COVID-19 live updates: New York sees fourfold increase in pediatric hospitalizations
The shift reflects the spread of the omicron variant.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 816,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 61.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
- New record case high on Christmas Eve in New York
- 'Everybody' in Australia will get omicron, health minister says
- American, Delta, JetBlue, United report impacts from omicron
- Cases soar in Florida
- CDC issues contingency plan for to prevent shortage of health care workers in event of major omicron surge
- New York sees record-smashing 44,431 cases in 1 day
- White House to lift travel restrictions on southern African countries
Maryland governor tests positive
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he tested positive for COVID-19 Monday morning.
Hogan, a cancer survivor, said he's vaccinated and booster and is "feeling fine."
-ABC News' Alisa Wiersema
Israel bans travel to US, Canada as omicron spreads
The Israeli government on Monday passed a resolution adding the United States and Canada to its "red list," banning its citizens from traveling to those countries.
The ban, which would also stop visitors from those countries from entering Israel, is scheduled to go into effect Tuesday night at midnight local time, the prime minister's media advisor said in a statement following Monday's vote.
The Knesset Constitution, Justice and Law Committee has to approve the measure, which was recommended by the Health Ministry State Classification Committee.
Israeli citizens returning from "red list" countries must quarantine. Israelis are now barred from travelling to Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey.
Dr. Jha on omicron surge, holiday travel, his prediction for next year
The omicron surge is so dangerous due to a combination of higher transmissibility and the variant's ability to make vaccinated people mildly sick from the disease, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said on "Good Morning America" Monday.
While there are still a lot of unknowns about omicron's severity, Jha said cases with this latest variant's surge are "doubling in numbers about every two to three days."
"That’s unlike anything we've seen," he said.
Jha said, "I do think lots of people are going to get [omicron]."
"It's an incredibly contagious variant. I think people should understand that the goal cannot be to avoid infection at all cost -- that's an unrealistic goal," he said. "The goal should be: prevent deaths and severe illness, which vaccines will do, [and] keep our hospitals from getting crushed, which again, vaccinations and testing can help with. This is very contagious. Lots of Americans will end up getting it. Let's just make sure that they don't get very sick from it. "
For people traveling over the holidays, Jha said airplanes are pretty safe, but he recommended wearing a high-quality mask because airports don't always have great ventilation.
Looking forward, Jha said, "I think we're going to be in much better shape next year."
The vaccines have already been in the U.S. for one year, Jha said, and he predicted the omicron surge will build more immunity.
"I am not saying COVID will be gone next winter. It will be around, but we should be able to get better and better at managing it," Jha said. "This winter is so much better than last year and I expect next winter will be so much better than this year."
Moderna says booster increases antibodies, still developing omicron-specific dose
Moderna on Monday said its current vaccine booster increased neutralizing antibodies against omicron within a month of getting the shot.
“The dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant is concerning to all," Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, told ABC News. "However, these data showing that the currently authorized Moderna COVID-19 booster can boost neutralizing antibody levels 37-fold higher than pre-boost levels are reassuring.”
Moderna's currently approved booster is a 50-microgram dose. A 100-microgram dose would increase neutralizing antibodies by 83 times, the company said on Monday.
The company's also working to "rapidly advance" its omicron-specific booster into clinical testing, Bancel said.
“We will also continue to generate and share data across our booster strategies with public health authorities to help them make evidence-based decisions on the best vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2,” he said.
Ohio hospitals take out an ad in local paper pleading for people to get vaccinated
Six hospitals in Ohio have taken out a full-page ad in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer in a desperate plea for people to get vaccinated as the state faces a renewed surge.
The ad, which appeared in Sunday's paper, says in big letters: "Help."
"We need your help. We now have more COVID-19 patients in our hospitals than ever before," the ad says. "And the overwhelming majority are unvaccinated. This is preventable."
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced last week that he would deploy the state's National Guard to help with hospital strain. Ohio is now averaging more than 9,100 new cases every day -- up 67.5% in the last month. Statewide, more than 5,200 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
"The best way to avoid serious illness is the vaccine," the ad said. "So, get vaccinated and get your booster ... we need you to care as much as we do."
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos