COVID-19 updates: Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico leading nation in cases
Michigan has the highest infection rate, followed by Minnesota and New Mexico.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.1 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 771,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 69% 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:
Fauci hopeful vaccine could be available for kids under 5 next year
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he's hopeful a COVID-19 vaccine could be available for children under 5 next year, but studies can't be rushed, making an exact timeline uncertain.
"Hopefully within a reasonably short period of time, likely the beginning of next year in 2022, in the first quarter of 2022, it will be available to them," Fauci told Insider, adding, "Can't guarantee it, you've got to do the clinical trial."
Pfizer's pediatric vaccine trials are already underway. The company estimates it could have early results for young children ages 2-4 by the end of the year, meaning authorization is possible sometime next year. Moderna is further behind, but also has ongoing trials in children as young as six months.
Clinical trials don't always unfold on a predictable timeline, and experts emphasize studies in young children won't be rushed.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett, Sony Salzman
FDA authorizes Moderna and Pfizer boosters for all adults
The FDA on Friday said it has authorized Pfizer and Moderna boosters for all adults, six months after the second shot.
“With boosters, more adults will now have the opportunity to help preserve a high-level of protection against this disease," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
“This emergency use authorization comes at a critical time as we enter the winter months and face increasing COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations across the country,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
As for next steps, the CDC's independent advisory committee is meeting Friday afternoon to discuss boosters for all.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky will issue CDC recommendations, which is the last step in the regulatory process.-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett
Austria to enter full lockdown, make vaccination mandatory
Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Friday that the country will go into a full nationwide lockdown to curb a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.
"We do not want a fifth wave," Schallenberg warned.
The lockdown will begin Monday and last for at least 10 days before the situation is reassessed. If the number of new COVID-19 cases has not dropped significantly, the lockdown can be extended to a maximum of 20 days.
Under the restrictions, people will be told to work from home, non-essential shops will close and public gatherings will be canceled. Schools will remain open for students who require in-person learning, but parents have been asked to keep their children at home if possible.
COVID-19 vaccination will also become mandatory by law in Austria, starting on Feb. 1.
It's the first country in Europe to make COVID-19 vaccines compulsory and the first to reimpose a full lockdown this winter, as the continent grapples with rising infections.
The Austrian government had initially imposed a nationwide lockdown only for the unvaccinated that began last Monday.
Masks cut COVID-19 incidence by 53%, new analysis finds
Mask-wearing cuts COVID-19 incidence by 53%, according to a new analysis that pooled results from multiple studies.
The analysis, published Thursday in the medical journal The BMJ, found that mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing were all effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
The bulk of the studies included in the analysis were conducted before mass vaccinations. The researchers, who were from several universities in Australia, Scotland and China, said that more studies are needed to understand the effectiveness of these public health measures in the context of widespread vaccination coverage.
-ABC News' Guy Davies, Esra Demirel and Sony Salzman
US cases up nearly 40% since October
The U.S. is currently averaging more than 88,000 new cases per day -- a nearly 40% increase since late-October, according to federal data. This increase marks the first surge in daily national cases after nearly 10 weeks of declines.
Michigan, which is now reporting more cases than at any other point in the pandemic, has the nation's highest infection rate, followed by Minnesota, New Mexico, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Vermont. Puerto Rico, Florida and Hawaii have the nation's lowest infection rate, according to federal data.
One in every 427 Americans has died from COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Over the last month, the U.S. has reported nearly 37,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to federal data.
Wyoming currently has the country's highest death rate, followed by Montana, West Virginia, Kentucky and Idaho, according to federal data.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos