COVID updates: Hawaii is only state to not announce plans to lift mask mandates

Every other state has lifted or announced plans to lift mandates.

Last Updated: February 21, 2022, 1:28 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 934,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 64.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Feb 16, 2022, 7:37 AM EST

WHO: Weekly global number of COVID-19 cases fell by 19%

The global number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases fell by 19% during the week ending on Feb. 13, compared to the previous week, according to a weekly epidemiological update released Tuesday by the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the number of newly recorded deaths from the disease that week remained similar to that of the previous week. Just over 16 million new cases and just under 75,000 new fatalities were reported worldwide during the week of Feb. 7 to Feb. 13, the WHO said.

All WHO regions reported decreases in the number of weekly cases except for the Western Pacific region, which reported an increase of 19%. The number of new weekly deaths increased in the Eastern Mediterranean region, the Western Pacific region, the African region and the region of the Americas, while it remained similar to that of the previous week in the European region and decreased in the Southeast Asia region, according to the WHO.

Feb 15, 2022, 7:02 PM EST

Canada to ease some COVID-19 border entry requirements

Canada will loosen some of its border entry requirements, the country's Public Health Agency announced Tuesday.

Effective Feb. 28 at 12:01 a.m. ET, fully vaccinated travelers will have the option of using a rapid COVID-19 test to meet pre-entry requirements. The test must be administered by a lab or health care entity the day prior to their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border.

Currently, travelers entering Canada must show proof of a negative molecular test, such as a PCR test, taken within 72 hours of their scheduled flight or planned arrival.

Additionally, fully vaccinated travelers randomly selected to do a molecular test on arrival will no longer be required to quarantine while waiting for their results.

Unvaccinated travelers will continue to be required to test on arrival, and unvaccinated foreign nationals will not be permitted to enter Canada unless they meet an exemption.

The adjustments come as the omicron wave has "passed its peak in Canada," the Public Health Agency said. "As provinces and territories adjust their public health measures, and as we transition away from the crisis phase, it is now time to move towards a more sustainable approach to long-term management of COVID-19."

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Feb 15, 2022, 4:14 PM EST

Coachella, Stagecoach drop vaccination, mask, testing requirements

There will be no vaccination, testing or mask requirements for this year's Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals in Southern California.

Festivalgoers watch Zedd perform at Coachella Stage during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival, April 21, 2019, in Indio, Calif.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images, FILE

Coachella will be over two weekends -- April 15 to 17 and April 22 to 24 -- while Stagecoach is set for the weekend of April 29 to May 1.

Event organizers said the festivals will "be presented in accordance with applicable public health conditions as of the date of the event and which may change at any time as determined by federal, state or local government agencies or instrumentalities, artists or the promoter; such requirements may include, without limitation, changes to capacity, attendance procedures and entry requirements, such as proof of vaccination and/or negative COVID-19 test, and other protective measures such as requiring attendees to wear face coverings."

Feb 15, 2022, 3:03 PM EST

Kids' hospitalization rate 4x higher during omicron surge than delta surge: Study 

The rate of hospitalizations for children and teenagers was four times higher during the omicron surge than the delta surge, according to a CDC report released Tuesday. 

A child is treated for the coronavirus disease at the Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, Ga., Jan. 15, 2022.
Hannah Beier/Reuters, FILE

Children under 5 -- who are ineligible for vaccination -- showed the largest hospitalization rate increase, the report found. Hospitalization rates among kids under 5 were about five times higher during the peak week of omicron than during delta's peak. 

-ABC News' Dr. Alexis E. Carrington and Dr. Meaghan C. Costello

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