Omicron updates: COVID outbreak reported on cruise ship docking in New Orleans
At least 10 people on board have tested positive for the virus.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 785,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 59.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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80 million eligible Americans remain unvaccinated
About 100 million Americans remain completely unvaccinated, according to federal data. Nearly 80 million of those people are over the age of 5 and therefore eligible to get the shot.
Since the beginning of November, hospital admissions have jumped by 20%, while emergency department visits have increased by 27%, according to federal data.
Minnesota and Michigan currently hold the country's highest case rate, followed by Wisconsin, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Puerto Rico, Florida and Louisiana currently have the nation's lowest infection rate, according to federal data.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Greece to mandate vaccines for people 60 and older
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tuesday that vaccines for people 60 and older will be required.
Appointments for the first dose must be booked by Jan. 19 and residents who don't comply will be fined.
There are 664 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Greece and the average age of those patients is 64.
The nation's vaccination rate stands at 62%.
Greece has not yet detected a case of the omicron variant but Mitsotakis said it's just a matter of time.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
'Still have more questions than answers' on omicron: WHO DG
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that "we should not be surprised" by the emergence of omicron, because "this is what viruses do."
"The longer we allow the pandemic to drag on -- by failing to address vaccine inequity, or to implement public health and social measures in a tailored and consistent way -- the more opportunity we give this virus to mutate in ways we cannot predict or prevent," Tedros said.
He continued, "We still have more questions than answers about the effect of Omicron on transmission, severity of disease, and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines. The global response must be calm, coordinated and coherent. At the same time, we must not forget that we are already dealing with a highly transmissible, dangerous variant – the Delta variant, which accounts for almost all cases globally."
FDA says it's working quickly as possible to evaluate omicron
The FDA in a new statement said it's working as quickly as possible to evaluate the potential impact of omicron on the currently available diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.
"Historically, the work to obtain the genetic information and patient samples for variants and then perform the testing needed to evaluate their impact takes time,' the FDA said. "However, we expect the vast majority of this work to be completed in the coming weeks."
The FDA stressed that vaccines, boosters and masks are the best ways to stay protected.
-ABC News' Eric M. Strauss
3 omicron cases detected in Maryland
Three cases of the omicron variant have been detected in Maryland, all among Baltimore area residents, Gov. Larry Hogan said.
One of these people, who is vaccinated, recently traveled to South Africa. The second case is someone in their household who is not vaccinated, Hogan said.
The third case is unrelated; this person, who is vaccinated, has no recent travel, Hogan said.
No one required hospitalization, he said.