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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Winter storm shuts down vaccination sites in NY, NJ

A second storm bringing heavy snow to the Northeast has shut down vaccination sites in at least two states.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy both announced that appointments for Sunday would be rescheduled due to the inclement weather.

Mass vaccination sites located indoors, such as the newly opened Yankee Stadium, will continue as scheduled as they have the infrastructure and equipment in place to ensure people can safely enter and exit the location, according to ABC New York station WABC.


9% of Americans have received 1 or more vaccine doses

Nine percent of Americans -- 28.9 million people – have received one or more vaccine doses, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Two percent of Americans -- 7.5 million people -- have received two doses, the report said.

Deaths are down 4% since the peak on Jan. 13, while hospital admissions have decreased 37% since the Jan. 9 peak, the report said.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.


New York’s 7-day average positivity rate at lowest in 2 months

New York state’s seven-day average positivity rate has fallen to 4.58% -- the lowest since Dec. 2, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday.

New York has 7,804 COVID-19 patients in hospitals -- the lowest since Dec. 27, he added.

Cuomo called these numbers "a reflection of the discipline New Yorkers have shown to defeat the virus."

"Super Bowl weekend is here and while the instinct may be to celebrate together, we cannot get cocky -- we must continue doing the things we know are effective at taming the virus: wear a mask, adhere to social distancing, and avoid gatherings," he said.

ABC News’ Josh Hoyos contributed to this report.


China approves Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for general public use

China has given approval for the domestic-made Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the general public -- not just high-risk individuals and front-line workers.

The National Medical Products Administration shared the news in a statement Saturday.

The vaccine -- which was given emergency approval in China last July -- has already been sold to at least 10 other countries and is being given to people in at least five other countries.

China previously said shots will be given without cost to citizens.


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."