Coronavirus updates: US reports nearly 300,000 new cases in all-time high
A staggering 299,087 new cases were confirmed over the past 24 hours.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 84.6 million people worldwide and killed over 1.8 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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NYC sheriff deputies shut down 2 New Year's Eve parties with hundreds of attendees
Two New Year's Eve parties in New York City, one in Manhattan with more than 145 people and another in Queens with more than 300 people, were shut down by city sheriff deputies, according to a Tweet posted by the NYC Sheriff's Twitter account on Friday.
The charges in connection with the shutdowns included violating emergency orders, lacking a liquor license and health code violations.
-ABC News' Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.
14.3 million airline passengers traveled over Christmas and New Year's weeks: TSA
Despite repeated warnings not to travel for the holidays from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14,388,562 people passed through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints between Dec. 18 and Dec. 31.
Still, that number pales in comparison to previous years. In 2019, 33,242,050 people were screened by the TSA at U.S. checkpoints during the same period.
-ABC News' Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.
More cases of new COVID-19 variant detected in California
Three new cases of the new COVID-19 variant first identified in the U.K. were reported by health officials in San Diego Thursday, leading them to believe there's community-wide transmission of the new variant in the area.
The new variant, known as B. 1.1.7., has also been detected in Colorado and Florida, and is believed to be more transmissible than the old variant, but not thought to be more deadly.
"We believe that many more cases of the B. 1.1.7. strain will be confirmed in the coming days and weeks," Dr. Eric McDonald, medical director of epidemiology and immunizations services at the country health department, said in a statement.
-ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.
ICU capacity in Southern California at 0%
California reported 585 COVID-19 deaths over 24 hours on Friday, the highest one-day death toll that the state has reported thus far. Since some counties, such as hard-hit Los Angeles, are still confirming deaths from the virus not counted over the holidays, it's not yet known whether Friday's death report is an anomaly.
Intensive care unit capacity in the state remains extremely strained, particularly in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, each of which had 0% ICU capacity as of Friday, according to the California Department of Health.
-ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.
New Zealand to require travelers from US, UK to test negative before departing
New Zealand will require all travelers from the United States and the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID-19 before departing for the country.
The new rule, which will come into effect Jan. 15, is in addition to a requirement that was implemented from Dec. 31 for passengers arriving from both nations to be tested within 24 hours of their arrival in New Zealand and to remain isolated until a test result is available. The U.S. and the U.K. are two of the hardest hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest measures "are extra precautionary steps which provide another layer of protection for New Zealand from COVID-19," New Zealand's Ministry of Health said in a statement Sunday.
New Zealand, an island nation of 5 million people in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, has reported at least 2,181 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 25 deaths, according to the latest data from the health ministry.