Omicron updates: COVID-19 cases could double in New York City

The Senate passed a repeal of President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate on private businesses with over 100 employees by a vote of 52-48 Wednesday night, but the mandate is not threatened due to opposition in the Democrat-controlled House.

While the legislation has now passed the Senate, it will almost certainly not impact the mandate.

It's unclear if the Senate-passed repeal will even be brought up in the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not required to bring it up for a floor vote, and at least 218 signatures would be needed to force consideration. Even then, if the House were to pass it, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that Biden would veto it should it land on his desk.

The mandate faces stiffer opposition in ongoing legal challenges from several Republican-led states.

-ABC News' Allie Pecorin

Over 200 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to newly updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On average, about 1.9 million shots are being administered each day, federal data shows. About half a million of those shots are first doses and nearly 1 million are boosters.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Massachusetts is facing a surge, even though more than 72% of the state's total population is fully vaccinated. The state's daily case average is at its highest point in nearly a year and new hospital admissions have more than doubled in the last month.

In central Massachusetts, the UMass Memorial Health System is seeing more patients than at any other point in the pandemic.

At UMass Memorial Medical Center, all 450 beds are full and 75 patients were waiting in the ER Wednesday for a bed, including seven ICU patients. Between 60% and 75% of the patients aren't vaccinated.

"This is the worst we've ever seen it,” UMass Memorial Health Care president and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson told ABC News Wednesday. “We're running at more than 120% of capacity right now,”

Dickson said he is “extremely concerned” about how the health system will handle potential increases over the next several weeks and months. 

"We're holding on right now today. But if this keeps on going up for the next five, six weeks, I'm not quite sure where we're going to get everyone in,” Dickson said.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Maine Gov. Janet Mills said Wednesday that she's activated up to 75 National Guard members to help hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Maine currently has a record high of 379 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including 60 people on ventilators, Mills' office said. "The vast majority" of the patients aren't fully vaccinated, the governor's office said.

Only 42 ICU beds are available in the state, according to the governor's office.

Besides the National Guard members, Mills said she's requested federal COVID-19 surge response teams for two hospitals. If approved, the federal government could provide extra doctors, nurses and other staff.