Omicron updates: COVID outbreak reported on cruise ship docking in New Orleans

At least 10 people on board have tested positive for the virus.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: December 6, 2021, 5:07 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 785,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 59.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Dec 02, 2021, 6:27 PM EST

5 omicron cases identified in New York

Five cases of the new COVID-19 variant omicron have been detected in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a press conference Thursday evening.

Hochul emphasized that battling the delta variant is more of a challenge right now, adding that all five cases have been described as mild.

One case was located in Suffolk County, while three others were in New York City -- two in Queens and one in Brooklyn, Hochul said. A fifth suspected case has also been detected, the governor said, but did not provide details.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Dec 02, 2021, 4:37 PM EST

NYC mandating vaccine for employees at religious, private schools

New York City's latest health mandate will require all nonpublic school employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 20, affecting 56,000 employees of 930 yeshivas, Catholic schools and other private schools.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky

Dec 02, 2021, 3:17 PM EST

Omicron confirmed in Colorado

A woman who lives in Arapahoe County, Colorado, has tested positive for the omicron variant of COVID-19, the state's department of health said.

She recently traveled to southern Africa and has "minor symptoms."

She is fully vaccinated but has not yet received the booster, the department said.

Dec 02, 2021, 2:35 PM EST

Biden announces plan to fight COVID this winter

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced his plan to fight COVID-19 this winter, including expanding booster access, expanding vaccine access for kids, offering free at-home rapid tests, extending the mass mandate for public transit and testing international travelers.

Biden said "all inbound international travelers must test within one day of departure, regardless of their vaccination status or nationality."

"This tighter testing timetable provides an added degree of protection as scientists continue to study the omicron variant," he said.

President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named omicron during a visit to the National Institutes of Health, Dec. 2, 2021, in Bethesda, Md.
Evan Vucci/AP

Biden said he is requiring health insurers to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests.

"Private insurers already cover the expensive PCR test that you get in a doctor's office, and now they will cover at-home tests, as well," he said. "For those not covered by private insurance, we're going to make available free tests at thousands of convenient locations."

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