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

New York's seven-day average case rate has jumped by 43% since Thanksgiving.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, and Meredith Deliso

Last Updated: December 13, 2021, 4:29 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 797,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 60.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.

Dec 10, 2021, 11:31 AM EST

More than 7,400 Americans admitted to hospital with COVID each day

The U.S. is now reporting more than 118,000 new cases each day -- up by nearly 85% since late October, according to federal data.

On average, more than 7,400 Americans are being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 each day -- a nearly 16% increase in the last week, while pediatric hospital admissions have skyrocketed by more than 40%, the data shows.

PHOTO: A nurse in the ICU looks into a covid patient's room filled with flowers and balloons at CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minn., Nov. 23, 2021. — A nurse in the ICU looks into a covid patient's room filled with flowers and balloons at CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minn., Nov. 23, 2021.
The Washington Post via Getty Images

More than 7,600 Americans have died from COVID-19 in the last week. West Virginia currently has the country's highest death rate, followed by Wyoming, Montana and Tennessee.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 10, 2021, 10:04 AM EST

Masks or proof of vaccination required in all indoor public places in New York

Masks will now be required in all indoor public places in New York state unless the business or venue requires proof of full vaccination, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.

The new measure takes effect Monday and lasts until at least Jan. 15 as the state tries to disrupt a winter surge.

A pharmacy in Grand Central Terminal advertises the COVID-19 vaccine, Dec. 9, 2021, in New York.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

New York's seven-day average case rate has jumped by 43% since Thanksgiving, according to the governor's office.

"We shouldn't have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers' frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet," Hochul said in a statement. "I want to thank the more than 80 percent of New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary."

Dec 09, 2021, 7:33 PM EST

At least 25 states have confirmed omicron cases

At least 25 states have now reported cases of the omicron variant, just over a week after California identified the first case in the U.S.

Iowa, Michigan and Virginia became the latest states Thursday to confirm positive cases of the new variant of concern.

Other states with confirmed cases include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky told the Associated Press Wednesday that most of the cases have been mild, though there has been at least one hospitalization.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 09, 2021, 4:22 PM EST

US daily case average up by nearly 83% since October

COVID-19-related hospital admissions in the U.S. are up by 47% in the last month, according to federal data. Nearly 80% of adult ICU beds are full.

The U.S. is now reporting more than 117,000 new cases each day. The daily case average has surged by nearly 83% since late October, according to federal data.

New Hampshire holds the nation's highest case rate, followed by Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Indiana, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York.