COVID-19 live updates: 'Extremely unlikely' virus came from Chinese lab, WHO says

The COVID-19 hospitalization rate in the United States continues to see a downward trend, according to data complied by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the U.S. outbreak.

There are currently 80,055 people hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms nationwide, the data shows. The figure peaked at around 130,000 a few weeks ago.

"The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped by 21k in 10 days. In the last week, hospitalizations have decreased by 10% or more in 40 states," The COVID Tracking Project said on Twitter Monday night.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is self-quarantining after a member of his staff contracted COVID-19, his office announced Monday.

An agent who is part of Buttigieg's security detail and has close contact with the newly confirmed cabinet member, as recently as Monday morning, tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from U.S. Department of Transportation chief of staff Laura Schiller.

Buttigieg, who has received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, tested negative for the disease on Monday. He will receive his second vaccine dose after the quarantine period, according to Schiller.

"Secretary Buttigieg will take all necessary steps to ensure there is no spread, including quarantining for a period of 14 days and will continue to follow all other CDC guidelines," Schiller said in the statement.

Another member of Buttigieg's security team who was in close contact with the infected agent is also quarantining, according to Schiller.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in California have fallen 34% over the past two weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a Monday press conference at Petco Park in San Diego, which has been turned into a mass vaccination site.

A month ago, the Golden State was logging more than 50,000 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 each day. On Monday, the daily figure fell to 10,414 while the average testing positivity rate was at 5%, down from 14% last month, according to Newsom.

"Hopeful signs continue," the governor wrote on Twitter Monday.

ABC News' Bonnie Mclean and Alex Stone contributed to this report.

More than 117,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among children were reported in the United States last week, representing a 10% increase in cases between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4, according to a report released Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.

The report, which compiles state-by-state data on infections among kids, found that 2.9 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 nationwide since the start of the pandemic. In total, children represent 12.9% of all cases in U.S. states that report COVID-19 data by age.

ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.