(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 928,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 17, 11:49 am
US daily cases drop from 807,000 to 134,000 in 1 month
In January, omicron sent U.S. cases surging to an unprecedented high, with over 807,000 daily COVID-19 cases at the nation’s peak. Exactly one month later, cases have plummeted to an average of 134,000 new cases per day, according to federal data.
Nearly every state is reporting declining case rates, but nearly 97% of U.S. counties are still reporting high transmission. Also, experts continue to caution that many Americans are taking at-home tests and not submitting their results, so case totals may be higher than reported.
Hospitalizations are also continuing to drop, according to federal data. The U.S. has 71,000 patients with COVID-19 currently in hospitals; during the mid-January peak, there were 160,000 hospitalized patients.
Fatalities — a lagging indicator — are slowly starting to fall. The U.S. is now averaging 2,100 COVID-19-related deaths each day, down by nearly 10% in the last week, according to federal data.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 17, 9:55 am
Study: People who survived COVID in 1st few months of pandemic had significantly higher risk of mental health problems
A new study finds that people who survived COVID-19 during the first few months of the pandemic had a significantly higher risk of developing mental health disorders, including opioid use disorder, in the year after their COVID-19 diagnosis.
The study, published in The BMJ medical journal, evaluated medical records of nearly 154,000 COVID-19 patients in the Veterans Health Administration, comparing their experiences to a similar group of people that didn’t have COVID-19.
After recovering from COVID-19, people with no prior history of mental illness were more likely to develop anxiety, depression, opioid use disorder, neurocognitive decline, and sleep disorders.
In an accompanying editorial, one of the lead researchers of the study argued that the mental health consequences of COVID-19 should be treated seriously and society shouldn’t “gaslight or dismiss long covid as a psychosomatic condition.”
The study only looked at people who survived COVID-19 from March 2020 to Jan. 2021 — before vaccines were widely available. It’s not clear if these findings apply to people diagnosed with COVID-19 more recently.
-ABC News’ Sony Salzman, Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 16, 6:54 pm
Virginia governor signs law requiring public schools to make masks optional
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law Wednesday requiring public schools to allow parents to opt out of mask requirements by March 1.
The legislation follows weeks of contentious court battles over the governor’s executive order barring mask mandates in schools, which he signed on the day he was inaugurated.
The new law also bans online learning options, prevents schools from enacting hybrid systems and requires that schools be open five days a week for in-person learning.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 16, 2:39 pm
Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia easing restrictions
Switzerland will drop most COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday, including remote work requirements and masks requirements in offices, shops and restaurants, officials announced. Through March 31, masks will still be required on public transportation and in health care settings.
In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday announced plans to drop most restrictions by March 20.
Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the country will begin to lift restrictions on Feb. 19 and most restrictions will be dropped by March 5. Masks will still be required in some public places. Austria is the only country in Europe mandating vaccines for all adults.
The Associated Press reported that Slovakia plans to gradually ease most restrictions by the end of February.
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 16, 1:27 pm
Philadelphia introduces benchmark system for lifting COVID mitigation measures
Philadelphia officials on Wednesday introduced a new tiered system to help determine when COVID-19 mitigation measures can be lifted or reimplemented, if necessary, based on the city’s key virus metrics.
The response system is broken down by four defined levels: Level 4: Extreme Caution; Level 3: Caution; Level 2: Mask Precautions; and Level 1: All Clear.
The city currently falls under the “Level 2: Mask Precautions,” meaning masks are still mandated for all indoor places, but proof of vaccination is no longer required for indoor restaurants and bars.
Should metrics decline even further, under the “all clear” category, masks will no longer be required indoors, except for places like schools and public transportation.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 16, 12:44 pm
Updated mask guidance from CDC could come next week
Updated mask guidance from the CDC is expected to come as early as next week, officials confirmed to ABC News.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky did not elaborate on the timing at Wednesday’s White House briefing, only saying the CDC could “soon” update its guidance.
“We are looking at all of our guidance based not only on where we are right now in the pandemic, but also on the tools we now have at our disposal — such as vaccines, boosters, tests and treatments — and our latest understanding of the disease,” Walensky said. “We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen.”
Walensky added, “Omicron cases are declining and we are all cautiously optimistic about the trajectory we are on … but we want to remain vigilant to do all we can so that this trajectory continues.”
Walensky also stressed that it is still critical for Americans to continue to wear masks if they are symptomatic, have been recently exposed or if they are 10 days post-COVID-19 diagnosis.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty and Arielle Mitropoulos
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