COVID updates: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive
He said he has mild symptoms and will be quarantining for five days.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 825,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62% 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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CDC shortens recommended isolation time for some infected patients
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday afternoon it will shorten the recommended isolation time for some people infected with COVID-19.
Patients who are asymptomatic will have to isolate for five days, followed by five days of wearing a mask around others, under the new guidance. Previously, the isolation period was 10 days for everyone.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure, the CDC said.
"The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
Much of Texas runs out of monoclonal antibody treatment
The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Monday that centers in Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, San Antonio and The Woodlands ran out of sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody effective against the COVID-19 omicron variant.
The federal government won't be able to ship more supplies of the treatment until January, the department said.
Those centers will still be able to provide monoclonal treatment for any patient who hasn't contracted the omicron variant, according to the department.
France to require employees to work from home 3 days a week
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Véran announced a host of new measures Monday to combat the rising COVID-19 cases.
The country has recorded 30,383 cases in the last 24 hours, according to officials.
Starting Jan. 3, all companies will be required to have their employees work from home at least three days a week, when possible.
France will also limit large indoor gatherings 2,000 people and outdoor gatherings to 5,000.
Officials also announced a ban on eating and drinking in movie theaters and on public transportation. The new measures will be in effect for at least three weeks, officials said.
-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud
Pediatric hospitalizations in US rising to highest levels since fall
Pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the U.S. are surging to their highest levels since early September.
Across the country, almost 2,000 children are hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus, according to federal data.
This is a roughly 60% from one month ago.
On average, about 260 children are being admitted to the hospital each day.
On a state level, more children are hospitalized with COVID-19 in New York than in any other state in the U.S.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Fauci recommends against big New Year's parties
Dr. Anthony Fauci strongly recommended against large New Year's Eve parties at Wednesday's White House briefing.
"Should you change or cancel your plans? If your plans are to go to a 40-50 person New Year's Eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a happy new year, I would strongly recommend that this year, we do not do that," Fauci said.
Fauci said "all indications point to a lesser severity of omicron versus delta." But he warned, "we should not become complacent since our hospital system could still be stressed in certain areas."
White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said, "We have directly helped more than 30 states and territories by deploying over 2,100 federal personnel and thousands of ambulances, ventilators and other critical supplies."
Supplies include gloves, masks, respirators and face shields, he said.
He added, "More than 13,000 National Guard members have been activated in 48 states to support the COVID response, from vaccinations, to testing, to clinical care."
At the briefing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky defended the agency's shortened isolation guidelines.
"We do know the vast majority of viral transmission happens in those first five days, somewhere in the 85 to 90% range. So if a person can isolate for the first five days they absolutely should," she said. "We also don't know that antigen tests give a good indication of transmissibility at this stage of infection. On the other hand, we know that after five days people are much less likely to transmit the virus and that masking further reduces that risk. And this is why people need to mask for five days after the five days of isolation."
After five days, asymptomatic people with COVID-19 can leave isolation, but must wear masks around others, according to the new guidelines.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett