COVID-19 live updates: New York sees fourfold increase in pediatric hospitalizations
The shift reflects the spread of the omicron variant.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 816,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.7% 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:
- New record case high on Christmas Eve in New York
- 'Everybody' in Australia will get omicron, health minister says
- American, Delta, JetBlue, United report impacts from omicron
- Cases soar in Florida
- CDC issues contingency plan for to prevent shortage of health care workers in event of major omicron surge
- New York sees record-smashing 44,431 cases in 1 day
- White House to lift travel restrictions on southern African countries
Another outbreak reported on cruise ship
A COVID-19 outbreak has been reported on the South Florida-based cruise ship Carnival Freedom as Florida sees a massive surge in cases.
Carnival said a "small number" of people tested positive and are in isolation, but the cruise line did not disclose how many.
All passengers were vaccinated and tested ahead of the trip, Carnival said.
Carnival Freedom left Miami on Dec. 18 and stopped in Curacao on Dec. 21. Stops in Bonaire and Aruba were canceled but instead the ship will visit Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic on Friday, Carnival said.
The ship will return as planned to Miami on Dec. 26, Carnival said.
This is the third cruise ship outbreak this week. On Thursday, Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas ship reported 55 positive cases, days after setting sail from Florida. On Saturday, Royal Caribbean's arrived in Miami with at least 48 confirmed cases, according to The Miami Herald.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky, Mina Kaji
UK breaks case record for 3rd day in a row
The United Kingdom recorded 122,186 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to official government data, setting a new record high for the third day in a row.
The U.K. has recorded 707,306 cases in the last week -- a 48.2% jump from the previous week.
London has the highest proportion of cases for any region in England, with one in 20 people testing positive last week, according to new interim data from the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics.
-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud
Delta cancellations continue into the weekend
Delta's flight cancellations are continuing into the weekend, with the airline citing "a combination of issues," including weather and omicron.
"Up to 200 of 3,004 flights on Saturday may be canceled, and up to 150 are expected for Sunday," Delta said.
So far on Christmas Eve there are 331 canceled flights between Delta, United and Alaska Airlines.
-ABC News' Mina Kaji
White House to lift travel restrictions on southern African countries
The travel restrictions on eight southern African countries, put in place by the White House when omicron emerged, will be lifted on Dec. 31, according to a senior administration official.
This decision was recommended by the CDC for two reasons, the official said: vaccines and boosters have been determined to help prevent severe disease from omicron; and omicron is already prevalent in the U.S. and around the world so travel from those eight countries won't have a major impact on U.S. cases.