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

Boston has lifted its vaccination requirement for indoor dining, fitness and entertainment, effective immediately, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Friday evening.

The move comes after public health data showed that the city's COVID-19 metrics for test positivity, daily hospitalizations and intensive care unit capacity had fallen below all three thresholds required to loosen restrictions, she said.

"The public health data shows that we're ready to take this step in our recovery," Wu said in a statement. "This news highlights how much progress we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19 thanks to vaccines & boosters -- which have always been our most effective weapon against the pandemic."

Boston's mask mandate for public indoor spaces remains in effect. The Boston Public Health Commission is expected to review the masking order in the coming days, city officials said.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released two reports Friday examining the health and mental well-being of children and adolescents during the pandemic.

In the first report, researchers looked at pediatric emergency department visits and found that they decreased in 2020 and 2021 versus 2019.

The number of visits involving cannabis for children aged 0 to 4 years, however, increased by eight visits per week in 2020 and 15 per week in 2021 compared to 2019.

The second report examined pediatric emergency department visits for mental health conditions. 

Girls between ages 12 and 17 saw the largest increases; visits for eating disorders doubled among this group during the pandemic and visits for tic disorders tripled.

"The highly complex nature of individual experiences makes it difficult to identify a single reason for changes in mental health conditions during the pandemic. While extended time at home could increase familial support for some youth, it may have increased challenges and stressors among others," the CDC wrote in a press release.

South Carolina health officials announced Friday that the state will start phasing out public COVID-19 testing options due to the increased availability of at-home tests.

Beginning March 1, publicly operated vendor testing sites will begin closing and publicly operated PCR sites will start shutting down in April.

"A prime driver of these changes is that with increased availability of rapid antigen testing, it is now the most effective testing tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and help people make informed decisions about whether to isolate," officials from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control said in a press release.

"DHEC will continue to follow the science and update our guidelines and response to COVID-19 as conditions change," the release said.

Additionally, the state will no longer report daily COVID-19 case counts because at-home test results are rarely reported to health officials.

Instead, case totals will be reported weekly, although data on hospitalizations and deaths will continue to be reported every day.

-ABC News' Janice McDonald and Arielle Mitropoulos

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced Friday he has tested positive for COVID-19 after his young daughter first came down with the virus last week.

In a Twitter thread, Murthy revealed that his wife and 5-year-old son have also tested positive, but only have mild symptoms so far.

Murthy said he and his wife found it difficult to isolate from their 4-year-old daughter while she's been sick because they wanted to comfort her, but added he is relieved the rest of his family was vaccinated and boosted, which will reduce their risk of severe illness.

"When you’ve been as safe as you can, getting COVID-19 can be frustrating and disappointing. I’ve felt that. It can also be a source of shame. Many people assume you must have been careless to get sick. Our safety measures reduce risk but they can’t eliminate risk. Nothing can," Murthy tweeted.

He continued, "One major source of peace of mind for us: we and our son are vaxed/boosted. Vaccines are very effective at saving our lives and keeping us out of the hospital. As parents, I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to know we’ll be able to care for our kids even if we get infected."

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett