed, Pazen said.

“Denver police officers identified a vehicle associated with this incident. There was a pursuit that ensued,” Pazen said. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the individual, the suspect, here, and our officers.”

There were no injuries in that exchange, Pazan said, but the suspect disabled a police vehicle and fled into neighboring Lakewood.

Lakewood police then responded to a report of a shooting at about 6 p.m., said John Romero, the department’s public information officer. One person was killed in that incident at Lucky 13 tattoo parlor, police said.

Lakewood police then located the suspect’s vehicle at a shopping center, Romero said. The suspect shot at officers, before fleeing on foot to a nearby store and then a Hyatt Place hotel, he said. The suspect shot a clerk at the hotel, Romero said.

The suspect shot and injured a Lakewood officer while fleeing the hotel, Romero said. The officer is in stable condition but will need to undergo more surgeries, police said.

The suspect and officers then exchanged gunfire, and the suspect was shot and killed, Romero said.

“This is the holiday season. To have this type of spree take place is not normal for our community,” Pazen said. “We cannot lose sight of the victims in this, the people who are still fighting for their lives, including a Lakewood agent.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 820,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.8% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:
-5 states seeing more cases than any other point in pandemic
-Biden ends travel restrictions on 8 African countries
-Omicron accounting for about 58.6% of new cases
-CDC shortens recommended isolation time for some infected patients

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

Dec 28, 5:49 pm
CDC investigating 86 cruise ships for COVID-19 cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 86 cruise ships operating or planning to operate in U.S. waters that have reported COVID-19 cases.

In order to meet the threshold for a CDC investigation, a ship must report COVID-19 cases in more than 0.10% of passengers or have a single crew member test positive in the previous seven days.

The CDC started by investigating 38 ships, and has now investigated 48 additional vessels, which remain “under observation.”

None of the ships have been designated as “red,” which means they haven’t reached the level of COVID-19 transmission needed to overwhelm the medical resources on board.

ABC News’ Mina Kaji

Dec 28, 3:53 pm
UCLA pulls out of bowl game

UCLA said its football team has pulled out of Tuesday night’s San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl due to COVID-19.

UCLA was set to play North Carolina State.

ABC News’ Matt Fuhrman

Dec 28, 3:22 pm
Greece sees record single-day increase

Greece reported 21,657 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday — a record 133% increase from the 9,284 new cases reported on Monday, according to government data.

Eighty-five percent of COVID-19 patients in Greece’s hospitals are not vaccinated.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Dec 28, 3:04 pm
US cases, hospitalizations, deaths expected to rise

Forecast models used by the CDC suggest cases, hospitalizations and deaths will rise over the next four weeks.

According to the models, the U.S. death toll could reach 862,900 by Jan. 22.

Nationally, estimates suggest between 8,700 and 20,800 Americans could be admitted to the hospital each day by Jan. 10.

These forecasts are from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at UMass Amherst, where a team monitors and combines forecasting models from the nation’s top researchers. The team then creates an ensemble — displayed like a hurricane forecast spaghetti plot — usually with a wide cone of uncertainty.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Brian Hartman

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to keep an eye on the veggies in their fridge for a potential listeria contamination.

Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc., is voluntarily recalling from the market all Dole-branded and private label packaged salads processed at its facilities in Bessemer City, North Carolina and Yuma, Arizona, the FDA said.

A random analysis of listeria packages of a Dole-branded garden salad from the two facilities found samples of a strain of listeria monocytogenes, the FDA said.

“Products subject to the voluntary recall are identified by a product lot code beginning with either the letter “N” or “Y” in the upper right-hand corner of the package,” the FDA said in its advisory.

The packaging will have a “best if used by date” between Nov. 30, 2021 and Jan. 8, 2022, according to the agency.

Listeria can cause symptoms such as “high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea,” and be fatal, especially for children, the elderly and the immunocompromised, the FDA said.

More details about the recall, including a complete list of affected products is available on the FDA’s website.

Consumers can contact the Dole Consumer Response Center at 800-356-3111 with any questions about the recall.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(DENVER) — A shooter allegedly went on a “killing spree” across the Denver area Monday night, killing four and wounding three, across at least four locations, officials said.

The suspect died following an exchange of gunfire with police, officials said. Prior to the shooting, federal law enforcement was aware that the suspect, Lyndon McLeod, harbored extremist views and had a history of psychiatric episodes, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News.

Law enforcement is now scouring the suspect’s writings, both physical and online, and trying to determine what led up to the shooting spree, sources said.

