Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 25, 2022, 12:18 PM EST
Elton John tests positive, Dallas concerts postponed
Elton John has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to postpone his concerts on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, according to a statement from the venue.
Elton John performs during the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour at Smoothie King Center, Jan. 19, 2022, in New Orleans.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images
"Elton is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is experiencing only mild symptoms," the statement said. "Fans should hold on to their tickets as they will be honored at the rescheduled dates to be announced soon."
Jan 25, 2022, 12:02 PM EST
Florida governor vows to 'fight back' against FDA's 'reckless' decision
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to "fight back" against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "reckless" decision to limit the use of two monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 that were found to be ineffective against the now-dominant omicron variant.
"This is wrong what they are doing, and we have many people now who are very concerned because they were going to go in and get it today or tomorrow," DeSantis said during a press conference Tuesday.
While the governor acknowledged that the treatments are less effective against omicron, he claimed that people in Florida have seen their COVID-19 symptoms clear up in the last month after receiving the treatments. DeSantis, however, did not offer data to support that claim.
"We're going to fight back against this," he told reporters.
When asked whether he plans to take legal action against the federal government, DeSantis said: "I don't know. We're going to see what we can do."
A free monoclonal treatment site located in a tent is open for patients at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Jan. 20, 2022, in Miami.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
With omicron accounting for more than 99% of COVID-19 infections nationwide, the FDA on Monday revised its authorizations for two of the main monoclonal antibody treatments that have been widely used across the country -- one made by Eli Lilly and the other by Regeneron. The FDA said both treatments are no longer authorized for use in any U.S. state, territory or jurisdiction and should not be used for treatment against COVID-19. In the future, the treatments could still be used to help patients who become sick with other variants, according to the FDA.
Following the FDA's decision, Florida health officials announced that monoclonal antibody treatment sites would be shut down across the state. More than 2,000 appointments for the treatments were canceled statewide on Tuesday alone, according to the governor's office.
"Unfortunately, as a result of this abrupt decision made by the federal government, all monoclonal antibody state sites will be closed until further notice," the Florida Department of Health said in a statement late Monday. "Florida disagrees with the decision that blocks access to any available treatments in absence of clinical evidence. To date, such clinical evidence has not been provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."
-ABC News' Will McDuffie and Sasha Pezenik
Jan 25, 2022, 10:43 AM EST
Kentucky governor's son tests positive as state's cases skyrocket
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's son has tested positive for COVID-19 as cases in the state skyrocket.
"My son is generally asymptomatic, we believe because he is vaccinated and boosted," Beshear said Monday.
The governor and the rest of his family tested negative on Monday, according to Beshear's office.
Kentucky reported 81,473 cases for the week ending on Sunday -- a record high.
A Bluewater Diagnostic Laboratories technician administers a test at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site at Churchill Downs, Jan. 10, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images, FILE
Hospitalizations are also approaching a record high, his office said.
Jan 25, 2022, 9:18 AM EST
WHO warns of rising cases of omicron sub-variant
The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over rising cases of a new omicron sub-variant.
In an updated post to its website on Monday, the WHO said the new sub-variant, called BA.2, is a descendant of omicron, the now-dominant, highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus. Unlike omicron, BA.2 is currently not considered a "variant of concern." But because it is spreading in many countries, the WHO is asking governments and scientists across the globe to monitor the situation and study the new sub-variant, as many have already been doing.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), removes his protective face mask prior to speaking to the media regarding the coronavirus COVID-19 and WHO's global health priorities in 2022 at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 20, 2021.
Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP, FILE
As of last Friday, BA.2 had already been detected in at least 40 countries, including the United States. It has already spread quickly in Denmark, where early reports indicate it doesn't appear to be deadlier than its parent variant. The sub-variant is now also spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom.
While BA.2 is a descendent of omicron, it has slightly different mutations. Omicron has several sub-variants, as does the previously dominant, highly transmissible delta variant.
