COVID-19 updates: US sees 1st day since early November with fewer than 100,000 new cases
The U.S. reported just over 96,000 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 105 million people worldwide and killed over 2.3 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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Winter storm shuts down vaccination sites in NY, NJ
A second storm bringing heavy snow to the Northeast has shut down vaccination sites in at least two states.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy both announced that appointments for Sunday would be rescheduled due to the inclement weather.
Mass vaccination sites located indoors, such as the newly opened Yankee Stadium, will continue as scheduled as they have the infrastructure and equipment in place to ensure people can safely enter and exit the location, according to ABC New York station WABC.
9% of Americans have received 1 or more vaccine doses
Nine percent of Americans -- 28.9 million people – have received one or more vaccine doses, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Two percent of Americans -- 7.5 million people -- have received two doses, the report said.
Deaths are down 4% since the peak on Jan. 13, while hospital admissions have decreased 37% since the Jan. 9 peak, the report said.
ABC News’ Josh Margolin and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.
New York’s 7-day average positivity rate at lowest in 2 months
New York state’s seven-day average positivity rate has fallen to 4.58% -- the lowest since Dec. 2, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday.
New York has 7,804 COVID-19 patients in hospitals -- the lowest since Dec. 27, he added.
Cuomo called these numbers "a reflection of the discipline New Yorkers have shown to defeat the virus."
"Super Bowl weekend is here and while the instinct may be to celebrate together, we cannot get cocky -- we must continue doing the things we know are effective at taming the virus: wear a mask, adhere to social distancing, and avoid gatherings," he said.
ABC News’ Josh Hoyos contributed to this report.
China approves Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for general public use
China has given approval for the domestic-made Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the general public -- not just high-risk individuals and front-line workers.
The National Medical Products Administration shared the news in a statement Saturday.
The vaccine -- which was given emergency approval in China last July -- has already been sold to at least 10 other countries and is being given to people in at least five other countries.
China previously said shots will be given without cost to citizens.
Statewide mask mandates linked to decreased hospitalizations: CDC
States that instituted mask mandates reported a decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers analyzed hospitalization data in 10 states with mask mandates between March and October of last year. They found a 5.5% decline in weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations among adults, compared to the period before the mandates were implemented.
In addition to reducing virus exposure and transmission, masks are part of a multi-pronged strategy to "reduce strain on the health care system," the researchers note, adding that masks likely have a direct effect on COVID-19 illness and death.
The researchers did not examine whether other policies, such as school closings and physical distancing recommendations, contributed to the decline. The results were published Friday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
-ABC News' Eric Strauss contributed to this report.