There are over 4,300 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 849,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62.9% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Harris County, Texas, which encompasses Houston, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has raised the COVID-19 threat level to “red” -- the highest level -- due to an uptick in hospitalizations.
COVID-19 patients occupy 18% of all ICU beds in the county.
-ABC News' Matt Fuhrman
The Biden administration is moving forward on a rule to make at-home rapid tests reimbursable for insured Americans.
Beginning Jan. 15, Americans will get up to eight tests covered per month, as well as an unlimited number of tests covered if ordered or administered by a doctor or nurse.
"Insurance companies and health plans are required to cover 8 free over-the-counter at-home tests per covered individual per month. That means a family of four, all on the same plan, would be able to get up to 32 of these tests covered by their health plan per month. There is no limit on the number of tests, including at-home tests, that are covered if ordered or administered by a health care provider following an individualized clinical assessment, including for those who may need them due to underlying medical conditions," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett
In Washington, D.C., a vaccine mandate for restaurants, nightclubs, bars and indoor venues is set to begin on Jan. 15.
But 19 House Republicans sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday saying that the mandate "will not prevent the virus from spreading."
"This sweeping mandate, however, will harm the District’s economic recovery and lock many Americans out of their capital city," the Republicans wrote, adding, "We urge you to withdraw the Order."
The city is seeing some improvement in COVID-19 case numbers, D.C. Health’s senior deputy director, Patrick Ashley, told reporters on Monday.
"We're very hopeful based on that data that we are getting to a better spot," Ashley said. "It's still certainly high. It's still an area for concern and we don't expect that to go down overnight.”
-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson
In New Jersey, hospitalizations are at the highest point since April 2020, and the number of patients in ICUs and needing ventilators are on the rise, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.
"We’re in the thick of this latest fight against the omicron tsunami marching across the state," the governor said at a news conference.
New Jersey is recording more deaths now than at any point in the last year and more daily cases than any point of the pandemic, he said.
Murphy added on Twitter, "The percentage of infections among individuals who have at least completed their primary vaccination courses has been creeping up over the past several weeks – but the unvaccinated are still the ones testing positive by a rate of more than two-to-one."
-ABC News' Matthew Foster
