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

The shift reflects the spread of the omicron variant.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Mary Kekatos
Last Updated: December 27, 2021, 2:21 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 816,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 22, 2021, 7:07 PM EST

Biden on at-home testing: 'Nothing's been good enough'

In an exclusive interview with ABC "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir Wednesday, President Joe Biden said "nothing's been good enough" when it comes to accessing rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests, and expressed some regret about not ordering them sooner.

"I wish I had thought about ordering" 500 million at-home tests "two months ago," he told Muir.

The president did emphasize strides the country has made in vaccinations in the past year.

"We’re in a situation now where we have 200 million people fully vaccinated," he said. "And we have more than that who have had one shot."

Click here to read more from Muir's interview with Biden.

Dec 22, 2021, 6:20 PM EST

Harris tests negative after COVID-19 exposure from staffer

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

Dec 22, 2021, 4:51 PM EST

New York state reports another record-breaking day 

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

Dec 22, 2021, 4:40 PM EST

US will have 265K doses of Pfizer pill in January: White House

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