In newly updated COVID-19 guidance on its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that loosely woven cloth masks provide the "least protection", while masks like N95 respirators offer the highest level.

In some cases, Americans might want to opt for higher-quality masks like KN95 and N95 respirators, the agency said.

"Wearing a highly protective mask or respirator may be most important for certain higher risk situations, or by some people at increased risk for severe disease," the CDC stated.

The CDC recommendation stops short of calling on Americans to choose one mask over the other, maintaining that any mask is better than no mask.

The updated guidance comes after weeks of health experts urging Americans to upgrade their masks in the face of omicron.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

The White House will launch a new website on Wednesday to distribute 500 million free at-home rapid tests that'll be mailed to Americans' doorsteps, senior administration officials said on a Friday call with reporters.

People will be able to order four tests per household at from this first batch of 500 million. The White House will also launch a call line for people who don't have computer access.

The tests will take seven to 12 days to arrive, the senior officials said.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden also pledged a second 500 million tests, bringing the total free tests that will eventually be offered to Americans up to 1 billion.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

New York is "turning the corner" following record-breaking COVID-19 cases over the holidays, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

She said the seven-day case average and positivity rate are heading down.

One week ago there were over 90,000 daily cases, and now just 49,027 daily cases, the governor said Friday.

However, state numbers may be skewed due to the increased demand in testing during the holidays.

New York state is seeing a slight decline in hospitalizations, but at 12,000 patients, that number "is still very high," the governor noted.

In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said Friday “it really appears” hospitalization numbers are “stabilizing.”

"Based on our optimistic views, we appear to be moving in the right direction," he said.

-ABC News' Joshua Hoyos, Matt Foster

Nationwide, more than 157,000 COVID-19-positive patients are currently receiving care -- a pandemic high, according to federal data.

More than 5,200 children are currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 – also a record high.

On average, over 20,000 Americans are being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 each day, a figure that's more than doubled over the last month, according to federal data.

It's still not clear how many of these patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and how many people coincidentally tested positive after they were admitted for other reasons.

About 83% of staffed adult ICU beds are occupied (by COVID and non-COVID patients) -- the highest ICU capacity in one year, according to federal data.

On average, the U.S. is now reporting a record high of more than 782,000 new COVID-19 cases each day, according to federal data.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized Wednesday for attending a party during England's strict lockdown in 2020.

It was the first time that Johnson acknowledged he went to a garden party at his official residence and office on London's Downing Street in May 2020. He is facing growing anger and calls for his resignation over claims he and his staff flouted COVID-19 restrictions by holding a "bring your own booze" party. At the time, Johnson's government had imposed restrictions barring people in England from meeting more than one individual outside their household.

During the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons in London on Wednesday, Johnson said he had considered the garden party to be a work event to thank his staff for their efforts during the pandemic.

"I want to apologize," Johnson told lawmakers. "With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside."

The prime minister urged people to await "the full conclusion" of an investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray into several alleged parties by government staff. Gray will report her findings by the end of the month.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Johnson's defense was "the pathetic spectacle of a man who has run out of road" and demanded he "do the decent thing and resign."

The prime minister declined to resign and didn't explicitly admit that he had broken any rules, but said he understood "the rage."

"I know that millions of people across this country have made extraordinary sacrifices over the past 18 months," he added. "I understand the anger, the rage that they feel at the thought that people in Downing Street were not following those rules."

-ABC News' Guy Davies, Ian Pannell and Joseph Simonetti