Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 20, 2021, 4:00 PM EST
New York state breaks another case record
New York state broke its daily case record again on Sunday with an additional 23,391 positive cases, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
Covid-19 tests are administered in the Brooklyn area of New York, Dec. 20, 2021.
Bryan Smith/ZumaPress
But the governor said she’s encouraged by reports of omicron waves spiking and receding fairly quickly in other countries.
“In terms of people’s own personal anxiety about it, just know that it’s very likely to be minor symptoms if you’re vaccinated and boosted," she said.
-ABC News' Matt Foster
Dec 20, 2021, 3:45 PM EST
Northeast sees highest number of pediatric cases of entire pandemic
Nearly 170,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a roughly 28% jump in two weeks, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association released on Monday.
The Northeast saw its highest number of pediatric cases of the entire pandemic last week, with nearly 50,000 new cases.
On average, nearly 200 American children are being admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 each day, according to federal data.
A nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center Pediatric Intensive Care Unit cares for a Covid-19 positive child receiving care in Burlington, Vt., Dec. 2, 2021.
Ryan Mercer/USA Today Network
Twenty-one million children ages 5 to 17 -- about 40% of that population -- have received at least one vaccine dose.
Severe illness due to COVID-19 remains "uncommon" among children, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association said. However, the organizations continue to warn that there is an urgent need to collect more data on the long-term consequences of the pandemic on children, "including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects."
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Dec 20, 2021, 3:04 PM EST
University of Chicago to require boosters
The University of Chicago said students and employees must get a booster shot and have until the end of January to give proof or get an exemption.
The university hopes to fully return to in-person classes on Jan. 3.
Other universities like New York University and Notre Dame are also requiring boosters.
-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim
Dec 20, 2021, 2:22 PM EST
Queen cancels traditional family gathering at Sandringham
Queen Elizabeth II has changed her Christmas plans and canceled her traditional family gathering at Sandringham, her Norfolk estate. A royal source told ABC News this was a personal decision and the queen was following a precautionary approach as COVID-19 cases sharply rise in the United Kingdom.
The queen instead will remain at Windsor Castle where her family is expected to visit.
