COVID-19 updates: Classes in Chicago canceled for 4th day

Chicago Public Schools has been in talks with teachers over COVID-19 safety.

ByMary Kekatos, Nadine El-Bawab, Ayushi Agarwal, Ivan Pereira, Morgan Winsor, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: January 4, 2022, 9:35 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 837,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 62.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 04, 2022, 6:32 AM EST

US reports record 325,000 new pediatric COVID infections last week

A record 325,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week amid the nation's most significant COVID-19 infection surge yet, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Signage outside Frederick Wilson Benteen Elementary School encourages parents to seek COVID-19 testing as students go remote for a week to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 3, 2022.
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters

Children accounted for about 17.4% of last week's reported COVID-19 cases, down from previous weeks, when children accounted for more than a quarter of all new cases. 

A total of nearly 7.9 million children have tested positive for the virus, since the onset of the pandemic.

ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Jan 03, 2022, 4:02 PM EST

New York looking into COVID-19 hospitalizations that began for other reasons

New York's hospitals will be required to report a breakdown of how many COVID-19 patients were admitted due to the coronavirus and how many were admitted for other needs and only discovered they were infected during their stays.

During a COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul cited anecdotal reports of as many as 50% of patients at some hospitals testing positive for the virus who were actually admitted for other reasons, such as car accidents.

PHOTO: Governor Kathy Hochul speaks about upcoming plans to assist keeping students in school and other COVID prevention measures during a press conference at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center at SUNY Brockport in Rochester, N.Y., Jan. 3, 2022.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks about upcoming plans to assist keeping students in school and other COVID prevention measures during a press conference at Rochester Educational Opportunity Center at SUNY Brockport in Rochester, N.Y., Jan. 3, 2022.
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle via USA Today Network

"I just want to always be honest with New Yorkers about how bad this is," Hochul said. "Yes, the sheer number of people infected are high, but I want to see whether or not the hospitalizations correlate with that."

She continued, "And I'm anticipating to see that at least a certain percentage overall are not being treated for COVID."

Hospitals will begin reporting their breakdowns Tuesday, but it's unclear how soon the data will be publicly available.

-ABC News' Joshua Hoyos and Will McDuffie

Jan 03, 2022, 3:11 PM EST

Surgeon general warns next few weeks 'will be tough'

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations will continue to increase as the omicron variant rapidly spreads across the country.

"The next few weeks are going to be tough for us," he told ABC's "The View" on Monday. "We’re already seeing record levels of cases, and we're seeing hospitalizations starting to tick up. We're seeing some of our hospital systems getting strained at this point."

Information from South Africa and the United Kingdom indicates omicron could be less severe than previous COVID-19 variants, Murthy said.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warns that the next few weeks "will be tough" amid surge in COVID cases on "The View" on Jan. 3, 2022.
The View

"We’re still going to see a lot of people get sick and a lot of hospitalizations, but the overall severity may end up being significantly lower," he said.

Murthy said both South Africa and the U.K. "had a very rapid rise, but then they had a very steep fall" in cases

"I'm hoping that that’s what happens here too," he added.

-ABC News' Joanne Rosa

Jan 03, 2022, 2:27 PM EST

Starbucks says workers must get COVID vaccine or be tested weekly

Starbucks is requiring its 220,000 workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine or be tested weekly, complying with the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for private businesses.

Employees must reveal their vaccination status by Jan. 10, according to a letter sent Monday by Starbucks Chief Operating Officer John Culver, Reuters first reported.

The Starbucks logo is see at a supermarket in Las Mercedes district in Caracas, on Dec. 23, 2021.
Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

"This is an important step we can take to help more partners get vaccinated, limit the spread of COVID-19, and create choices that partners can own based on what's best for them," Culver wrote.

Workers will have until Feb. 9 to be fully vaccinated.

Those who choose to undergo weekly testing instead will be responsible for obtaining their own tests -- which cannot be self-administered or taken at home -- and submitting results.

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