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:
2.6 million kids to be vaccinated by end of day: White House
Nearly 10% of the 28 million eligible 5- to 11-year-olds will be partially vaccinated by the end of Wednesday, White House COVID coordinator Jeff Zients said at a White House briefing.
The kids vaccine program has been operational for about 10 days.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett
27 states see at least 10% jump in daily cases
The Northeast and Midwest have seen the greatest increase in cases and hospitalizations as the weather gets colder and people head indoors, according to federal data.
Twenty states have reported at least a 10% increase in hospital admissions over the last week: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
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, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, New York City, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Kansas, Maine offering boosters to all adults
All fully vaccinated adults in Kansas and Maine can now get a booster if it's been six months since their Pfizer or Moderna dose or two months since their Johnson & Johnson shot, the governors said.
“Expanding access to booster shots will help us put an end to this deadly pandemic," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement.
Nirav D. Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said, "Given the high level of COVID-19 transmission occurring in Maine, we want Maine people to be clear that all adults are now eligible for a booster."
Booster eligibility has been expanded to all adults in several other states, including New York, New Jersey, Arkansas and Colorado.
US deaths not expected to decline in weeks to come
For the first time in more than two months, U.S. death rates are not predicted to decline in the weeks to come.
Forecast models used by the CDC are predicting that weekly death totals will likely remain stable or have an unknown trend in the next four weeks, with thousands more Americans expected to lose their lives by early December.
The model -- from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at UMass Amherst -- expects around 14,400 more virus-related deaths in the U.S. over next two weeks, with a total of around 791,100 American lives lost by Dec. 11.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
NYC residents over 18 can get boosters, health commissioner says
New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said he's issuing an advisory allowing all adults to receive a booster, as long as it's been six months since their last Moderna or Pfizer dose or two months since the Johnson & Johnson shot.
Chokshi asked New York City health care providers to "proactively reach out to their eligible patients -- particularly those 65 and older, those with medical conditions, and those who have received a Johnson & Johnson dose."
New York City is seeing an uptick in cases in recent days, Chokshi tweeted, adding that "booster doses can provide one more layer of reassurance, allowing us to breathe a bit easier, either for ourselves or our loved ones, particularly as we gather and travel around the holidays."