COVID updates: Team USA figure skater Vincent Zhou tests positive at Olympics
He is undergoing additional testing to see if he can compete.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 902,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64% 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:
More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID since Thanksgiving
Since Thanksgiving, there have been more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S., according to federal data.
The U.S. is reporting an average of nearly 2,300 new COVID-19-related deaths each day, the federal data show.
However, the nation's death toll remains significantly lower than last winter when the U.S. peaked at about 3,400 deaths per day.
About 126,000 Americans with COVID-19 are currently in hospitals -- down from 160,000 patients at the nation's peak 13 days ago.
But 14 states are struggling with ICU capacities of 15% or less: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
US Army will 'immediately' discharge unvaccinated soldiers
The U.S. Army "will immediately begin separating Soldiers from the service who refuse to be vaccinated," the Army announced in a press release.
“Army readiness depends on Soldiers who are prepared to train, deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said. “Unvaccinated Soldiers present risk to the force and jeopardize readiness. We will begin involuntary separation proceedings for Soldiers who refuse the vaccine order and are not pending a final decision on an exemption.”
The Army was the last of the military services to say it would remove service members who didn’t comply with the Secretary of Defense’s mandatory vaccination order. In the fall, the Army issued temporary guidance that soldiers who didn’t get vaccinated would be “flagged” so they would lose a command, not be promoted or would only remain until their contracts expired.
Under the earlier flagging policy, six commanders were removed from command, and 3,073 soldiers received reprimands. Wednesday's announcement begins the discharge process for those 3,073 soldiers.
According to Army statistics, 96% of the Army's approximately 475,000 soldiers are fully vaccinated, and 97% have received at least one dose.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
US death toll expected to approach 950,000 by end of month
Forecast models used by the CDC predict about 32,000 more Americans will die from COVID-19 by Feb. 26, bringing the nation's virus death toll to nearly 947,000.
The ensemble model estimates that 38 states have a greater than 50% chance of having more deaths over the next two weeks compared to the past two weeks.
The models -- from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub at University of Massachusetts Amherst -- also suggest COVID-19-related hospital admissions will continue to decline in the weeks to come.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
COVID-19 vaccine mandate for schoolchildren takes effect in New Orleans
New Orleans has become one of the first major U.S. cities to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for eligible children ages 5 and up in order to attend school.
The requirement went into effect Tuesday, though families may claim an exemption for philosophical, religious or medical needs, according to New Orleans public school districts.
"We all know that vaccines are the best tool that we have at our disposal at this time to keep our children in the classroom so that they can learn so that they can grow with their teachers as well as their friends," NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said during a press conference last December, when the mandate was announced.
A representative for NOLA Public Schools told ABC News that school officials will work to help students either complete their vaccination regimens or notify their schools that they are claiming an exemption. Students will not be removed or kicked out of class if they do not get vaccinated.
"The goal is not to deny educational opportunities to any child," the representative said in a statement Tuesday evening. "But we need parents and families to let us know where they stand -- either fully vaccinated, partly vaccinated, or exempt -- so that our schools can better plan around potential quarantines and limit future disruptions to students’ schooling as this pandemic continues. The deadline is about encouraging our families to take a personal stake in helping to keep safe our entire school community."
About 56% of 5 to 17 year olds in New Orleans have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while approximately 40% are fully vaccinated, according to the public school district. Beginning Tuesday, the Louisiana city will also require children ages 5 and up to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter certain establishments.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Team USA figure skater Vincent Zhou tests positive at Olympics
Team USA figure skater Vincent Zhou has tested positive for COVID-19, U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.
“As part of yesterday’s regular COVID-19 screening, Vincent Zhou tested positive,” the statement read. “Under the guidance of the USOPC medical staff, Zhou is undergoing additional testing to confirm his status.”
If the results come out negative, Zhou will be able to compete in the men’s short program, which begins Tuesday.