COVID updates: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive
He said he has mild symptoms and will be quarantining for five days.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 825,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62% 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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US breaks weekly COVID-19 case record
The United States has recorded 2.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases over the last week, setting a grim record as the highest number of cases confirmed in one week.
The previous record was set just a few days earlier from Dec. 22 to Dec. 29, when the U.S. confirmed 1.9 million COVID-19 cases. Before that, the previous record totaled 1.75 million cases from Jan. 5 to Jan. 11 at the start of 2021.
Some NJ schools go remote as cases surge
At least 10 of the 13 school districts in Hudson County, New Jersey are switching back to remote learning next week as the daily total of confirmed COVID-19 cases skyrocket in the state.
Bayonne, Jersey City, Harrison, Union City, West New York, Weehawken, Guttenberg, Hoboken, East Newark and North Bergen will go remote until Jan. 7 at the earliest.
On Thursday, New Jersey reported a record number of 27,975 positive daily tests. The previous record was 20,483, which was confirmed just one day earlier.
FDA to authorize boosters for 12- to 15-year-olds
The Food and Drug Administration is likely to authorize Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots for 12- to 15-year-olds next week, a source with direct knowledge of the plan told ABC News.
An authorization may come as early as Monday.
-ABC News' Eric Strauss
US pediatric COVID-19 hospital admissions hit all-time high
More COVID-19-positive children in the United States are being hospitalized each day than at any other point in the pandemic, according to newly updated federal data.
On average, just under 380 children with COVID-19 were admitted into the hospital daily between Dec. 22 and Dec. 28, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The country's pediatric COVID-19 hospital admission rate has nearly tripled in the past month, CDC data shows.
Nationwide, nearly 2,900 children are currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 -- approximately 1,300 more patients than a month ago -- according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Less than a third of eligible children -- ages 5 to 17 -- in the U.S. are currently fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Three new studies released Thursday by the CDC found COVID-19 vaccines to be safe and effective for children.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Avoid cruises regardless of vaccination status, CDC says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Americans to avoid cruises regardless of COVID vaccination status.
On Thursday, the CDC raised the health notice from a level 3 to a level 4, which is the highest level.
"Since the identification of the omicron variant, there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among cruise passengers and crew reported to CDC," the agency wrote. "Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of cruise ships meeting the COVID-19 case threshold for CDC investigation."
More than 80 cruise ships are currently being investigated or observed by the CDC after reports of COVID outbreaks on board.
In response, the Cruise Lines International Association -- the largest cruise trade association -- called the CDC's new warning "particularly perplexing" and said cases on ships "consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard."
ABC News' Alexandra Faul, Mina Kaji and Sam Sweeney