COVID News: New Jersey surpasses 1 million coronavirus cases

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New Jersey has surpassed 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases since testing began, according to state data.

The data says 1,000,067 total positive PCR tests have been processed, up 1,857 just on Tuesday. Countless more residents had coronavirus but were never tested, especially in the early days of the pandemic.

The state's rate of transmission reported Tuesday is .99, dropping below 1 for the first time in two weeks.

Here are more of today's COVID-19 headlines:

Pfizer submits initial data to FDA on its COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11

Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday they have submitted Covid-19 vaccine data on children ages 5 to 11 to the US Food and Drug Administration for initial review, but are not yet seeking emergency use authorization.

A formal submission to request EUA for the vaccine is expected to follow in the coming weeks, the companies said in a statement. Submissions to the European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authorities are also planned, they said.

New vaccination deadline set for NYC school staff amid protests

New York City public school teachers and staff are facing a new deadline to be fully vaccinated: Friday at 5 p.m. The new order comes after a court dismissed a temporary hold on the city's vaccine mandate on Monday.

This represents a resounding victory for the city and its vaccine mandate. A federal appeals court not only ruled in favor of the city, the panel of three judges didn't even bother to hold a court hearing.

NYC vax mandate has been effective, mayor says

The latest statistics show New York City's vaccination mandate is working, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. City data shows a 45% increase in daily vaccination rates since the city's requirement launched in July. To date, about 70% of New Yorkers have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine.

Employees sue United Airlines over COVID vaccine mandate

United Airlines is facing two separate lawsuits over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. One of the two lawsuits was filed in the U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, Texas. In that suit, the employee alleges that their religious exemption was not accommodated.

Last week, before the mandate went into effect, six employees asked a federal judge to block the vaccination requirement.

The employees, including two pilots and a flight attendant, are accusing the airline of a "pattern of discrimination against employees who requested religious or medical accommodations." They say the airline's approach of putting exempt employees on an indefinite leave of absence means "that they would be effectively terminated."

In response to the lawsuit, the airline said it will "vigorously defend its policy."

2 more pop-up vaccines sites coming to NYC subway

Governor Kathy Hochul announced two new pop-up vaccination sites in collaboration with the MTA, located at the Broadway Junction and East 180th Street subway stations, strategically located in areas where vaccination rates remain low. The successful program that has brought pop-up sites at MTA station stops launched on May 12, initially at eight stations across New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, offering the public the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As of Sunday, 34,345 people have been vaccinated at these locations since the program's launch.

"More people are returning to the workplace in-person, and with the increase in ridership across the MTA system we have a great opportunity to reach even more people with pop-up sites at station stops," Governor Hochul said. "If you still need to get your shot and are passing by one of these stations, you can just walk in to get the single-dose vaccine and then be on your way. It's that seamless, and it's the best thing you can do to better protect yourself and others from COVID-19."

Some fight vax mandates, others line up for boosters

As thousands of Americans are lining up for their Pfizer booster shots, others are facing the possibility of losing their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated.

A major mandate took effect in New York, with similar mandates taking effect across the country.

A North Carolina health system fired around 175 staff for being unvaccinated.

United Airlines has a mandate that goes into effect in a matter of days. Now at least seven employees are suing to block it from taking effect.

And NBA star Kyrie Irving was noticeably not at his team's media day in Brooklyn. ESPN reports it was due to the city's COVID-19 protocols. Irving declined to discuss his vaccination status.

NJ 'Return and Earn' Program

Governor Phil Murphy announced a new program called "Return and Earn" aimed at helping unemployed New Jerseyans get back to work. Employers may receive up to $10,000 in wage subsidies to hire and train new employees for up to six months. The wage subsidy will cover 50% of wages for up to six months for new employees. The subsidy is capped at $10,000 per new employee and at $40,000 per employer. Workers hired through Return & Earn will receive a $500 return to work bonus in their first paycheck. Eligible businesses must have 100 or fewer current employees, and the positions to be filled must pay at least $15 per hour.

NY health care COVID vaccine mandate takes effect

New York state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers took effect Monday, leaving hospitals and nursing homes across New York braced for the prospect of severe staff shortages fueled by workers getting suspended or fired for refusing to be inoculated. Officials say 84% of state workers are fully vaccinated, but with thousands still thought to be holding out, administrators prepared contingency plans that included cutting back on noncritical services and limiting admissions at nursing homes.

'DWTS' pro Cheryl Burke says she has COVID-19

Professional dancer and "Dancing With the Stars" pro Cheryl Burke announced she has COVID-19. Her announcement came just hours before a scheduled performance with master Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby on the hit dancing competition show.

"OK, I so I have really bad news. I am positive, which means I have COVID," the dancer said, fighting back tears. "I feel so bad for Cody. I feel like I'm letting him down -- it's so overwhelming."

'The View' chaos sparked by false-positive COVID-19 results, hosts say

It now appears the COVID-inspired chaos on Friday at 'The View' was indeed due to false-positive test results. On Monday, host Joy Behar said she and co-hosts Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines have received numerous COVID-19 t*ests and the Friday results turned out to be "false positives."

Navarro and Hostin were asked to leave the anchor desk in the middle of the live show on Friday, and the remaining anchors subsequently explained that the two had tested positive.

"I'm thrilled to report that Sunny and Ana's Friday results turned out to be false positives," Behar said. "No one's got it. It was a mistake of sorts."

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