Coronavirus updates: Herd immunity by fall 'ambitious,' says surgeon general nominee
In 44 states, the seven-day average of new cases dropped over 10%.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 98.7 million people worldwide and killed over 2.1 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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Emirates, Etihad Airlines to test IATA COVID-19 travel pass
Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways said they have partnered with the International Air Transport Association to trial IATA Travel Pass -- a mobile app that serves as a “digital passport” to verify pre-travel COVID-19 testing or vaccination status.
The app also helps passengers find information on travel and entry requirements at their destinations.
Emirates Airlines said it plans to roll out the first phase in April, during which passengers leaving Dubai can share their COVID-19 test status directly with the airline through the app before arriving at the airport. Etihad will first offer the travel pass on some flights out of Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2021.
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
COVID-19 fatality rate increases in UK
The United Kingdom reported a record 1,610 new fatalities from COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the country's weekly death toll to 8,267 -- a 19.8% increase over the previous week.
The U.K. -- an island nation of 66 million people made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- has the fifth-highest number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 worldwide, behind the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Despite the record death toll, the daily number of new cases is on the decline in the U.K. amid national lockdowns. The U.K. reported 33,355 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the weekly total to 302,802 -- a 22.3% decrease from the last week.
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 400,000
The U.S. death toll surpassed 400,000 on Tuesday and now stands at 400,022 fatalities.
The number of American lives lost to the coronavirus is more people than the number of U.S. soldiers who died in battle during World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined, according to a data estimate compiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The U.S. death toll is roughly equivalent to the population of Tampa, Florida, or Tulsa, Oklahoma.
By the middle of February, "we expect half a million deaths" in the U.S. from COVID-19, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who’s nominated to serve as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CBS’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropolous contributed to this report.
US hospitalizations drop by 6%
In the last 10 days, the number of patients hospitalized nationally has declined by 6%, according to ABC News' analysis of data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project.
California has the most hospitalizations with more than 20,000 patients.
Texas has the second most with nearly 14,000 patients, followed by New York, Florida and Georgia.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropolous contributed to this report.
New Zealand reports 1st community COVID-19 case since November
The New Zealand Health Ministry announced Sunday it recorded its first coronavirus case from within the community in three months.
New Zealand has been reporting positive cases in managed isolation, which requires anyone who travels into the country, both citizens and non-citizens, to go into a 14-day quarantine in a designated facility. There have been no cases from within the community since November.
The female patient traveled in Spain and the Netherlands late last year for work, according to officials.
"While in the Netherlands she was in contact with family members, who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19," the health ministry said in a statement.
The patient arrived in Auckland on Dec. 30 following a trip from the United Kingdom with a layover in Singapore, according to the Health Ministry. The patient stayed at a hotel during her 14-day quarantine and tested negative on Jan. 2 and Jan. 10, according to the Health Ministry.
"The person started developing mild symptoms on 15 January and these progressively got worse. The person had a test taken on Friday 22 January and self-isolated at home," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The patient's roommate hasn't shown any symptoms so far, but has been tested and is isolating at home, according to the Health Ministry.
The Health Ministry said it is contact tracing and carrying out rapid genome sequencing to see if there's a match to one of the more transmissible variants.
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou