COVID updates: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tests positive
He said he has mild symptoms and will be quarantining for five days.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.4 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 825,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 62% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
US daily case average nearly triples in 1 month
More than 84,000 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 -- a 40,000 jump over the last seven weeks, according to federal data.
In the last month, federal data shows the nation's daily case average has nearly tripled.
A soaring demand for tests and a backlog of holiday reporting drove Monday's case total to 440,000 -- the nation's highest one-day total ever, according to federal data.
While this high reflects the latest omicron surge, it's also very likely skewed due to a backlog in reporting over the Christmas weekend and an increase in demand for tests.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Decision on boosters for kids 12-15 could be made in 'days to weeks ahead'
The FDA and CDC could decide on boosters for children ages 12 to 15 in "the days to weeks ahead," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told CNN's "New Day" Wednesday.
The CDC authorized the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds on May 12, meaning some of those kids are now over six months past their second dose, which was when boosters were recommended for adults.
Walensky also noted that vaccine manufacturers are working to acquire data for children under the age of five, but an authorization "will not be in the month ahead."
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
Vaccine mandate for domestic air travel not being considered now: CDC
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told NPR that a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel is not currently under consideration.
"Domestic flights has been a topic of conversation, but that is not something we're revisiting right now," Walensky said Tuesday.
This comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Monday that a vaccine requirement for domestic air travel should be "seriously" considered.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos
France sets new daily case record
France recorded more than 208,000 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, setting a new daily case record, Health Minister Olivier Véran said.
By that tally, "every second, two French people" have tested positive, Véran said.
-ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud
Why CDC doesn't require testing at end of isolation: Director
The newly updated CDC guidelines don't require testing at the end of isolation because PCR tests can stay positive for up to 12 weeks, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told "Good Morning America" Wednesday.
"So we would have people in isolation for a very long time if we were relying on PCRs," Walensky said.
Walensky also addressed Tuesday's news from the FDA that, according to early data, rapid antigen tests may be less sensitive when it comes to the omicron variant.
"We do know that the most sensitive test you can do is a PCR test," Walensky said. "So if you have symptoms and you have a negative antigen test, we do ask you to go and get a PCR to make sure those symptoms are not attributable to COVID."
Walensky said rapid tests do work "quite well," especially in places where people are being tested regularly, like at schools.
"They may not work as well as they have for the delta variant," Walensky said, but "we still are encouraging their use."