Coronavirus updates: Herd immunity by fall 'ambitious,' says surgeon general nominee

In 44 states, the seven-day average of new cases dropped over 10%.

ByMorgan Winsor, Erin Schumaker, and Emily Shapiro
Last Updated: January 22, 2021, 1:43 PM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 98.7 million people worldwide and killed over 2.1 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 22, 2021, 1:43 PM EST

UK variant may be associated with higher mortality, Boris Johnson says

More people are testing positive for the United Kingdom’s variant of the coronavirus, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday “there is some evidence that the new variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.”

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual press conference on the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, at 10 Downing Street in central London on Jan. 22, 2021.
Leon Neal/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

U.K. Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty stressed that the data is uncertain and there is a chance the new variant is increasing infections and mortality.

Ambulance crew member wheels a stretcher outside the emergency department at the the Royal London Hospital, Jan. 22, 2021.
Wiktor Szymanowicz/Shutterstock

The U.K. has seen record daily death tolls several times this week.

There were 1,401 deaths in the last 24 hours.

ABC News’ Kirit Radia, Sony Salzman and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

Jan 22, 2021, 1:00 PM EST

New York running out of vaccines today but more on the way: Cuomo

New York state has used 97% of its allocated vaccine doses so far (for weeks 1 through 5) and will run out of doses by the end of the day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

Week 6 doses are currently being delivered, the governor said.

PHOTO: A New York City Health Department worker talks to two people over 65 who showed up to get COVID-19 vaccinations at a closed Brooklyn vaccine hub, Jan. 21, 2021, in New York.
A New York City Health Department worker talks to two people over 65 who showed up to get COVID-19 vaccinations at a closed Brooklyn vaccine hub, Jan. 21, 2021, in New York. One had an appointment and the other signed up but never received confirmation. Some city vaccine hubs postponed appointments by one week closed Thursday due to vaccine shortages.
Kathy Willens/AP

New York’s positivity rate has fallen to 5.65%, Cuomo said. Hospitalizations are also on the decline.

ABC News’ Rachel Katz contributed to this report.

Jan 22, 2021, 10:32 AM EST

'Patient No. 1' in US is now 'back to his normal life'

On Jan. 20, 2020, the first COVID-19 patient in the United States, known as "patient No. 1," was brought to a Washington state hospital.

Dr. George Diaz, the head of infectious diseases at Providence Regional Medical Center in Seattle, treated that patient. Diaz would later learn how to isolate COVID-19 patients properly, how to protect hospital staff and how to treat the illness.

"We used Remdesivir, which was a new anti-viral at the time. He was the first patient to receive this drug in the world, and he had a good response to treatment," Diaz told ABC's "Nightline."

"Patient No. 1" was treated for five days before being released from the hospital, Diaz said. One year later, he is "doing great," Diaz said.

"He's fully recovered and back to his normal life," Diaz said. "Many people survive the illness but have lots of medical problems afterwards. Fortunately, Patient One recovered well." 

ABC News’ Lauren Effron contributed to this report.

Jan 22, 2021, 10:10 AM EST

France to require negative COVID-19 test for all arrivals by boat or plane

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that all travelers arriving by boat or plane will have to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the country.

The new measure, which goes into effect Sunday, includes visitors from within the European Union as well as those outside the regional bloc. They must take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test up to three days before departure and provide evidence of a negative result before they travel, according to a statement from Macron's office released late Thursday.

People traveling for essential reasons, such as cross-border or ground transportation workers, will be exempt from the requirement. People arriving from other EU member states by train or car will also be exempt.

Airplanes parked on the tarmac are seen through a window at Terminal 2E at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, about 15 miles northeast of Paris, on May 12, 2020.
Eric Piermont/AFP via Getty Images

France has the sixth-highest tally of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in the world, after the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The European nation of 67 million people confirmed another 22,848 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, along with an additional 358 fatalities from the disease. That brings the cumulative totals to 2,987,965 cases and 71,998 deaths, according to the latest data from France's public health agency.

ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.

Related Topics