COVID-19 updates: US sees 1st day since early November with fewer than 100,000 new cases
The U.S. reported just over 96,000 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 105 million people worldwide and killed over 2.3 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
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Statewide mask mandates linked to decreased hospitalizations: CDC
States that instituted mask mandates reported a decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers analyzed hospitalization data in 10 states with mask mandates between March and October of last year. They found a 5.5% decline in weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations among adults, compared to the period before the mandates were implemented.
In addition to reducing virus exposure and transmission, masks are part of a multi-pronged strategy to "reduce strain on the health care system," the researchers note, adding that masks likely have a direct effect on COVID-19 illness and death.
The researchers did not examine whether other policies, such as school closings and physical distancing recommendations, contributed to the decline. The results were published Friday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
-ABC News' Eric Strauss contributed to this report.
Yankee stadium opens as mass vaccination site for Bronx residents
Former Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera will join Mayor Bill de Blasio at Yankee stadium Friday afternoon to celebrate the opening of a mass vaccination site at the stadium.
The site, which will be reserved for residents from the Bronx, will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is meant to ensure that Black and Latino residents have equal access to the vaccine. It will be open 24 hours a day when more vaccine supply is available, according to the mayor.
"I think it’s going to be extraordinary," de Blasio told WNYC on Friday. "We are going to have a wonderful celebration of this place opening up. I will be joined by Mariano Rivera, who will help us get this message out. This is for people of the Bronx, people who haven’t been able to get vaccinated."
Bronx residents who want to book an appointment should go to or call 1-833-SomosNY.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
8% of US population has received 1 or more vaccine doses: HHS
So far, 8% of the U.S. population has received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to official figures released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In total, 35,203,710 vaccine doses have been administered nationwide. About 27.9 million people -- 8% of the population -- have received one or more doses, while 6.9 million people -- 2% of the population -- have received two doses.
ABC News' Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
US announces deployment of over 1,000 troops to help with vaccinations
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration announced Friday that 1,110 active-duty military personnel will be deployed across the country to assist with COVID-19 vaccinations.
The announcement was made during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The troops, sourced from across the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, will be split up into five teams of 222 personnel that will be assigned to support five COVID-19 vaccination centers run by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a fact sheet on the initiative released by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
FEMA and the U.S. Department of Defense will jointly determine when the troops are no longer needed for vaccination support, according the fact sheet.
ABC News' Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
Europol warns of fake COVID-19 test certificates
The European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol, is warning member nations to be on the lookout for fake COVID-19 test certificates.
An increasing number of countries in the EU and beyond are requiring travelers to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test to be allowed entry when coming from a high-risk area. In an early warning notification issued Monday, Europol said several cases have emerged of fraudulent test certificates being sold to travelers, including the arrest of a forgery ring selling negative test results to passengers at France's Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The amount charged for the fake documents ranged between 150 to 300 euros ($181-362).
Fraudsters were also caught in the United Kingdom selling bogus test documents for 100 pounds ($137), faking the name of a genuine laboratory on the false certificates, according to Europol.
"The detection of fake COVID-19 negative test certificates confirms that criminals -- be it organised crime groups or individual opportunistic scammers -- seize profitable opportunities once they arise," the agency said in the notification. "As long as travel restrictions remain in place due to the COVID-19 situation, it is highly likely that production and sales of fake test certificates will prevail. Given the widespread technological means available, in the form of high-quality printers and different software, fraudsters are able to produce high-quality counterfeit, forged or fake documents."