COVID-19 updates: New Zealand imposes restrictions amid omicron outbreak
The country's PM also postponed her wedding due to the rise in cases.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 865,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 63.3% 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:
California lawmaker proposes letting kids 12 and older get vaccines without parental consent
California state senator Scott Wiener has introduced a bill lowering the vaccine age of consent from 18 to 12.
"California law already allows 12-17 year olds to access various forms of healthcare without parental consent, eg: HPV & hep B vaccines, abortion care, birth control, mental healthcare, domestic violence-related care," Wiener tweeted Friday. "Let’s let teens protect their health."
San Francisco's director of public health and youth advocates were among those who joined Wiener at a Friday news conference introducing the legislation.
One youth advocate, Nyla, a seventh-grader, said, "We're exposed to so much that we're old enough to have a say so when something will benefit us. … This bill gives me hope for kids whose parents don't always make decisions in their best interest even when they mean well."
-ABC News' Izzy Alvarez
LA County sees highest death toll since March 2021
Los Angeles County reported 102 new deaths on Thursday, marking the highest daily death toll since March 10, 2021.
Daily deaths doubled in just one week, according to county officials.
Of Thursday's 102 fatalities, 90% were residents who tested positive for COVID-19 after Christmas Eve, which means they likely had omicron, county officials said in a statement.
"As deaths often lag behind surges in cases and hospitalizations, we may see an even higher number of deaths in the coming weeks," county officials warned.
New York positivity rate at lowest point since Dec. 20
The positivity rate in New York state has dropped to the single digits for the first time since Dec. 20, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday, another indicator that the omicron surge is receding in the state.
The positivity rate now stands at 9.75%, down from over 23% on Jan. 2, which was the highest rate in New York during the omicron wave.
"This is still to be taken very seriously," Hochul stressed at a Friday briefing, noting that hospitalizations are still high.
-ABC News' Will McDuffie
Studies underscore effectiveness of vaccines, boosters against severe disease from delta, omicron: CDC
The CDC says three new studies show the importance of vaccines and boosters in protecting against severe COVID-19 infection from delta or omicron.
The first study found that a third shot slashed the risk of an emergency room or urgent care trip by 94% during delta and 82% during omicron.
The second study found that, during the delta and omicron waves, the unvaccinated were nearly 14-times more likely to be infected and 53-times more likely to die compared to people who are vaccinated and boosted.
The third analysis found that three doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine -- as opposed to two doses or none -- provided protection against both delta and omicron against symptomatic infection. However, the protection was greater against delta compared to omicron.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos