LA New Year’s event goes virtual due to COVID

LOS ANGELES — The New Year’s Eve party planned for downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park will not have an in-person audience due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in LA County, organizers said.

The “NYELA Countdown to 2022” event will instead be streamed, as it was last year.

Organizers originally planned to have an invite- only audience of LA County frontline workers and first responders.

The program will feature the band Kinky and other musical performances starting at 11 p.m. on Dec. 31.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported more than 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the number of daily new cases tripled over the week.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

— British nurses warn the health care system at a breaking point as omicron cases soar

— German military gives hospital an edge in treating COVID-19 patients

— Omicron prompts World Economic Forum to delay

Davos meeting until summer 2022

— Austria ends 20-day lockdown, considers move a success as virus cases plummet

Go to https://APNews. com/coronavirus-pandemic for updates throughout the day.

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HERE’S
IS ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland’s governor announced Monday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, but is feeling fine at the moment.

Gov. Larry Hogan tweeted that he received a positive rapid test Monday morning as part of his regular testing routine. Hogan, a cancer survivor, said he has been vaccinated and has had a booster shot. Over the summer, members of Hogan’s staff tested positive, but Hogan and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford tested negative.

“As the Omicron variant becomes dominant, I want to urge you to get vaccinated or get your booster shot as soon as possible,” Hogan tweeted.

Hogan said Sunday on “Fox News Sunday” that he is not planning to issue any new lockdown orders despite his concerns about a surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.