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 10, 2022, 12:18 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 05, 2022, 12:31 PM EST

CDC says it's not changing definition of 'fully vaccinated'

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday the definition of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is not changing to include booster shots.

"Individuals are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if they've received their primary series. That definition is not changing," she said during a virtual briefing of the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

PHOTO: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Rochelle Walensky arrive to participate in the White House COVID-19 Response Team's regular call, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Rochelle Walensky arrive to participate in the White House COVID-19 Response Team's regular call with the National Governors Association in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus, Dec. 27, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Carolyn Kaster/AP, FILE

This means Americans are considered fully vaccinated if they have gotten two shots of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

However, Walensky did urge those who have been fully vaccinated to stay "up to date" on additional doses they may be eligible for based on their age and which vaccine they received.

Jan 05, 2022, 11:29 AM EST

1 in 15 people in England tested positive for COVID last week

About 1 in 15 people in England tested positive for COVID-19 in the week ending Dec. 31, 2021, according to new data published Wednesday by the UK's Office of National Statistics -- a jump from 1 in 25 the week before.

This means that an estimated 3,270,800 people in the country caught the virus last week, with the most infections occurring among those between ages 17 and 24, the ONS said.

Additionally, 1 in 20 people contracted COVID last week in Scotland and Wales as did 1 in 25 people in Northern Ireland.

The ONS noted that these estimates do not include people who tested positive in "hospitals, care homes and/or other communal establishments."

Jan 05, 2022, 12:30 PM EST

NY COVID hospitalizations surpass 10,000 for 1st time in 20 months

COVID-19-related hospitalizations in New York surpassed 10,000 for the first time since the early days of the pandemic.

As of Tuesday, there are 10,411 people hospitalized statewide with the virus, which is the highest figure seen since May 2020.

About 1,300 patients are currently in intensive care units.

Unvaccinated New Yorkers are more likely to be hospitalized than those who are fully vaccinated. During the week ending Dec. 20, unvaccinated people were hospitalized at a rate of 30.01 per 100,000 compared to a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 for fully vaccinated people, according to state data.

Jan 05, 2022, 9:41 AM EST

Poland's president tests positive for COVID for 2nd time

Polish President Andrzej Duda tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday.

This is the second time Duda has contracted the virus. He previously tested positive in October 2020.

PHOTO: Poland's President Andrzej Duda holds a news conference in Skopje, North Macedonia, Nov. 19, 2021.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda holds a news conference in Skopje, North Macedonia, Nov. 19, 2021. An aide says President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time but has no serious symptoms. The aide said Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 on Twitter that Duda was under medical observation but feels well. He says the 49-year-old president has been vaccinated against the coronavirus and received a booster shot last month.
Boris Grdanoski/AP, FILE

"The president is fine, has no severe symptoms and is under constant medical care," Pawel Szrot, Head of the Cabinet, tweeted Wednesday.

Szrot said Duda is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot last month.

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