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

The U.S. daily case average has surged to more than 80,000 -- a 27% jump in three weeks, according to federal data.

Over the last two weeks, 21 states have seen at least a 10% uptick in daily cases: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Last week marked the first national increase in total hospitalizations in nearly 10 weeks, according to federal data. There are now more than 48,000 patients with COVID-19 currently receiving care, up by about 3,000 patients from a week ago.

Twelve states (and Washington, D.C.) have seen an increase of 10% or more in hospital admissions over the last week: Alaska, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

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.

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

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

“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