COVID updates: Team USA figure skater Vincent Zhou tests positive at Olympics

He is undergoing additional testing to see if he can compete.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Nadine El-Bawab, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: February 6, 2022, 11:48 PM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 902,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 64% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jan 31, 2022, 3:30 PM EST

Novavax asks FDA for emergency use authorization for its vaccine

Novavax on Monday submitted a request to the FDA for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine.

Novavax uses a more traditional protein-based vaccine platform, which is different from Pfizer and Modena’s mRNA technology and Johnson & Johnson's viral vector technology.

Novavax's vaccine exposes a person to a lab-based piece of coronavirus to build immunity.

Novavax's studies -- conducted before the omicron variant -- showed an approximately 90% efficacy.

Novavax was one of the early contenders for a COVID-19 vaccine; Operation Warp Speed allocated $1.6 billion for 100 million doses if the vaccine was authorized by the FDA.

-ABC News' Eric M. Strauss

Jan 31, 2022, 12:00 PM EST

Only 5 states reporting jump in cases

After weeks of surging cases, many U.S. states continue to see impressive declines in their national case averages.

The U.S. is reporting an average of about 543,000 new cases per day, down by about 32.2% in the last two weeks, according to federal data. Two weeks ago the nation was reporting more than 800,000 new cases every day.

Only five states are seeing at least a 10% increase in new cases: Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana and Washington.

Capt. Joseph White leads a group of Maine National Guardsmen into Central Maine Medical Center, Jan. 20, 2022, in Lewiston, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP

But case levels still remain much higher than the nation's previous surges. Experts point out that many Americans who are taking at-home tests are not submitting their results, and thus, case totals may be higher than reported.

Alaska now leads the nation in new cases per capita followed by Washington state, Kentucky and Oklahoma, according to federal data.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Jan 31, 2022, 11:30 AM EST

Moderna gets full FDA approval for vaccine 

Moderna has now received full FDA approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, the second vaccine maker to be granted full approval, after Pfizer.

A pharmacist prepares a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic, Dec. 29, 2021, in Lawrence, Mass.
Charles Krupa/AP, FILE

All three vaccines currently available in the U.S. were granted emergency authorization based on large clinical studies and at least two months of safety data.

Moderna said the full approval was "based on a comprehensive submission package including efficacy and safety data approximately six months after second dose."

-ABC News' Sony Salzman

Jan 31, 2022, 10:10 AM EST

Prime Minister Trudeau tests positive

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he tested positive for COVID-19 Monday morning.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said that he had tested positive for COVID-19, participates in a media availability Near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Jan. 31, 2022.
Adrian Wyld/Pool via Reuters

"I’m feeling fine -- and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines," Trudeau tweeted. "Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted."

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