COVID-19 updates: Elizabeth Warren tests positive

The senator says she's experiencing "mild symptoms."

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: December 17, 2021, 5:23 PM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 806,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.4% 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 is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 17, 2021, 5:23 PM EST

Omicron could spread up to 3 times faster than delta, new analysis finds

The omicron variant could spread two to three times faster than delta, according to a new report from the Imperial College London COVID-19 response team.

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also estimated that the risk of being reinfected with omicron is more than five times higher than that of delta. 

Data could change as more information on omicron's spread is gathered, though the study offers an early indication of how much more transmissible the new variant is compared to delta. 

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett, Dr. John Brownstein and Sony Salzman

Dec 17, 2021, 3:44 PM EST

NFL games pushed back

Due to a "substantial increase in cases across the league," the NFL announced that several weekend games have been pushed back.

Saturday's game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns has been moved from Saturday to Monday.

The Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup and Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams game have both been moved from Sunday to Tuesday.

Dec 17, 2021, 3:29 PM EST

New York state reports over 21K cases setting new pandemic record

New York state reported 21,027 cases Thursday, setting a new single-day high, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.

PHOTO: People wait in line to get tested for Covid-10 at a mobile testing site in Times Square in New York, Dec. 17, 2021.
People wait in line to get tested for Covid-10 at a mobile testing site in Times Square in New York, Dec. 17, 2021. New York City had been mostly spared the worst of the big surge in COVID-19 cases that has taken place across the northeastern and midwestern U.S. since Thanksgiving, but the situation has been changing rapidly in recent days.
Yuki Iwamura/AP

"The winter surge in COVID-19 cases is a reminder that the pandemic is not over yet and we must take extra care to keep ourselves and each other safe," Hochul said in a statement. "The vaccine is still our best weapon to defeat the virus."

-ABC News' Josh Hoyos

Dec 17, 2021, 2:56 PM EST

Southwest CEO tests positive after Senate hearing

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19 after testifying at a Senate hearing Wednesday alongside other airline executives, a Southwest spokesperson said.

He was not masked during the hearing.

PHOTO: Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly speaks before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill, Dec. 15, 2021. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby testify are also pictured.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly speaks before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill, Dec. 15, 2021. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby testify are also pictured during testimony.
Pool/Reuters

Kelly, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, has mild symptoms, the spokesperson said.

ABC News reached out to the airlines whose executives were next to Kelly at the hearing.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Delta operations chief John Laughter tested negative Friday.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker plans to test Friday afternoon, according to the airline. Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said she will test Friday and in the coming days.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell told ABC News that committee members will "follow the protocols" for testing.

-ABC News' Mina Kaji, Allison Pecorin and Sam Sweeney