COVID-19 updates: Elizabeth Warren tests positive

New York state recorded over 20,000 positive COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.

Sunday's total of 22,478 positive cases is the new single-day record, according to the data.

Over 542 patients were admitted to hospitals across the state for COVID-19 symptoms over the last 24 hours, the governor's office said.

There are 3,880 currently hospitalized in the state with the virus, the data showed.

Hochul reiterated her message to New Yorkers to get their vaccinations and boosters and follow health guidelines as the omicron variant continues to spread.

"This is not March of 2020, we are not defenseless," she said in a statement. "We have the tools to protect ourselves and the vulnerable loves ones in our families: Get vaccinated, get the booster and wear a mask when indoors or in large gatherings."

As of Sunday, 70.9% of all New York state residents have completed their vaccinations, the state data showed.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the city will have to brace for a jump in COVID-19 cases as the omicron variant continues to spread.

"We expect omicron to be a fast and temporary phenomenon. We expect these next weeks to see a very, very big surge in the number of cases, more than we've seen previously," he said during a news conference Sunday.

Roughly 162 patients were confirmed positive in the hospital, the mayor said. Hospitalizations have gone up, but not at the rate health officials were expecting. 

"It will undoubtly grow a bit," de Blasio said.

The city recorded 5,731 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday.

The mayor urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots. The city's health department said as of Sunday 71% of all residents are fully vaccinated.

De Blasio also recommended that people wear masks indoors.

The city will focus on vaccination efforts for children and to increase booster access in nursing homes, he said.

At-home testing kits will be handed out at high volume testing sites, according to the mayor.

Starting Dec. 22, the U.S. could be on Israel's no-fly list due to high COVID infection rates. All travel from Israel to the U.S. will be banned, the Israeli government announced Sunday.

The Ministry of Health has recommended that the U.S., and nine other countries including Canada, be classified as "red list" countries. The decision now awaits final approval from the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Israeli citizens coming to Israel from the U.S. will have to go into full isolation, including those vaccinated or recovered. Non-Israeli citizens coming from the U.S. will not be allowed to enter Israel, officials said.

At the start of the weekly cabinet, Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the fact the country is in a "relatively good situation" is "not a coincidence." He attributed delaying the entry of the variant to Israel to travel bans. "What a pity that other countries did not do as we did," he said Sunday.

In addition to the U.S., Israel also will also move Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey to the no-fly list this week on Dec. 22. Norway, France, Spain, Sweden and the UAE will be added to Israel's no-fly list at midnight Dec. 20.

There are 52 countries on Israel's red list.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

The U.K. reported a 48.59 percent single-day increase in confirmed omicron cases Sunday.

And across the U.K. in the last seven days, there's been a 51.9 percent increase in new COVID cases. Hospitalizations are up 8.1 percent during that period. However, there's been a 6.5 percent decrease in new deaths compared to the preceding seven days.

On Sunday, the British government reported 82,886 new COVID cases and 45 new deaths. The government also confirmed 12,133 new cases of the omicron variant.

London's mayor declared a major incident in the capital Sunday because of the serious threat of omicron. In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, he said that in the last 24 hours, "we're at almost 30,000 confirmed new cases, and in the last seven days almost 130,000 confirmed new cases." 

He said he's worried about the impact the increases are already having on frontline emergency services in London, adding there are a record number of absences that will hamper their ability to respond to people who are unwell.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou