COVID-19 updates: Austria orders nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated residents

The lockdown for unvaccinated residents began at midnight on Monday.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Ayushi Agarwal
Last Updated: November 8, 2021, 1:40 PM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 763,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 68.8% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Nov 08, 2021, 1:06 PM EST

LA's vaccine mandate goes into effect

Los Angeles' new vaccine mandate goes into effect Monday, requiring proof of vaccination to enter most public indoor spaces, including: any establishments where food or beverages are served; gyms and fitness venues; entertainment and recreation venues; personal care establishments; and buildings owned or operated by the city.

Patrons shop indoors at the Hollywood & Highland shopping center in Hollywood, Calif., March 19, 2021.
Aaronp/bauer-griffin/GC Images

The mandate also requires proof of vaccination for large outdoor events with 5,000 or more attendees.

Enforcement will begin on Nov. 29.

-ABC News' Catherine Thorbecke

Nov 08, 2021, 11:16 AM EST

Regeneron monoclonal antibody lowers COVID risk by nearly 82%, company says

Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment can lower the risk of contracting COVID-19 by nearly 82% for up to eight months, the company said.

Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment, given as an intravenous infusion or a subcutaneous injection, is already FDA-authorized as a way to prevent COVID-19 among people who have recently been exposed and are considered "high risk" for more serious illness. This new data shows that when given as preventative measure, it dramatically reduces the risk of infection for up to eight months. 

A box and vial of the Regeneron monoclonal antibody is seen at a COVID-19 treatment site opened by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 19, 2021.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE

Regeneron and the FDA say that vaccination is the best way to prevent infection and serious illness. However, Regeneron's antibody treatment can be a good option for people who are immune compromised or haven't mounted an adequate immune response through the vaccine.

-ABC News' Sony Salzman, Sasha Pezenik

Nov 08, 2021, 9:00 AM EST

US reopens borders to vaccinated travelers

The U.S. reopened borders to vaccinated travelers on Monday after 20 months of being closed to many countries, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, India, South Africa and most of Europe.

PHOTO: Tourists who crossed the Rainbow bridge by foot enter the U.S. from Canada, as the U.S. reopens air and land borders to fully vaccinated travellers for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were imposed, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2021.
A group of tourists who crossed the Rainbow bridge by foot enter the U.S. from Canada, as the U.S. reopens air and land borders to fully vaccinated travellers for the first time since coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions were imposed, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2021.
Lindsay Dedario/Reuters

Performers engage with travelers as they queue to check into Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights at Heathrow Airport Terminal 3, following the lifting of restrictions on the entry of non-U.S. citizens to the U.S., in London, Nov. 8, 2021.
Henry Nicholls/Reuters

In January, as the vaccine was distributed on both sides of the Atlantic, the ban was kept in place, with the Biden administration stating concerns about the delta variant.

On Oct. 20, the Biden administration announced it was lifting the ban on vaccinated travelers.

The ban, which only applies to vaccinated travelers, still excludes many countries where the vaccine is not yet easily available or recognized by the U.S.

PHOTO: People queue to check into Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights at Heathrow Airport Terminal 3, following the lifting of restrictions on the entry of non-U.S. citizens to the U.S., in London, Nov. 8, 2021.
People queue to check into Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights at Heathrow Airport Terminal 3, following the lifting of restrictions on the entry of non-U.S. citizens to the U.S., in London, Nov. 8, 2021.
Henry Nicholls/Reuters

-ABC News' Zoe Chevalier

Nov 08, 2021, 8:04 AM EST

Global COVID-19 cases top 250 million in under 2 years

The worldwide number of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 surpassed 250 million on Monday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States, India and Brazil account for about a third of the recorded cases, Johns Hopkins data shows.

FILE PHOTO: A health care worker provides medical assistance to a COVID-19 patient inside the intensive care unit at a hospital that treats patients infected with the novel coronavirus in Kiev, Ukraine, on Nov. 1, 2021.
A health care worker provides medical assistance to a COVID-19 patient inside the intensive care unit at a hospital that treats patients infected with the novel coronavirus in Kiev, Ukraine, on Nov. 1, 2021. One of Europe's poorest countries, Ukraine has been hit by a huge rise in COVID-19 infections with the more contagious delta variant.
Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images, File

The grim milestone came as some countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia, Ukraine and Greece, grapple with record levels of newly reported cases.

The pandemic began less than two years ago after the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

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