COVID-19 live updates: New York sees record-smashing 44,431 daily cases

(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 815,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Dec 24, 11:36 am

New York sees record-smashing 44,431 cases in 1 day

New York state has set yet another daily case record with 44,431 new positive COVID-19 cases, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday. This comes as New Yorkers seek testing in record numbers ahead of the holidays.

This breaks Thursday’s record high of 38,835 cases.

The governor on Friday also announced new return-to-work guidelines for critical workers who test positive. If a critical worker has tested positive but is vaccinated, they can return to work after five days if they are asymptomatic or no longer have symptoms.

In New York state 95% of adults have had at least one vaccine dose, Hochul said, but she stressed that one dose isn’t enough.

ABC News’ Alexandra Faul, Will McDuffie

Dec 24, 11:18 am

Delta cancellations continue into the weekend 

Delta’s flight cancellations are continuing into the weekend, with the airline citing “a combination of issues,” including weather and omicron.

“Up to 200 of 3,004 flights on Saturday may be canceled, and up to 150 are expected for Sunday,” Delta said.

So far on Christmas Eve there are 331 canceled flights between Delta, United and Alaska Airlines.

ABC News’ Mina Kaji

Dec 24, 9:39 am

White House to lift travel restrictions on southern African countries

The travel restrictions on eight southern African countries, put in place by the White House when omicron emerged, will be lifted on Dec. 31, according to a senior administration official.

This decision was recommended by the CDC for two reasons, the official said: vaccines and boosters have been determined to help prevent severe disease from omicron; and omicron is already prevalent in the U.S. and around the world so travel from those eight countries won’t have a major impact on U.S. cases.

Dec 24, 8:43 am

New record highs set in Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Jersey

New York and New Jersey set record case highs again on Thursday with 38,835 and 18,660 new daily cases respectively.

The new high came as New York saw a record high for testing as people check their status before seeing relatives for the holidays.

Illinois and Ohio also shattered pandemic case records Thursday with 18,942 and 15,989 new cases respectively, according to ABC Chicago station WLS and ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO.

Until this week, Ohio hadn’t seen over 12,000 daily cases since January, WCPO reported.

In response to the case surge in Cook County, Illinois, which encompasses Chicago, customers must show proof of vaccine inside restaurants, bars, gyms and entertainment venues beginning Jan. 3.

Dec 24, 8:19 am

Hawaii Bowl canceled

Friday’s Hawaii Bowl has been canceled after the University of Hawaii pulled out.

“The recent surge in COVID-19 cases has forced us to not participate in the game,” the university’s athletics director, David Matlin, said in a statement.

The team in a statement cited “COVID issues within the program” as well as “season-ending injuries and transfers.”

Friday’s game was supposed to be against the University of Memphis.

Dec 23, 7:11 pm

Major nurses’ union condemns new CDC health care quarantine guidance

Not long after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its quarantine guidance for health care workers, the largest union of registered nurses fired back at the agency calling the shorter isolation period “dangerous.”

National Nurses United (NNU) contended the update, which allows workers with COVID-19 to return to work seven days with a negative test if they are asymptomatic, would result in more transmission of the virus and focuses on profit margins, rather than stopping the spread.

“Sending frontline nurses and other health care workers to work while infected would be dangerous,” NNU President Zenei Triunfo-Cortez said in a statement.

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik