COVID-19 updates: Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico leading nation in cases
Michigan has the highest infection rate, followed by Minnesota and New Mexico.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.1 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 771,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 69% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
27 states see at least 10% jump in daily cases
The Northeast and Midwest have seen the greatest increase in cases and hospitalizations as the weather gets colder and people head indoors, according to federal data.
Twenty states have reported at least a 10% increase in hospital admissions over the last week: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
Twenty-seven states have seen at least a 10% jump in daily cases over the last two weeks: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, New York City, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Kansas, Maine offering boosters to all adults
All fully vaccinated adults in Kansas and Maine can now get a booster if it's been six months since their Pfizer or Moderna dose or two months since their Johnson & Johnson shot, the governors said.
“Expanding access to booster shots will help us put an end to this deadly pandemic," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement.
Nirav D. Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said, "Given the high level of COVID-19 transmission occurring in Maine, we want Maine people to be clear that all adults are now eligible for a booster."
Booster eligibility has been expanded to all adults in several other states, including New York, New Jersey, Arkansas and Colorado.
US deaths not expected to decline in weeks to come
For the first time in more than two months, U.S. death rates are not predicted to decline in the weeks to come.
Forecast models used by the CDC are predicting that weekly death totals will likely remain stable or have an unknown trend in the next four weeks, with thousands more Americans expected to lose their lives by early December.
The model -- from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at UMass Amherst -- expects around 14,400 more virus-related deaths in the U.S. over next two weeks, with a total of around 791,100 American lives lost by Dec. 11.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Fauci says 3-shot vaccine should be 'standard'
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that booster doses may become the standard for a "full" vaccination.
"I happen to believe as an immunologist and infectious disease person that a third shot boost for an mRNA [vaccine] ... should be part of the actual standard regimen, where a booster isn't a luxury. A booster isn't an add-on and a booster is part of what the original regimen should be. So that when we look back on this, we're going to see that boosters are essential for an optimal vaccine regimen," Fauci said in a pretaped interview aired at the 2021 STAT Summit.
-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik
CDC director gives final greenlight on boosters
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky has endorsed the CDC advisory committee's recommendation for Modern and Pfizer vaccine boosters for all recipients ages 18 and older who were vaccinated at least six months ago.
"After critical scientific evaluation, today’s unanimous decision carefully considered the current state of the pandemic, the latest vaccine effectiveness data over time, and review of safety data from people who have already received a COVID-19 primary vaccine series and booster," Walensky said in a statement Friday evening, hours after the committee's recommendation. "Booster shots have demonstrated the ability to safely increase people’s protection against infection and severe outcomes and are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays. Based on the compelling evidence, all adults over 18 should now have equitable access to a COVID-19 booster dose."
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett