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.


Variants detected at refugee accommodation center in Germany, officials say

An accommodation facility for refugees in the German city of Cologne has been hit by new, more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus, city officials said.

At least 41 residents of the Herkulesstrasse facility have tested positive for COVID-19. Variants first identified in South Africa or Brazil have been detected in 31 of them so far, according to a statement from the city government on Sunday.

At least 16 staff members at the facility have also tested positive for COVID-19, with the South Africa variant detected in 11 of them so far. Variant analysis is still pending on the other five, according to the statement.

All residents of the facility have been under quarantine since Friday, while the site has been under surveillance since Sunday. Entry into the refugee accommodation center, which can house up to 600 people, is currently banned, according to the statement.

The first known COVID-19 cases were confirmed among two employees at the facility about 10 days ago, while the first case of a variant was confirmed last week, according to the statement.

Dr. Harald Rau, head of Cologne's public health department, said the detection of variants at the refugee accommodation center "is a clear alarm signal for all of us."

"I ask all people in Cologne to avoid contact even more consistently than before and to follow the distance and hygiene rules of infection protection," Rau said in a statement Sunday.