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

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

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, and Meredith Deliso
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 18, 2021, 2:19 PM EST

Northeast, Midwest see biggest jump in cases, hospitalizations

The Northeast and Midwest are seeing the largest jump in cases and hospitalizations, according to federal data.

Adrian James, 2, who tested positive for COVID-19, receives treatment at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, Oct. 5, 2021.
Callaghan O'hare/Reuters

ICU nurse Samantha Lazzara, left, and Judith Mclean, right, a patient care technician, put on PPE gear before entering a COVID-19 patient's room in the ICU unit at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital on Oct. 1, 2021, in Lake Forest, Ill.
Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images, FILE

Twenty-seven states have seen at least a 10% jump in daily cases over the last two weeks: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, New York City, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Eighteen states have seen at least a 10% increase in hospital admissions over the last week: Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Nov 18, 2021, 12:27 PM EST

Florida governor signs legislation prohibiting private employer vaccine mandates

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed legislation that prohibits private employer vaccine mandates and says employers that violate the ruling will be fined.

The legislation also states educational institutions can't require students to be vaccinated; school districts can't have face mask policies or quarantine healthy students; and families can "sue violating school districts."

"Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed COVID mandates," DeSantis, a Republican, said in a statement.

Nov 18, 2021, 9:58 AM EST

New York governor calls on workers to go back to the office

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on workers to head back to the office in the new year.

"How about this New Year's resolution: that in the days after New Year’s, that we say everybody back in the office. You can have a flex time, but we need you back, at least the majority of the week," Hochul told industry leaders at the Association for a Better New York breakfast.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul addresses the media during the 2021 New York City Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11, 2021 in New York City.
John Lamparski/Getty Images

Hochul also said she would be in Times Square on 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.

"I can't wait to put 2020 - 2021 behind us," the governor said.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky

Nov 18, 2021, 9:17 AM EST

Doctors stress importance of pediatric vaccinations, COVID 'one of the top 10 leading causes of death in children'

COVID-19 "is one of the top ten leading causes of death in children" and vaccines are a "safe and simple intervention" to significantly lower the risk of severe illness, emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen and professor of health policy and management at GW said at a National Press Foundation briefing Wednesday.

A six year old child receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for 5-11 year old kids at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn., Nov. 2, 2021.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Wren Nagata, 7, and his sister, 5-year-old Mallory Nagata, show off their bandaids after receiving their COVID-19 vaccines at Eugene A. Obregon Park in Los Angeles, Nov. 3, 2021.
Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register via AP

Dr. Sean O’Leary, vice chair of the committee on infectious diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he believes that the fear surrounding the vaccine is largely based on misinformation.

Both doctors also pointed to the problem of access to vaccines, with many Americans in rural areas living in “pharmacy deserts.” 

“We should not assume that these people don’t want the vaccine. A lot of it is access,” Leary said.

Officials need to hold clinics in places like schools, Wen added.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

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