The incident began at about 5 p.m. on Monday in downtown Denver, where three people were shot, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. Two women were killed and a man was injured, he said.

The shooting appeared to start with a tattoo parlor as the target, sources said, citing preliminary findings of the investigation. State business records obtained by ABC News indicate McLeod used to own a tattoo business in Denver.

Police received a call moments later about a second shooting nearby, where one man was killed, Pazen said. Gunshots were then reported at a third location, but there were no injuries, he said.

“Denver police officers identified a vehicle associated with this incident. There was a pursuit that ensued,” Pazen said. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the individual, the suspect, here, and our officers.”

There were no injuries in that exchange, Pazan said, but the suspect disabled a police vehicle and fled into neighboring Lakewood.

Lakewood police then responded to a report of a shooting at about 6 p.m., said John Romero, the department’s public information officer. One person was killed in that incident, he said.

Lakewood police then located the suspect’s vehicle at a shopping center, Romero said. The suspect shot at officers, before fleeing on foot to a nearby store and then a Hyatt Place hotel, he said. The suspect shot a clerk at the hotel, Romero said.

The suspect shot and injured a Lakewood officer while fleeing the hotel, Romero said. That officer was in surgery, Romero said during the press conference.

The suspect and officers then exchanged gunfire, and the suspect was shot and killed, Romero said.

“This is the holiday season. To have this type of spree take place is not normal for our community,” Pazen said. “We cannot lose sight of the victims in this, the people who are still fighting for their lives, including a Lakewood agent.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LOS ANGELES) — The family of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was fatally shot by Los Angeles police at a clothing store on Dec. 23, is demanding answers from the department.

“To see a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the pains — the greatest pains and most profound pains — that any human being can imagine,” said Valentina’s mother, Soledad Peralta. “Now, our sweet angel has left us forever. Please give us strength, Valentina.”

The family is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has also represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Valentina was killed on Dec. 23 while holiday shopping with her mother at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood, California. She was fatally struck by a stray bullet in a dressing room, while holiday shopping with her mother, when LAPD officers opened fire on a suspect who had allegedly committed assault with a deadly weapon in the store.

Valentina’s mother and father wore signs Tuesday that said “justice for our daughter.”

“The pain of opening Christmas presents for her that were delivered for Christmas Day cannot be described,” said Valentina’s father, Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, in Spanish at Tuesday’s press conference. “Now, those gifts will be brought to her grave because she’s gone.”

“It’s like my heart was torn out,” he said.

The LAPD published 911 calls, radio transmissions, body camera footage and surveillance video four days after the incident. The department’s policy is to release video of incidents like police shootings within 45 days.

In a Dec. 27 statement, LAPD Chief Michel R. Moore said, “This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl’s life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family.”

He added, “My commitment is to conduct a thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led up to this tragedy and provide the family and public with as much information as possible.”

According to the LAPD’s body camera footage and 911 audio recordings, several callers notified 911 dispatchers of a possible shooting in progress at the store. One 911 caller can be heard asking customers to evacuate and telling the dispatcher that he is breaking things.

The suspect, Daniel Elena-Lopez, did not have a gun at the scene, according to officials. He had a metal bike lock that was allegedly used to assault a woman and break glass.

Elena-Lopez carried his bicycle to the store’s second floor, where he set it down and wandered around trying on clothes, according to surveillance footage provided by LAPD. He was confronted by a store employee about his bicycle when he broke a computer monitor with his metal bike lock.

According to surveillance footage, Elena-Lopez repeatedly hit the glass railing by the store’s escalators and walked around the store erratically.

The footage shows Elena-Lopez attacking a woman on the escalator with his bike lock. She escaped and left the store. He then attacked another woman but she also fled.

Later, according to the footage, Elena-Lopez repeatedly beat a third woman with his bike lock on the second floor of the store. As she tried to escape, he dragged her toward the dressing rooms. She was injured and bleeding from the attack when police arrived, officials say.

Armed officers then entered the store, confronted Elena-Lopez and fatally shot him, according to LAPD. A bullet is believed to have pierced a wall behind the suspect and hit Valentina.

“We heard screams and we sat down, and hugged, and started praying,” said Peralta, through a translator. “When something hit my daughter, Valentina, it threw us to the floor … and she died in my arms.”

She added, “There was nothing I could do.”

Officials say Valentina was out of sight from the officers.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner declared Valentina’s manner of death as a homicide, with the cause of death being a gunshot wound to the chest.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.