Coronavirus updates: Herd immunity by fall 'ambitious,' says surgeon general nominee

In 44 states, the seven-day average of new cases dropped over 10%.

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 98.7 million people worldwide and killed over 2.1 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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Emirates, Etihad Airlines to test IATA COVID-19 travel pass

Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways said they have partnered with the International Air Transport Association to trial IATA Travel Pass -- a mobile app that serves as a “digital passport” to verify pre-travel COVID-19 testing or vaccination status.

The app also helps passengers find information on travel and entry requirements at their destinations.

Emirates Airlines said it plans to roll out the first phase in April, during which passengers leaving Dubai can share their COVID-19 test status directly with the airline through the app before arriving at the airport. Etihad will first offer the travel pass on some flights out of Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2021.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.


COVID-19 fatality rate increases in UK

The United Kingdom reported a record 1,610 new fatalities from COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the country's weekly death toll to 8,267 -- a 19.8% increase over the previous week.

The U.K. -- an island nation of 66 million people made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- has the fifth-highest number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 worldwide, behind the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the record death toll, the daily number of new cases is on the decline in the U.K. amid national lockdowns. The U.K. reported 33,355 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the weekly total to 302,802 -- a 22.3% decrease from the last week.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.


U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 400,000

The U.S. death toll surpassed 400,000 on Tuesday and now stands at 400,022 fatalities.

The number of American lives lost to the coronavirus is more people than the number of U.S. soldiers who died in battle during World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined, according to a data estimate compiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The U.S. death toll is roughly equivalent to the population of Tampa, Florida, or Tulsa, Oklahoma.

By the middle of February, "we expect half a million deaths" in the U.S. from COVID-19, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who’s nominated to serve as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CBS’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropolous contributed to this report.


US hospitalizations drop by 6%

In the last 10 days, the number of patients hospitalized nationally has declined by 6%, according to ABC News' analysis of data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project.

California has the most hospitalizations with more than 20,000 patients.

Texas has the second most with nearly 14,000 patients, followed by New York, Florida and Georgia.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropolous contributed to this report.


WHO director criticizes deals between rich countries, vaccine makers

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, took aim at rich countries hoarding the COVID-19 vaccine and the pharmaceutical companies profiting off of it, during a WHO executive board meeting Monday.

"It’s right that all governments want to prioritize vaccinating their own health workers and older people first,” Tedros said. "But it’s not right that younger, healthier adults in rich countries are vaccinated before health workers and older people in poorer countries."

Tedros pointed to one of the lowest income countries in the world, which he did not name. "Just 25 doses have been given," he said. "Not 25 million, not 25,000 -- just 25. I need to be blunt: The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure."

The deals rich countries have made with vaccine producers are putting the effectiveness of COVAX, the WHO's global vaccine-sharing program, at risk by driving up prices, according to Tedros. "This could delay COVAX deliveries and create exactly the scenario COVAX was designed to avoid, with hoarding, a chaotic market, an uncoordinated response and continued social and economic disruption," he added.