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Coronavirus updates: State tops 14,000 deaths as restaurants reopen

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ByMorgan Winsor and Emily Shapiro
Video byJessie DiMartino
Last Updated: September 28, 2020, 11:55 AM EDT

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 987,000 people worldwide.

Over 32.4 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has varied from country-to-country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 7 million diagnosed cases and at least 203,704 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 803,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 751,000 cases and over 695,000 cases, respectively.

Nearly 190 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least nine of which are in crucial phase three trials.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Sep 25, 2020, 9:32 AM EDT

Renowned Indian singer dies after being on life support for 'severe COVID-19 pneumonia'

Renowned Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam died Friday, weeks after he had been hospitalized for COVID-19 symptoms. He was 74.

Balasubrahmanyam, an iconic playback singer of Indian cinema who reportedly held a Guinness World Record for his more than 40,000 songs, was admitted at MGM Healthcare in Chennai, southeastern India, on Aug. 5. He was placed on life support nine days later for "severe COVID-19 pneumonia," according to a statement from the hospital's assistant director of medical services, Dr. Anuradha Baskaran.

"In a further setback this morning, despite maximal life support measures and the best efforts of the clinical team, his condition deteriorated further and he suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest," Baskaran said. "We express our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, well-wishers and admirers at their loss during this time of anguish and sorrow."

PHOTO: In this file photo taken on March 24, 2011, Indian President Pradibha Singh Patil (left) presents an award to famed playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam during the the 2011 Padma Awards at the presidential house in New Delhi.
In this file photo taken on March 24, 2011, Indian President Pradibha Singh Patil (left) presents an award to famed playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam during the the 2011 Padma Awards at the presidential house in New Delhi. Balasubrahmanyam died on Sept. 25, 2020, weeks after being placed on life support for "severe COVID-19 pneumonia," according to a statement from the hospital that treated him. He was 74.
AFP via Getty Images

Sep 25, 2020, 7:30 AM EDT

Poland reports another record daily rise in cases

Poland reported a record rise in COVID-19 cases for the second straight day on Friday.

The Polish Ministry of Health confirmed another 1,587 new cases of the disease in the past 24 hours, the country's highest daily caseload since the start of the pandemic. An additional 23 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported in the past day.

Children wearing face masks listen to the school director's speech during the first day of a new academic year in Warsaw, Poland, on Sept. 1, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Kacper Pempel/Reuters

A majority of the newly confirmed infections were in the central part of the country.

In total, Polish Ministry of Health has identified 84,396 confirmed cases with 2,392 deaths.

Sep 25, 2020, 6:44 AM EDT

Wisconsin grapples with record-high COVID-19 hospitalizations

A total of 530 people remained hospitalized for COVID-19 in Wisconsin as of Thursday afternoon -- the highest yet since the pandemic began.

Among those patients, 371 were receiving mechanical ventilation and 141 were in intensive care units. Currently, 80% of all hospital beds statewide are full, according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wisconsin topped 500 for the first time Wednesday, according to a report by Madison ABC affiliate WKOW.

"There is no doubt that we are in a significant near-crunch time in a number of regions in the state," Dr. Mark Kaufman, chief medical officer of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, told WKOW.

The rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations comes as hospitals are also gearing up for flu season.

"We really don't know how people will react if they are co-infected with both COVID and influenza," Kaufman said. "But it is not likely to be good."

Sep 25, 2020, 5:43 AM EDT

India reports under 90,000 new cases for 5th straight day

India confirmed another 86,052 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

An additional 1,141 coronavirus-related fatalities were also recorded. The country's cumulative total now stands at 5,818,570 confirmed cases and 92,290 deaths, according to the latest data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A health worker takes a throat swab during a COVID-19 screening in Mumbai, India, on Sept. 25, 2020.
Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images

The daily caseload in the vast county of 1.3 billion people has remained below the 90,000 mark for five consecutive days after hitting a peak of 97,894 on Sept. 16, the highest single-day rise in infections worldwide since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Based on the current rate of infection, India is expected within weeks to become the pandemic's worst-hit nation, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.9 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

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