Coronavirus updates: US reports nearly 300,000 new cases in all-time high

A staggering 299,087 new cases were confirmed over the past 24 hours.

ByRosa Sanchez, Erin Schumaker, Ivan Pereira, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, and Morgan Winsor
Last Updated: January 4, 2021, 4:07 AM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 84.6 million people worldwide and killed over 1.8 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.
Jan 01, 2021, 4:10 PM EST

14.3 million airline passengers traveled over Christmas and New Year's weeks: TSA

Despite repeated warnings not to travel for the holidays from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14,388,562 people passed through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints between Dec. 18 and Dec. 31.

Still, that number pales in comparison to previous years. In 2019, 33,242,050 people were screened by the TSA at U.S. checkpoints during the same period.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

Jan 01, 2021, 3:36 PM EST

More cases of new COVID-19 variant detected in California

Three new cases of the new COVID-19 variant first identified in the U.K. were reported by health officials in San Diego Thursday, leading them to believe there's community-wide transmission of the new variant in the area.

The new variant, known as B. 1.1.7., has also been detected in Colorado and Florida, and is believed to be more transmissible than the old variant, but not thought to be more deadly.

"We believe that many more cases of the B. 1.1.7. strain will be confirmed in the coming days and weeks," Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director of epidemiology and immunizations services at the country health department, said in a statement.

-ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.

Jan 01, 2021, 3:15 PM EST

ICU capacity in Southern California at 0%

California reported 585 COVID-19 deaths over 24 hours on Friday, the highest one-day death toll that the state has reported thus far. Since some counties, such as hard-hit Los Angeles, are still confirming deaths from the virus not counted over the holidays, it's not yet known whether Friday's death report is an anomaly.

Ambulance crews wait to admit patients outside of the MLK Community Hospital emergency entrance during a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Los Angeles, Dec. 26, 2020.
David Swanson/Reuters, FILE

Intensive care unit capacity in the state remains extremely strained, particularly in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, each of which had 0% ICU capacity as of Friday, according to the California Department of Health.

-ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.

Jan 01, 2021, 2:53 PM EST

Battle over holiday weekend restaurant curfew heats up in Texas

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton waded into a battle between the city of Austin and Gov. Greg Abbott Friday over whether the city's four-day late-night indoor dining shutdown should be allowed.

Austin's ban, which was set to run between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. from Dec. 31 until Jan. 3, was upheld by a judge on Thursday. Hours later, at 7:39 p.m. local time on New Year's Eve, the governor released a statement on Twitter telling restaurants to stay open.

Paxton backed the governor on Friday and called for the Texas Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the ban. "We cannot have local declarations conflicting with Gov. Abbott’s clear order," he said in a statement. "I will continue to fight for Texans, small businesses and for an open economy."

-ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.

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