COVID updates: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive

He said he has mild symptoms and will be quarantining for five days.

COVID updates: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive
Alex Brandon/AP
ByMary Kekatos, Ivan Pereira, Emily Shapiro, Kiara Alfonseca, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: January 3, 2022, 12:42 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 825,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 62% 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 31, 2021, 8:26 AM EST

Some NJ schools go remote as cases surge

At least 10 of the 13 school districts in Hudson County, New Jersey are switching back to remote learning next week as the daily total of confirmed COVID-19 cases skyrocket in the state.

Bayonne, Jersey City, Harrison, Union City, West New York, Weehawken, Guttenberg, Hoboken, East Newark and North Bergen will go remote until Jan. 7 at the earliest.

On Thursday, New Jersey reported a record number of 27,975 positive daily tests. The previous record was 20,483, which was confirmed just one day earlier.

Dec 30, 2021, 11:04 PM EST

FDA to authorize boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds

The Food and Drug Administration is likely to authorize Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots for 12- to 15-year-olds next week, a source with direct knowledge of the plan told ABC News.

An authorization may come as early as Monday.

-ABC News' Eric Strauss

Dec 30, 2021, 10:08 PM EST

US pediatric COVID-19 hospital admissions hit all-time high

More COVID-19-positive children in the United States are being hospitalized each day than at any other point in the pandemic, according to newly updated federal data.

On average, just under 380 children with COVID-19 were admitted into the hospital daily between Dec. 22 and Dec. 28, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The country's pediatric COVID-19 hospital admission rate has nearly tripled in the past month, CDC data shows.

Nationwide, nearly 2,900 children are currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 -- approximately 1,300 more patients than a month ago -- according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Less than a third of eligible children -- ages 5 to 17 -- in the U.S. are currently fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Three new studies released Thursday by the CDC found COVID-19 vaccines to be safe and effective for children.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 30, 2021, 6:23 PM EST

US marks 3rd day of record new COVID-19 cases

The U.S. recorded more than 486,000 new COVID-19 cases in a day, marking the third straight day of record numbers, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new data comes as states are going through their huge backlogs of tests taken during the Christmas weekend.

In the last week, the U.S. has reported more than 2.2 million new cases, which averages out to about 220 Americans testing positive for COVID-19 every minute.

The CDC will not be providing new data updates until Jan. 3, due to the New Year's holiday.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

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