Coronavirus updates: US will soon have 'half a million' deaths, incoming CDC chief says
The U.S. is forecast to have almost 500,000 COVID-19 deaths by mid-February.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 94.2 million people worldwide and killed over 2 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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Texas surpasses 2 million total cases
Texas has become the second U.S. state to have a total of more than 2 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19.
The Lone Star state surpassed the grim milestone late Tuesday, with a cumulative tally of 2,014,645 confirmed cases. California currently has 2,795,978, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
More Americans died of COVID-19 in past week than during last flu season
More people in the United States died of COVID-19 in the past week than they did from the flu during all of last season, data show.
There were an estimated 22,000 flu deaths nationwide during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flu season was regarded as moderate and stretched out over several months.
By contrast, there were 23,119 new COVID-19 deaths reported between Jan. 6-12, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty
Daily COVID-19 deaths top 4,000 for 2nd time in US
There were 4,056 deaths due to COVID-19 reported on Tuesday in the U.S., according to The COVID Tracking Project.
That marks the second time new deaths surpassed 4,000, based on the tracker's tally, following the record 4,081 reported less than a week ago on Jan. 7.
The seven-day average number of deaths reported Tuesday also set a new record, the tracker said.
There were 213,885 new cases and 131,326 people are currently hospitalized due to the virus in the U.S.
COVID-19 death rate in UK up by 51% week-over-week: WHO
Deaths from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom have jumped, as the country battles a new, more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus.
The U.K. reported 6,298 new COVID-19 deaths in the week ending Jan. 10, up from 4,165 the previous week, according to the World Health Organization's latest epidemiological report. There were 9.3 new deaths per 100,000 residents -- a 51% increase over the previous week, according to the WHO.
Elsewhere, the African region reported the highest percentage increases over any other region in cases and deaths during that time frame. There were over 174,000 new cases and over 4,300 new deaths, according to the report.
COVID-19 cases are on the decline in India, the second-most populous nation in the world. There were just over 126,000 new cases reported -- a 7% decrease in infections per 100,000 residents over the previous week, according to the report.
ABC News' Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club warned about mask violations, could face future fines
Weeks after video emerged of mostly maskless partygoers at U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, county officials are cracking down.
Palm Beach County sent a letter this week, acquired by ABC News, warning the club and saying officials had met with representatives from the club about violations. Masks are mandatory in the county in all businesses or establishments, and anywhere in public social distancing cannot be maintained. The mandate is currently in place through Jan. 20 -- the same day the county's most famous resident will be exiting the White House.
"Thank you for meeting with us last week to discuss the concerning allegations regarding the Mar a Lago New Year's Eve party and lack of facial coverings being worn during evening activities," the county wrote in the letter addressed to Bernd Lembcke, executive vice president and managing director of Mar-a-Lago Club.
"We recount that you provided masks for all party goers who attended the party and that you provided additional masks for those that walked from the reception area to the main dining ballroom," the letter continued. "Although you provided these important steps, it seemed that based on the video evidence, there was a breakdown in enforcement of the mask orders that led to almost the entire room of guests being without masks during the later evening activities."
The letter also includes a confirmation of the violation, which is a first-time warning, that lays out a fine of up to $15,000 for each potential future violation.
Trump has consistently downplayed wearing masks over the course of the entire pandemic. Despite telling people to wear masks on occasion at official briefings, he also mocked others for wearing them, including President-elect Joe Biden. Many supporters have decried mandates and openly flouted rules, including maskless Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol last week.
ABC News' Will Gretsky contributed to this report.