COVID-19 updates: Austria orders nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated residents
The lockdown for unvaccinated residents began at midnight on Monday.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 763,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 68.8% 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:
Mask mandate ending in Florida's largest school district
Masks will be optional for students in Miami-Dade County, Florida's largest school district, beginning on Friday, the district announced Tuesday.
This change is "based on significantly improved COVID-19 conditions in the community and within our schools," school officials said in a statement.
Fully vaccinated employees also have the choice to not wear a mask.
-ABC News' Will McDuffie
Boosters required for people 65+ to retain health pass in France
French residents over the age of 65 must get a booster in order to keep their health pass, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday.
The health pass, which indicates a person is vaccinated, is mandatory for restaurants, theaters, museums and similar institutions throughout the country.
-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud
10 states see increase in hospital admissions
Ten states -- Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah and Vermont -- have seen an increase in hospital admissions in the last two weeks, according to federal data.
The daily case average in the U.S. has jumped by 12.6% over the last two weeks, according to federal data.
Twenty-one states have seen daily cases go up by at least 10% over the last two weeks: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Pfizer asks FDA to amend booster authorization to include all adults
Pfizer is asking the FDA to amend its booster authorization to include all adults 18 and older.
In September, the FDA and CDC authorized Pfizer booster shots after six months for anyone older than 65 and younger adults with a high risk of developing COVID-19. But the agencies stopped short of recommending a Pfizer booster for all adults, saying data was insufficient to recommend boosters for everyone.
Since then, Pfizer published new data from its Phase 3 trial showing that a booster shot raises vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infections to 96% -- regardless of the person’s age. Now, the company is asking the FDA to broaden its authorization so that everyone over the age of 18 would be eligible for a booster shot. The FDA still needs to review this request.
-ABC News' Sony Salzman
Singapore to begin charging COVID-19 patients who are 'unvaccinated by choice'
Singapore announced Monday that, beginning next month, it will no longer pay for COVID-19 treatment for people who are "unvaccinated by choice," as the island nation faces a surge in cases.
"The Government is currently footing the full COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and Long-Term Pass Holders ... other than for those who tested positive soon after returning from overseas travel," Singapore's Ministry of Health said in a statement. "For the majority who are vaccinated, this special approach for COVID-19 bills will continue until the COVID-19 situation is more stable."
"Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources," the ministry noted.
The new policy will apply to all unvaccinated COVID-19 patients who are admitted to Singaporean hospitals or COVID-19 treatment facilities on or after Dec. 8, according to the ministry.
Singapore has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world, with 85% of its 5.5 million people fully inoculated. But the country's health care system is under strain as it grapples with its worst wave of COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic.