COVID-19 live updates: Biden tests negative after close contact with positive staff member As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 807,000 Americans. ABC News ABC News

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The president received an antigen test Sunday and a PCR test Monday, and both came back negative, Psaki said in a statement. He will receive another test Wednesday, she said.

‘It is embarrassing’: CDC struggles to track Covid cases as Omicron looms The U.S. was behind other countries in charting the spread of disease in the pandemic’s disastrous early months. It’s still behind as new variants threaten to disrupt the winter. Erin Banco POLITICO

As the world experiences new, more transmissible Covid-19 variants, scientists and health officials in the U.S. are still struggling to gather accurate and timely domestic data to help inform policy decisions to safeguard Americans.

U.S. surgeon general "worried" about unvaccinated people amid Omicron spread and COVID testing rush

(CBS) As COVID-19 infections continue to rise ahead of the holidays, experts are warning that there are tough days ahead in the fight against the virus — especially for those who are still unvaccinated.

The average number of new daily cases has nearly doubled since the beginning of November, with the U.S. now averaging 156,000 cases a day. On top of that, the fast-spreading Omicron variant has now been detected in all but five states.