COVID-19 updates: Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico leading nation in cases
Michigan has the highest infection rate, followed by Minnesota and New Mexico.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.1 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 771,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 69% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
Masks cut COVID-19 incidence by 53%, new analysis finds
Mask-wearing cuts COVID-19 incidence by 53%, according to a new analysis that pooled results from multiple studies.
The analysis, published Thursday in the medical journal The BMJ, found that mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing were all effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
The bulk of the studies included in the analysis were conducted before mass vaccinations. The researchers, who were from several universities in Australia, Scotland and China, said that more studies are needed to understand the effectiveness of these public health measures in the context of widespread vaccination coverage.
-ABC News' Guy Davies, Esra Demirel and Sony Salzman
Northeast, Midwest see biggest jump in cases, hospitalizations
The Northeast and Midwest are seeing the largest jump in cases and hospitalizations, according to federal data.
Twenty-seven states have seen at least a 10% jump in daily cases over the last two weeks: Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, New York City, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Eighteen states have seen at least a 10% increase in hospital admissions over the last week: Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Florida governor signs legislation prohibiting private employer vaccine mandates
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed legislation that prohibits private employer vaccine mandates and says employers that violate the ruling will be fined.
The legislation also states educational institutions can't require students to be vaccinated; school districts can't have face mask policies or quarantine healthy students; and families can "sue violating school districts."
"Nobody should lose their job due to heavy-handed COVID mandates," DeSantis, a Republican, said in a statement.
New York governor calls on workers to go back to the office
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on workers to head back to the office in the new year.
"How about this New Year's resolution: that in the days after New Year’s, that we say everybody back in the office. You can have a flex time, but we need you back, at least the majority of the week," Hochul told industry leaders at the Association for a Better New York breakfast.
Hochul also said she would be in Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Times Square is reopening this New Year's Eve after being closed last year due to the pandemic. Revelers must bring proof of full vaccination and a photo ID.
"I can't wait to put 2020 - 2021 behind us," the governor said.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky
Long-term study of kids with COVID begins
The National Institutes of Health is starting a study to track the impact of COVID-19 infections in children, enrolling its first participant at the NIH's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
The idea of “long COVID,” or long-term health impacts, is of concern in children, and is one of the reasons doctors strongly encourage pediatric vaccination. Six million children in the U.S. have had COVID-19, and many "experienced significant acute and long-term effects," the NIH said.
The study will track up to 1,000 children and young adults between 3 and 21 years old who previously tested positive for COVID-19 and evaluate the impact on their physical and mental health over three years.
The study will also try to determine risk factors for complications. It will evaluate the long-term immune responses to the disease, screen for genetic factors that may affect how children respond to COVID-19 infection and determine whether immunological factors influence long-term outcomes.
-ABC News' Eric M. Strauss