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COVID-19 updates: Elizabeth Warren tests positive

PHOTO: Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee, Nov. 30, 2021, in Washington, DC.
1:34
Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via AP, FILE
The Netherlands faces new lockdown as COVID cases surge in Europe
By Morgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: December 20, 2021, 12:32 AM

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 806,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.4% 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:

  • Elizabeth Warren reveals she tested positive for COVID-19
  • White House delays enforcement of workforce vaccine-or-test mandate
  • New York state sets another daily case record
  • President Biden to announce 'next steps' in COVID-19 response on Tuesday
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Dec 20, 2021 12:32 AM

Sen. Cory Booker test positive

Sen. Cory Booker D-NJ revealed on Twitter that he has tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

Booker said he received both vaccine doses and his booster shot and his symptoms are "relatively mild."

He added that he's "certain" that if he had not received the shots, he "would be doing much worse."

I learned today that I tested positive for COVID-19 after first feeling symptoms on Saturday. My symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster – I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse.

— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) December 20, 2021

Booker's announcement came hours after Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-Mass., revealed her breakthrough case. Warren also said her symptoms are mild.


Dec 19, 2021 9:59 PM

Elizabeth Warren reveals she tested positive for COVID-19

In a tweet Sunday night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced that she "tested positive with a breakthrough case" on Sunday. Warren said she's experiencing "mild symptoms."

The progressive senator also indicated that she is fully vaccinated and has received her booster shot.

I regularly test for COVID & while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case. Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 19, 2021

Dec 19, 2021 9:25 PM

NY state records over 20,000 new cases for third day in a row

New York state recorded over 20,000 positive COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.

Sunday's total of 22,478 positive cases is the new single-day record, according to the data.

Over 542 patients were admitted to hospitals across the state for COVID-19 symptoms over the last 24 hours, the governor's office said.

PHOTO: People stand in a queue for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test in Times Square as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in New York City, Dec. 19, 2021.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
People stand in a queue for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test in Times Square as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in New York City, Dec. 19, 2021.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters

There are 3,880 currently hospitalized in the state with the virus, the data showed.

Hochul reiterated her message to New Yorkers to get their vaccinations and boosters and follow health guidelines as the omicron variant continues to spread.

"This is not March of 2020, we are not defenseless," she said in a statement. "We have the tools to protect ourselves and the vulnerable loves ones in our families: Get vaccinated, get the booster and wear a mask when indoors or in large gatherings."

As of Sunday, 70.9% of all New York state residents have completed their vaccinations, the state data showed.



Dec 19, 2021 8:12 PM

NYC gearing up for surge in cases: Mayor

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the city will have to brace for a jump in COVID-19 cases as the omicron variant continues to spread.

"We expect omicron to be a fast and temporary phenomenon. We expect these next weeks to see a very, very big surge in the number of cases, more than we've seen previously," he said during a news conference Sunday.

Roughly 162 patients were confirmed positive in the hospital, the mayor said. Hospitalizations have gone up, but not at the rate health officials were expecting. 

"It will undoubtly grow a bit," de Blasio said.

The city recorded 5,731 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday.

The mayor urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots. The city's health department said as of Sunday 71% of all residents are fully vaccinated.

De Blasio also recommended that people wear masks indoors.

The city will focus on vaccination efforts for children and to increase booster access in nursing homes, he said.

At-home testing kits will be handed out at high volume testing sites, according to the mayor.


Dec 15, 2021 4:38 PM

NYU and Princeton move to cancel end-of-year events, hold exams online

School leaders at both New York University and Princeton University announced Wednesday that they will take steps to cancel end-of-year events and move winter exams online amid a surge in COVID-19 cases on their respective campuses.

"Given that we've seen an uptick in cases among undergraduates during the last 24 hours -- including suspected cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant -- we hope to avoid letting the final exam schedule interfere with students’ travel home for Winter Break," Princeton University's dean, Jill Dolan, and vice president for campus life, Rochelle Calhoun, said in a joint statement. "We certainly don’t want you remaining on campus in required isolation through the holidays."

All indoor gatherings with food and those where face coverings cannot be worn must be canceled or postponed at Princeton's New Jersey campus from Thursday through Jan. 7, according to the statement.

PHOTO: People walk on campus at Princeton University, Feb. 4, 2020 in Princeton, N.J.
William Thomas Cain/Getty Images, FILE
People walk on campus at Princeton University, Feb. 4, 2020 in Princeton, N.J.
William Thomas Cain/Getty Images, FILE

A statement from New York University's provost, Katherine Fleming, executive Vice President, Martin Dorph, and head of the COVID-19 prevention and response team, Dr. Carlo Ciotoli, said they "strongly encourage that final examinations and/or assessments be changed to remote/online format." All discretionary, non-essential, non-academic gatherings and events at the school's campus in New York City must be canceled "immediately," according to the statement.

"The continuous review of the data from our COVID-19 testing program has indicated a considerable acceleration in the rate of new cases in our community," they said. "It’s not a cause for alarm, but it is a cause for concern, caution, and appropriate actions."

NYU has also joined a growing list of colleges and universities across the nation that are requiring all eligible members of the school community, including faculty and students, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive a booster shot ahead of the upcoming spring semester.

PHOTO: A New York University flag flies outside of the NYU business school, Aug. 25, 2020, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A New York University flag flies outside of the NYU business school, Aug. 25, 2020, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Meanwhile, officials at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, announced Tuesday that they have moved the campus into a "level red" alert after identifying evidence of suspected cases of the omicron variant in a "significant" number of the school's COVID-19 positive samples from students.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the omicron variant is estimated to account for more than 13% of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the New York and New Jersey area -- the highest proportion of any region of the United States.

-ABC News' Chris Donato and Arielle Mitropoulos


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