COVID-19 updates: LA has highest daily death total since April

There are over 4,300 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: January 17, 2022, 12:30 AM EST

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.

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Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 12, 2022, 2:32 PM EST

More than 15 million new cases reported globally last week

More than 15 million new COVID-19 cases were reported globally last week, according to the World Health Organization.

"By far the most cases reported in a single week, and we know this is an underestimate," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

Healthcare workers at Antalya Kepez State Hospital assist Covid-19 patients in the intestive care unit in Antalya, Turkey, Jan. 05, 2022.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

He said this "huge spike" is driven by omicron.

"While omicron causes less severe disease than delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated," Tedros warned.

WHO officials said new vaccines may be needed for different variants, and until those vaccines are developed, the current vaccines may need to be updated. 

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Jan 12, 2022, 1:59 PM EST

White House considering making high-quality masks available to all

The White House is considering making "more high-quality masks" available to all Americans, according to White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients.

"We're in the process right now of strongly considering options to make more high-quality masks available to all Americans," he said at Wednesday's briefing.

Two girls carry stuffed animal toys wearing face masks as they leave a Covid-19 screening at a testing and vaccination site at public school in Los Angeles, Jan. 5, 2022.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Tourists wearing face masks walk on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame amid COVID-19 Pandemic, in Hollywood, Calif., Jan. 7 2022.
Etienne Laurent/EPA via Shutterstock

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

Jan 12, 2022, 1:35 PM EST

Rhode Island reporting nation's highest new case rate, California reaches pandemic case high

Deaths in the U.S. are on the rise. The average now stands at more than 1,600 new COVID-19-related fatalities each day -- up by about 48% in the last two weeks, according to federal data.

Out of the 3,220 U.S. counties, just 26 counties are not reporting high transmission, according to federal data.

Nurses and caretakers treat a COVID-19 patient in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital amid the coronavirus pandemic in La Mesa, East of San Diego, Jan. 11, 2022.
Etienne Laurent/EPA via Shutterstock

In the last week alone, the U.S. has reported more than 5.2 million new cases -- that averages out to nearly nine Americans testing positive for COVID-19 every second.

Rhode Island is reporting the nation's highest new case rate, while California is now averaging more than 100,000 new cases every day -- a pandemic high for the Golden State.

PHOTO: People line up at a COVID-19 testing site in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Jan. 11, 2022.
People line up at a COVID-19 testing site in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Jan. 11, 2022.
Joe Kohen/Shutterstock

But, according to experts, the surging national case numbers may not be indicative of what is happening in every region, and the nation's overall continued increase does not necessarily mean that some areas will not see a decline.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Jan 12, 2022, 1:12 PM EST

91% less risk of death with omicron: Study

At Wednesday's White House briefing Dr. Anthony Fauci was asked if people are protected from getting omicron again, and he said the information isn't available yet.

But CDC director Rochelle Walensky outlined a study from Kaiser Permanente Southern California that showed, compared to delta, omicron had a 53% reduction in adjusted risk of symptomatic hospitalization, a 74% reduction in adjusted risk of ICU admission and a 91% reduction in adjusted risk of death.

"The data in this study remain consistent with what we are seeing from omicron in other countries, including South Africa and the U.K., and provide some understanding of what we can expect over the coming weeks as cases are predicted to peak in this country," Walensky said. 

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

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