COVID-19-related hospitalizations in New York surpassed 10,000 for the first time since the early days of the pandemic.

As of Tuesday, there are 10,411 people hospitalized statewide with the virus, which is the highest figure seen since May 2020.

About 1,300 patients are currently in intensive care units.

Unvaccinated New Yorkers are more likely to be hospitalized than those who are fully vaccinated. During the week ending Dec. 20, unvaccinated people were hospitalized at a rate of 30.01 per 100,000 compared to a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 for fully vaccinated people, according to state data.

Polish President Andrzej Duda tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday.

This is the second time Duda has contracted the virus. He previously tested positive in October 2020.

"The president is fine, has no severe symptoms and is under constant medical care," Pawel Szrot, Head of the Cabinet, tweeted Wednesday.

Szrot said Duda is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot last month.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was isolating after her husband, Dr. Marc Mallory, tested positive for COVID-19, her office said in a statement.

Whitmer's office said the governor tested negative on Tuesday using a rapid test. She was awaiting the results of a PCR test.

"Thankfully, the entire family is fully vaccinated and boosted, so the governor has not tested positive and is not experiencing symptoms," Whitmer's office said in a statement. "Until the PCR test comes back, the governor is isolating in a separate area of the house and has taken steps to complete contact tracing to keep others safe."

Chicago Public Schools canceled its Wednesday classes after the Chicago Teachers Union voted against in-person learning amid a wave of COVID-19 cases.

All classes, both in-person and virtual, and all after-school activities have been cancelled.

"I understand your frustration and deeply regret this interruption to your child's learning," said Pedro Martinez, chief executive of the schools. "We want out children back in their classrooms as soon as possible and will continue working with the CTU to reach an agreement that addressed their concerns and that is in the best interest of all in our CPS community, especially our children."  

About 88% of the union's leadership and 73% of members voted on Tuesday to return to remote education, the union said in a statement.  

"To the parents and guardians of this city, we want you to know that when you put your children in our care we put their well-being and safety first," the union said in a statement. "We fight for your children like they are our own, because they are. As this pandemic continues, we will do everything in our power to ensure that our classrooms are the safest and healthiest places for your children to learn, thrive and grow."

Teachers were being locked out of their Google Classrooms, the union said on Twitter.

Florida allowed up to a million COVID-19 rapid test kits to expire last month, according to Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.

Guthrie admitted during a press conference Thursday that the stockpile of unused tests, manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, sat idle in a Florida warehouse amid a lack of demand for them.

"We had between 800,000 and 1 million test kits -- Abbott rapid test kits -- in our warehouse that did expire," Guthrie told reporters. "We tried to give them out prior to that, but there was not a demand for it."

The tests expired between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30, after being granted a three-month extension, according to Guthrie. Meanwhile, the country has been grappling with a winter surge of COVID-19 infections, fueled in part by the highly contagious omicron variant and holiday gatherings, that has sparked an increased demand for tests, leading to shortages and long lines across the nation.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor, has accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Health of stockpiling tests amid hourslong lines at testing sites in some parts of the Sunshine State.