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COVID-19 updates: US cases down nearly 25%

PHOTO: A healthcare worker waits for the next patient at a drive-thru Covid-19 testing site in El Paso, Texas, Jan. 12, 2022.
1:36
Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images
Health experts urge US to keep up with vaccinations, masking
By Morgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro
Last Updated: January 29, 2022, 1:20 AM

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 883,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 63.7% 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 cases down nearly 25%
  • New Hampshire to sell rapid COVID-19 tests at liquor stores
  • NIH trial finds mixing and matching boosters is safe and effective
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Jan 29, 2022 1:20 AM

Sen. Romney tests positive for COVID-19

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney tested positive for COVID-19 Friday, his office said.

PHOTO: Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, questions witnesses during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine the federal response to COVID-19 and new emerging variants at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2022.
Shawn Thew/Pool via Reuters
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, questions witnesses during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine the federal response to COVID-19 and new emerging variants at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2022.
Shawn Thew/Pool via Reuters

"He is currently asymptomatic and will be isolating and working remotely for the recommended period of time," his office said.

His wife, Ann Romney, has tested negative for the virus. Both are fully vaccinated and boosted, his office said.


Jan 28, 2022 10:05 PM

240 million free at-home tests ordered so far: White House

About 60 million American households have ordered 240 million free at-home COVID rapid tests since they became available on Jan. 18, White House officials said Friday.

The Biden administration plans to ultimately mail 1 billion free at-home rapid tests to Americans.

 Additionally, the federal government has sent out "tens of millions of masks” since Biden announced last week that the government would provide 400 million N95 masks for free at pharmacies and community health centers across the country, White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson


Jan 28, 2022 6:32 PM

US cases down nearly 25%

Federal data shows that the U.S. is now reporting an average of almost 600,000 new cases per day -- a nearly 25% drop in the last two weeks, according to federal data.

Just nine states are reporting at least a 10% increase in cases: Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Washington and West Virginia.

All other states and territories are reporting a decrease in new cases or are at a plateau.

Nationwide, hospitalization rates are also declining, according to federal data. Just under 145,000 COVID-19-positive patients are currently in U.S. hospitals, down from 160,000 patients reported last week. 

It's not clear how many of these patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 and how many coincidentally tested positive for the virus after they were admitted for other reasons.

The national daily death average now stands at nearly 2,300 -- a 30% jump in the last two weeks.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos



Jan 27, 2022 8:54 PM

San Francisco dropping masks in 'stable cohorts'

San Francisco officials are ending indoor mask mandates for “stable cohorts” where everyone is up to date on vaccinations, like people in an office or gym setting.

PHOTO: In this Dec. 29, 2021, file photo, people exercise at Fitness SF on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, Calif.
Scott Strazzante/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images, FILE
In this Dec. 29, 2021, file photo, people exercise at Fitness SF on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, Calif.
Scott Strazzante/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images, FILE

The city's health officer Dr. Susan Philip called this change, which begins Feb. 1, doable due to San Francisco's highly vaccinated and boosted population.

"Other COVID-19 safety guidelines in these settings remain in effect and include a means for others who do not or cannot meet the vaccination requirements to join the group with the added safety of showing a negative test and wearing a mask," San Francisco's health department said.

-ABC News' Matt Fuhrman


Jan 25, 2022 5:01 PM

Florida governor vows to 'fight back' against FDA's 'reckless' decision

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to "fight back" against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "reckless" decision to limit the use of two monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 that were found to be ineffective against the now-dominant omicron variant.

"This is wrong what they are doing, and we have many people now who are very concerned because they were going to go in and get it today or tomorrow," DeSantis said during a press conference Tuesday.

While the governor acknowledged that the treatments are less effective against omicron, he claimed that people in Florida have seen their COVID-19 symptoms clear up in the last month after receiving the treatments. DeSantis, however, did not offer data to support that claim.

"We're going to fight back against this," he told reporters.

When asked whether he plans to take legal action against the federal government, DeSantis said: "I don't know. We're going to see what we can do."

PHOTO: A free monoclonal treatment site located in a tent is open for patients at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Jan. 20, 2022, in Miami.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A free monoclonal treatment site located in a tent is open for patients at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Jan. 20, 2022, in Miami.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

With omicron accounting for more than 99% of COVID-19 infections nationwide, the FDA on Monday revised its authorizations for two of the main monoclonal antibody treatments that have been widely used across the country -- one made by Eli Lilly and the other by Regeneron. The FDA said both treatments are no longer authorized for use in any U.S. state, territory or jurisdiction and should not be used for treatment against COVID-19. In the future, the treatments could still be used to help patients who become sick with other variants, according to the FDA.

Following the FDA's decision, Florida health officials announced that monoclonal antibody treatment sites would be shut down across the state. More than 2,000 appointments for the treatments were canceled statewide on Tuesday alone, according to the governor's office.

"Unfortunately, as a result of this abrupt decision made by the federal government, all monoclonal antibody state sites will be closed until further notice," the Florida Department of Health said in a statement late Monday. "Florida disagrees with the decision that blocks access to any available treatments in absence of clinical evidence. To date, such clinical evidence has not been provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

-ABC News' Will McDuffie and Sasha Pezenik


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