COVID-19 live updates: City sees fourfold increase in pediatric hospitalizations

Vice President Kamala Harris had close contact with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday morning, her spokeswoman said.

The staffer was with Harris throughout the day on Tuesday after testing negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, Monday "and every day last week," but on Wednesday morning the staffer tested positive, Harris’ spokeswoman, Symone Sanders, said in a statement Wednesday evening.

Harris had a negative antigen test Wednesday morning and a negative PCR test after being notified of the staffer’s positive test, according to Sanders.

The vice president will be tested again Friday and Monday and will "continue with her daily schedule," including departing for Los Angeles Wednesday evening for a stay through the new year, Sanders said.

President Joe Biden tested negative again Wednesday morning following exposure to a staff member who recently tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said.

Both are fully vaccinated and have received their booster doses.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

New York state hit another record high with more than 28,924 new daily cases, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.

The record-high numbers come as the state sees an increase in testing, with New Yorkers waiting in lines to test ahead of seeing family for the holidays.

Hospitalizations are increasing, Hochul said.

New York has 4,500 COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals, which is nearly double the total number of patients from one month ago, according to state data.

Hochul added, "We're not panicking. We have the resources we need. We have vaccines, we have boosters, we have masks."

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Ten million treatment courses of Pfizer's newly FDA-authorized COVID-19 pill have been purchased by the federal government, the White House announced.

The White House said 265,000 doses will be available in January and all 10 million will be delivered by late summer.

The White House said it also bought 3 million courses of Merck's treatment, though that pill is not yet authorized.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC that he'd ask unvaccinated relatives not to attend a family holiday gathering this year due to the omicron surge.

"I think we're dealing with a serious enough situation right now that if there's an unvaccinated person I would say, 'I'm very sorry, but not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over,'" Fauci told MSNBC Tuesday night.

"It's a problem when you're dealing with [a variant] that's spread so rapidly and you are unvaccinated. The virus is going to find you," he said.

Ahead of the holidays, the best way to protect yourself and those around you is still to get vaccinated and boosted, Fauci said. Testing provides another layer of protection, though Fauci acknowledged that if people cannot get ahold of a test, given the increase in demand, they may need to make tough decisions, depending on their individual risk.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos, Josh Hoyos