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 23, 2021, 2:14 PM EST

NYC to scale back New Year's Eve celebration

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that this year's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square will be scaled back due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

The city will only allow 15,000 spectators, a far cry from the 58,000 crowd that usually attends.

Viewing areas near the big ball drop will have smaller crowds, and attendees must adhere to strict requirements including proof of full vaccination and a mask mandate.

"There is a lot to celebrate and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the new year," the mayor said in a statement.

Dec 23, 2021, 1:50 PM EST

Germany records 34% increase in omicron cases in single day

According to the Robert Koch Institute, there were 810 newly confirmed cases of omicron in Germany Thursday.

This is a 34% increase from the day before and brings the total number of omicron cases to 3,198.

To date, there has been one death linked to the variant in Germany, in a patient who was between ages 60 and 79, the Institute said.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Dec 23, 2021, 1:03 PM EST

New UK study suggests omicron may cause less severe illness but too soon to know

A new analysis from the UK Health Security Agency suggests the omicron COVID variant may cause less severe illness.

Preliminary data found a patient infected with omicron was 31% to 45% less likely to visit the emergency room compared to the delta variant and 50% to 70% less likely to be admitted to the hospital.

However, experts caution that it is still too soon to know for sure whether the variant causes mild or severe illness.

The UKHSA notes that the study is “preliminary and highly uncertain” due to the low numbers of omicron patients in the hospital.

The agency adds that because omicron appears to spread more easily, it could still lead to significant numbers of people needing hospital treatment over the next few weeks.

-ABC News’ Guy Davies

Dec 23, 2021, 12:27 PM EST

UK reports 120,000 cases -- a record high

The United Kingdom recorded 119,789 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number ever reported during the pandemic, according to official government data.

This brings the total number of infections over the past seven days to 678,165, which is an increase of 53.3% compared to last week.

It also marks the second consecutive day that cases of the virus have topped 100,000.

Deaths, comparatively, are not rising with the weekly total being 2.4% lower than the week before.

-ABC News’ Guy Davies