COVID-19 updates: Elizabeth Warren tests positive
The senator says she's experiencing "mild symptoms."
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 806,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.4% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Sen. Cory Booker test positive
Sen. Cory Booker D-NJ revealed on Twitter that he has tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
Booker said he received both vaccine doses and his booster shot and his symptoms are "relatively mild."
He added that he's "certain" that if he had not received the shots, he "would be doing much worse."
Booker's announcement came hours after Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-Mass., revealed her breakthrough case. Warren also said her symptoms are mild.
Elizabeth Warren reveals she tested positive for COVID-19
In a tweet Sunday night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced that she "tested positive with a breakthrough case" on Sunday. Warren said she's experiencing "mild symptoms."
The progressive senator also indicated that she is fully vaccinated and has received her booster shot.
NY state records over 20,000 new cases for third day in a row
New York state recorded over 20,000 positive COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.
Sunday's total of 22,478 positive cases is the new single-day record, according to the data.
Over 542 patients were admitted to hospitals across the state for COVID-19 symptoms over the last 24 hours, the governor's office said.
There are 3,880 currently hospitalized in the state with the virus, the data showed.
Hochul reiterated her message to New Yorkers to get their vaccinations and boosters and follow health guidelines as the omicron variant continues to spread.
"This is not March of 2020, we are not defenseless," she said in a statement. "We have the tools to protect ourselves and the vulnerable loves ones in our families: Get vaccinated, get the booster and wear a mask when indoors or in large gatherings."
As of Sunday, 70.9% of all New York state residents have completed their vaccinations, the state data showed.
NYC gearing up for surge in cases: Mayor
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the city will have to brace for a jump in COVID-19 cases as the omicron variant continues to spread.
"We expect omicron to be a fast and temporary phenomenon. We expect these next weeks to see a very, very big surge in the number of cases, more than we've seen previously," he said during a news conference Sunday.
Roughly 162 patients were confirmed positive in the hospital, the mayor said. Hospitalizations have gone up, but not at the rate health officials were expecting.
"It will undoubtly grow a bit," de Blasio said.
The city recorded 5,731 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday.
The mayor urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots. The city's health department said as of Sunday 71% of all residents are fully vaccinated.
De Blasio also recommended that people wear masks indoors.
The city will focus on vaccination efforts for children and to increase booster access in nursing homes, he said.
At-home testing kits will be handed out at high volume testing sites, according to the mayor.
Indonesia confirms 1st case of omicron variant
Indonesia announced Thursday its first confirmed case of the omicron variant.
The case was detected in a janitor who works at the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital of Kemayoran Athletes Village in Jakarta, according to a statement from Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
The hospital's cleaning staff are routinely tested and the results for three people were positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 10. Those samples were then sent to a genome sequencing lab, which identified the omicron variant in one of the samples on Wednesday, according to the statement.
Indonesia's Ministry of Health has also identified probable cases of omicron among five travelers who were in quarantine -- two Indonesian citizens who had just returned from the United Kingdom and the United States, and three foreigners from China. Their test samples are being sequenced and the results will be known in a few days, according to the statement.
The health minister urged Indonesians "not to panic and to remain calm," and to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they haven't already.
"The arrival of new variants from abroad, which we identified in quarantine, shows that our defense system against the arrival of new variants is quite good, we need to strengthen it," Sadikin said. "So it's normal to stay 10 days in quarantine. The goal is not to make it difficult for people who came, but to protect the people of Indonesia."
