COVID updates: New Zealand imposes restrictions amid omicron outbreak

Growing evidence suggests the omicron surge may be beginning to recede in the parts of the U.S. that were first hit by the variant.

Although new case rates remain high across much of the Northeast, daily totals are slowly beginning to fall. New York City reported a 17% drop and New Jersey reported a 17.6% drop in new cases over the last week. Washington, D.C., reported a nearly 25% decline and Vermont saw a nearly 22% decline in cases in the last week.

But health officials caution the latest surge has yet to peak for much of the U.S. The nation is still reporting nearly 800,000 new cases a day -- a record high and a more than eight-fold increase compared to six weeks ago.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNN on Sunday that Americans should not expect a decline in the days to come. 

"This is a very difficult time during this surge. We are seeing high case numbers and hospitalization rates... we're also seeing strain in many of our hospitals around the country," Murthy said. "The next few weeks will be tough."

Nearly 1,800 Americans are dying from COVID-19 each day – an approximately 52.6% jump since Jan. 1. 

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, according to a statement from Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler.

Milley has "very minor" symptoms and is working remotely, the statement said.

Milley was last in contact with President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

"He tested negative several days prior to and every day following contact with the President until yesterday," the statement said.

All other Joint Chiefs of Staff tested negative except for Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger, a spokesperson said.

-ABC News' Matthew Seyler

China is tightening travel restrictions for its capital ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, requiring all travelers to take a nucleic acid test within 72 hours of entry.

The new restrictions, which will be put in place on Jan. 22, were announced after Beijing recorded its first case of the highly contagious omicron variant in a suburb near many of the Olympic venues over the weekend. Health authorities have sealed off the patient's' residential compound and workplace.

Beijing health officials told reporters Monday that the single omicron case in the city may have been infected by a package the patient received from Canada. None of the patient's close contacts in their community or workplace tested positive, officials said during a press conference.

Some schools in Beijing have also closed early and moved classes online.

According to the Chinese National Health Commission's daily report released Monday, there were 65 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on the mainland and 54 imported cases. One new case was recorded in Beijing, the report said. 

The 2022 Winter Olympics is slated to kick off in the Chinese capital on Feb. 4. 

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou and Karson Yiu

Italian police have arrested a nurse accused of pretending to inject COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of anti-vaxxers so they could benefit from vaccination certificates.

Investigators used a hidden camera to capture the nurse working at a vaccination center in Palmero. A clip from the footage, released Saturday by Italy's State Police, purportedly shows the woman preparing a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and then emptying the syringe into a piece of gauze before pretending to inject it into an individual's arm. She faces charges of forgery and embezzlement, according to police.

Police said the woman also faked her own booster shot so she could continue working at the vaccination center, in coordination with another nurse who was arrested last December on similar charges. The other nurse is accused of faking COVID-19 vaccinations for 11 people, including a well-known leader of an anti-vaccine movement, according to police.

New restrictions came into force in Italy on Jan. 10, barring people who aren't fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from accessing restaurants, gyms, swimming pools, theaters, cinemas, sport events and public transport. Unvaccinated individuals who recently recovered from COVID-19 are exempt from the new rule, which will be in force until March 31. The measures were imposed amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections across the European country.