COVID-19 updates: Classes in Chicago canceled for 4th day
Chicago Public Schools has been in talks with teachers over COVID-19 safety.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 837,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62.5% 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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Israel approves 4th vaccine dose for people 60 and over
Israel's Ministry of Health approved a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine for health care workers and people over 60 years old, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
"Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort," Bennett said at a press conference in Jerusalem. "Omicron is not Delta -- it’s a different ball-game altogether."
Fourth doses will be administered four months after booster shots, Bennett said.
ABC News' Jordana Miller
Biden doubles Pfizer antiviral pill purchase
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday afternoon that he was doubling the federal government's purchases of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pill, from 10 million to 20 million treatment courses.
"They’re a gamechanger and have the potential to dramatically alter the impact of COVID-19, the impact it's had on this country and our people,” Biden said.
He also warned that those who remain unvaccinated "will die" during the ongoing omicron surge.
“So there's no excuse, no excuse, for anyone being unvaccinated,” Biden said.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson