Coronavirus updates: US will soon have 'half a million' deaths, incoming CDC chief says
The U.S. is forecast to have almost 500,000 COVID-19 deaths by mid-February.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 94.2 million people worldwide and killed over 2 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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Daily COVID-19 deaths top 4,000 for 2nd time in US
There were 4,056 deaths due to COVID-19 reported on Tuesday in the U.S., according to The COVID Tracking Project.
That marks the second time new deaths surpassed 4,000, based on the tracker's tally, following the record 4,081 reported less than a week ago on Jan. 7.
The seven-day average number of deaths reported Tuesday also set a new record, the tracker said.
There were 213,885 new cases and 131,326 people are currently hospitalized due to the virus in the U.S.
COVID-19 death rate in UK up by 51% week-over-week: WHO
Deaths from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom have jumped, as the country battles a new, more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus.
The U.K. reported 6,298 new COVID-19 deaths in the week ending Jan. 10, up from 4,165 the previous week, according to the World Health Organization's latest epidemiological report. There were 9.3 new deaths per 100,000 residents -- a 51% increase over the previous week, according to the WHO.
Elsewhere, the African region reported the highest percentage increases over any other region in cases and deaths during that time frame. There were over 174,000 new cases and over 4,300 new deaths, according to the report.
COVID-19 cases are on the decline in India, the second-most populous nation in the world. There were just over 126,000 new cases reported -- a 7% decrease in infections per 100,000 residents over the previous week, according to the report.
ABC News' Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
CDC expands testing rules for people flying to US
Beginning Jan. 26, those flying to the U.S. from foreign countries must follow new rules that were announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
Passengers must take a COVID-19 test “within the 3 days before their flight to the U.S. departs, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test result (paper or electronic copy) to the airline or provide documentation of having recovered from COVID-19,” the CDC said.
“Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers or documentation of recovery before they board,” the CDC said. “If a passenger does not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to take a test, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger.”
The CDC also asks travelers “to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and stay home for 7 days post-travel.”
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Dems will implement new mask penalties on House floor
Democrats are moving forward Tuesday night with plans to implement a mask requirement on the House floor.
As part of their first vote series, they will adopt language implementing a fine system for noncompliance with Speaker Nancy Pelosi's mask requirement, according to a senior House Democratic aide.
Members will be fined $500 for their first offense and $2,500 for their second offense. Fines will be deducted from members' pay.
Separately, a House administrative body will review whether to add a new fine system for non-compliance in the House office buildings on the south side of the U.S. Capitol complex.
Three House Democrats have tested positive for COVID-19 since the Capitol siege.
ABC News’ Ben Siegel contributed to this report.
Japan declares state of emergency in 7 more prefectures
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in seven additional areas on Wednesday, as COVID-19 cases continued to climb.
The latest state of emergency was declared for the prefectures of Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Aichi, Gifu, Fukuoka, and Tochigi.
The move comes one week after Suga declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures due to rising infections and a growing death toll.
A state of emergency declaration gives the governors of those respective regions the authority to ask residents for cooperation in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. There are currently no legal ramifications for non-compliance.
Under the state of emergency, which takes immediate effect and is expected to end Feb. 7 for all 11 prefectures, Suga said governors will ask residents to refrain from dining out and to stay home after 8 p.m. unless for essential reasons. They will also ask companies to decrease the number of employees commuting to work by 70%.
Suga said bars and restaurants will be asked to stop serving alcohol by 7 p.m. and to close by 8 p.m. Governors may disclose the name of the businesses that don't comply, while those that do will be given 1.8 million Japanese yen ($17,000) per month.
Spectator events will be limited to an audience of 5,000 people. Schools will not be asked to close, according to Suga.
Suga's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, declared a nationwide state of emergency relatively early in the pandemic in April, which lasted for a month. At that time, residents were asked to reduce person-to-person contact by 80% and to practice "jishuku," or "self-restraint," by staying at home and closing non-essential businesses.
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare registered 4,521 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 as well as 51 additional deaths from the disease on Tuesday, bringing the country's cumulative total to 295,257 cases with at least 4,144 deaths.
ABC News' Anthony Trotter contributed to this report.