COVID-19 updates: Anti-vaccine protesters halt vaccinations at Dodger Stadium
Demonstrators carrying anti-mask and anti-vaccine signs blocked the entrance.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 102.5 million people worldwide and killed over 2.2 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Latest headlines:
- Anti-vaccine protesters halt vaccinations at Dodger Stadium
- South African variant found in Maryland
- US surpasses 90,000 deaths in January
- Brazil variant detected in California
- 'We should be treating every infection as if it's a variant,' CDC director says
- COVID-19 vaccinations won't be required for Tokyo Olympics, organizers say
Several hundred White House staffers have been vaccinated against COVID-19
Several hundred White House staffers have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 by the White House medical team, White House officials said, confirming a report from Axios.
The White House hopes to vaccinate all in-person staff in the next few weeks, officials said.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle contributed to this report
COVID-19 hospitalizations in US at lowest since mid-December
The United States is seeing improvements in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. In the last two weeks, the country's seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases has declined by 33.1%, according to ABC News' analysis of data compiled by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the U.S. outbreak.
On Monday, Missouri reported the fewest number of new cases since September, while South Dakota reported the lowest number of new cases since July.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are also declining nationwide. The COVID Tracking Project said the number of people hospitalized with the disease in the U.S. is currently at its lowest since Dec. 14.
Hospitalizations are even trending down in California, which has more COVID-19 patients in hospitals than any other U.S. state.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulous contributed to this report.
Colombian defense minister dies of COVID-19
Colombian President Ivan Duque announced Tuesday that Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujilo died in the early morning hours from COVID-19 complications. He was 69.
"I can't express the pain that I have," Duque said in a statement while conveying his condolences to Trujilo's family.
Colombia has the third-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Americas, behind the United States and Brazil, according to the World Health Organization.
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
Europe's longest land border closes over new variant
Europe's longest land border, spanning more than 1,000 miles, has closed for the first time since World War II.
Sweden's temporary ban on entry from neighboring Norway went into effect Monday and will last until at least Feb. 14. The Swedish government has also extended an entry ban from the United Kingdom and Denmark until the same date.
The move comes amid concerns over a new, more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus that was first identified in the U.K. and has since spread to Norway's capital and the surrounding area.
On Saturday, shortly before Sweden announced the new travel ban, the Norwegian government imposed strict new lockdown measures for Oslo and nine neighboring municipalities due to an outbreak of the variant.
ABC News' Clark Bentson contributed to this report.
US allows retired doctors, nurses to administer COVID-19 vaccine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has amended rules on who can administer COVID-19 vaccines to address potential shortages.
Any retired nurse or doctor whose license expired in the past five years can now be brought back to give the shot, and anyone licensed or certified to give a COVID-19 vaccine in their state can do so in other states.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.