COVID-19 updates: Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico leading nation in cases

Michigan has the highest infection rate, followed by Minnesota and New Mexico.

Last Updated: November 22, 2021, 1:33 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.1 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 771,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 69% 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 16, 2021, 11:36 AM EST

Times Square reopening to vaccinated revelers for New Year's Eve

Times Square is reopening this New Year's Eve after being closed last year due to the pandemic.

Revelers must bring proof of full vaccination and a photo ID.

"This has been a heroic city fighting through COVID. We are turning the corner. We've got a lot to celebrate. It's going to be a big moment in Times Square on New Years Eve," Mayor Bill de Blasio said, ABC New York station WABC reported.

Nov 15, 2021, 6:54 PM EST

US sees increase in pediatric cases for 2nd week in a row

For the second week in a row, the U.S. experienced an increase in its weekly number of pediatric COVID-19 cases. 

Over the last week, more than 122,000 child cases were reported — an increase of about 22% from two weeks ago, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA).

This marks the 14th consecutive week that child COVID-19 cases are above 100,000.

Prior to the recent increases, infections among children had been steadily dropping since the pandemic peak of 252,000 child cases, recorded over the span of a week in early September.

But now, COVID-19 cases among children remain "extremely high," the organizations wrote, and since the first week of September, there have been almost 1.6 million additional child cases.

Last week, children accounted for more than a quarter (27%) of reported weekly COVID-19 cases, though children under 18 make up just 22.2% of the U.S. population.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Nov 15, 2021, 4:20 PM EST

Arkansas opening boosters to all adults

Arkansas will now allow boosters for all adults, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Monday.

PHOTO: A COVID-19 booster shot is administered at a clinic in Mountain Home, Ark., Oct. 8, 2021.

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A COVID-19 booster shot is administered at a clinic in Mountain Home, Ark., Oct. 8, 2021. Dsc 0200
The Baxter Bulletin via USA Today Network, FILE

“What we’re finding is that we want more people to get their booster shot and this is somewhat confusing and limiting as to the eligibility of those that ought to be getting their booster shot," the governor said at a press conference. "And so in consultation with the Department of Health, we’re changing that."

-ABC News' Matt Foster

Nov 15, 2021, 2:39 PM EST

Consider rapid testing before Thanksgiving, experts say

Former Baltimore health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said in an interview Monday hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center that her family is rapid-testing on Thanksgiving because they're gathering indoors with multiple families and have young, unvaccinated children.

She said it was reasonable for families with immunocompromised members to continue to take precautions, like rapid test and gather outdoors.

"A family in which everybody is generally healthy and fully vaccinated might take very different types of risks than a family with unvaccinated young kids or elderly, immunocompromised family members," she said.

Dr. Jerome Adams, former Surgeon General under President Donald Trump, said to make sure all relatives are vaccinated and that no one has cold symptoms.

"Even if you're vaccinated, if you're coughing, if you're sneezing, if you've got symptoms, you still could be spreading the virus," he said.

Looking to the future, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, "If we can get most of the people who are eligible to be boosted, boostered, we can go a long way to make in 2022 much more of a normal year than what we've seen in 2021."

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

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