A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 102.5 million people worldwide and killed over 2.2 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Jan 28, 2021, 5:18 AM EST
US has detected 315 cases of UK variant so far, CDC data shows
The United States has detected at least 315 confirmed cases of the highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus that first emerged in the United Kingdom, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California and Florida are tied at 92 cases each for the U.S. state with the most confirmed cases of the so-called B117 variant, according to CDC data.
The variant was first identified in England in September and has since spread to dozens of other countries around the world.
ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
Jan 28, 2021, 4:58 AM EST
People of color could be prioritized in Oregon's vaccine rollout
A COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee that gives recommendations on priority groups to Oregon's governor and public health officials will vote Thursday on whether to focus next on people of color, according to The Associated Press.
Others, such as people with chronic medical conditions, essential workers, refugees, inmates and people under 65 living in group settings, are also being considered as the next eligible group to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the state.
The committee is also decidingwhether to focus on some combination of groups at higher risk from COVID-19, according to AP.
Andy Henning, an Oregon Health & Science University nurse practitioner, rings a bell and cheers for a vehicle full of newly-vaccinated people during a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 24, 2021.
Erik Robinson/Oregon Health & Science University via AP
The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color in the United States.
"It's about revealing the structural racism that remains hidden," Dr. Kelly Gonzales, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a health disparity expert on Oregon's COVID-19 advisory committee, told AP. "It influences the disparities we experienced before the pandemic and exacerbated the disparities we experienced during the pandemic."
Jan 28, 2021, 4:06 AM EST
WHO team leaves quarantine to begin pandemic probe in Wuhan, China
A World Health Organization team emerged from their 14-day quarantine in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to begin field work in their investigation of the origins of the virus that cause the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic leave The Jade Hotel on a bus after completing their 14-day quarantine in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on Jan. 28, 2021.
Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images
China's COVID-19 regulations required all members of the team to complete 14 days of quarantine upon their arrival. They have been taking part in virtual meetings during the quarantine period.
The researchers were seen leaving their hotel and boarding a bus on Thursday afternoon.
ABC News' Karson Yiu contributed to this report.
Jan 28, 2021, 3:46 AM EST
US reports over 152,000 new cases
There were 152,478 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Wednesday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Wednesday's case count is far less than the country's all-time high of 300,282 newly confirmed infections on Jan. 2, Johns Hopkins data shows.
An additional 3,943 fatalities from COVID-19 were registered nationwide on Wednesday, down from a peak of 4,466 new deaths on Jan. 12, according to Johns Hopkins data.
COVID-19 data may be skewed due to possible lags in reporting over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend.
A woman is vaccinated inside her vehicle at a mass COVID-19 vaccination site outside The Forum in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 26, 2021.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
A total of 25,598,062 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 429,195 have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
Much of the country was under lockdown by the end of March as the first wave of pandemic hit. By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country's cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up over the summer.
The numbers lingered around 40,000 to 50,000 from mid-August through early October before surging again to record levels, crossing 100,000 for the first time on Nov. 4, then reaching 200,000 on Nov. 27 before topping 300,000 on Jan. 2.
So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use -- one developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, and another developed by American biotechnology company Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. More than 24 million vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
