COVID-19 updates: Classes in Chicago canceled for 4th day
Chicago Public Schools has been in talks with teachers over COVID-19 safety.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 837,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Israel approves 4th vaccine dose for people 60 and over
Israel's Ministry of Health approved a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine for health care workers and people over 60 years old, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
"Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort," Bennett said at a press conference in Jerusalem. "Omicron is not Delta -- it’s a different ball-game altogether."
Fourth doses will be administered four months after booster shots, Bennett said.
ABC News' Jordana Miller
NYC Mayor Eric Adams says schools will stay open
New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted that schools will stay open for in-person leaning despite the rapidly rising number of COVID cases.
“We’re really excited about the opening of our schools,” he said during a speech outside Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx on Monday. “We want to be extremely clear: the safest place for our children is a school building.”
As part of a plan to curb rates of infection, 1.5 million rapid at-home test kits are being being distributed to schools.
Students and adults who exhibit symptoms or have been exposed to a positive case will be required to have two negative tests over the course of five days before they can return to classes.
On Sunday, Adams told ABC's "This Week" that parents should "fear not sending [kids] back" to school after the winter break.
Meanwhile, several other school districts across the country, including Atlanta, Cleveland, Newark and Milwaukee, have opted for virtual learning for at least the first week of the new semester.