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 25, 2021, 1:57 PM EST

France, Italy see new record highs

France recorded 104,611 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, setting a new record high, according to the national public health agency Santé Publique France. Saturday's number is 10,487 cases higher than the tally from Friday, marking the largest daily increase in infections since the start of the pandemic.

Italy recorded 54,762 new cases in the last 24 hours. a new historic record since the start of the pandemic.

-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud

Dec 25, 2021, 1:28 PM EST

Cases soar in Florida

Florida's COVID-19 positivity rate has soared to 13.8% this week, up from 5.3% the week prior, according to state data. One week before that, the positivity rate was just 2.6%.

Florida hit a record high of 31,758 daily cases on Thursday, surpassing the previous record set in August, according to ABC Miami affiliate WPLG.

This comes as the nation sees an increased demand for testing for the holidays.

Dec 25, 2021, 1:03 PM EST

USC to begin semester remotely

When the University of Southern California's spring semester begins on Jan. 10, classes will be remote for the first week due to the spread of omicron, university officials said Friday.

In-person classes are set to start Jan. 18.

Students must show a negative test before attending in-person class, and all faculty, staff and students are required to get the booster shot, officials said.

Dec 25, 2021, 12:36 PM EST

3 BTS members test positive

Three of the seven boy banders in K-pop group BTS have tested positive for COVID-19, said their agency, Big Hit Music, according to The Associated Press.

One member, Jin, has a mild fever, while the other two to test positive, RM and Suga, are asymptomatic, the AP said, citing the agency.

Suga and RM tested positive while in quarantine in South Korea following trips to the U.S., the agency said, according to the AP.