Coronavirus updates: Trump can return to 'public engagements' Saturday, doctor says

Trump told Fox News he may hold a rally in Florida Saturday.

ByMorgan Winsor and Emily Shapiro
Video byJessie DiMartino
Last Updated: October 9, 2020, 6:39 AM EDT

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1 million people worldwide.

Over 36.4 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 7.6 million diagnosed cases and at least 212,716 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 845,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 807,000 cases and over 726,000 cases, respectively.

More than 190 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed today. All times Eastern.
Oct 08, 2020, 11:06 PM EDT

Trump says he may hold campaign event Saturday in Florida

Fresh off a declaration from his doctor that he can resume "public engagements" on Saturday, the president told Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday night that he hopes to hold a rally over the weekend in Florida.

"I think I'm going to try doing a rally on Saturday night if we have enough time to put it together, but we want to do a rally probably in Florida on Saturday night," Trump told Hannity. "I might come back and do one in Pennsylvania the following night and it's incredible what's going on. I feel so good."

Dr. Sean Conley, his physician, said in a letter earlier in the evening that Trump was doing well, had no symptoms and should be able to hold public events again 10 days after he was diagnosed.

Trump said he will be tested for the virus on Friday. He wasn't clear on when his last test had been.

He also reiterated he will not take part in a virtual town hall as had been planned for Oct. 15 due to his illness, and will instead hold a rally on that night. Joe Biden is set to hold a town hall in Philadelphia with ABC News as host.

ABC News' Matthew Vann contributed to this report.

Oct 08, 2020, 9:03 PM EDT

4 states report record new cases

Four states reported record numbers of new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Wisconsin, North Dakota, Wyoming and Utah saw the high case counts, as the virus surges in the Upper Midwest and parts of the West. 

Wisconsin, North Dakota and Wyoming also reported a record number of current hospitalizations, according to the tracker.

Montana reported a record number of hospitalizations on Thursday, a day after it saw a record for new cases.

Oct 08, 2020, 7:27 PM EDT

Doctor says Trump can return to public engagements on Saturday

President Donald Trump's doctors said he has "responded extremely well to treatment" for COVID-19 and should be able to return to public engagements on Saturday, according to a memo released Thursday evening.

"Since returning home, his physical exam has remained stable and devoid of any indications of illness," Dr. Sean Conley wrote. "Overall he's responded extremely well to treatment, without evidence on examination of adverse therapeutic effects."

President Donald Trump stands on the balcony outside of the Blue Room as returns to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020.
Alex Brandon/AP

The doctor also said Trump should be able to return to the campaign trail on Saturday. Trump had fought for an in-person debate with former Vice President Donald Trump this week, but the Commission on Presidential Debates decided to make the event virtual and Trump said he would not participate.

"Saturday will be day 10 since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I fully anticipate the President's safe return to public engagements at that time," Conley wrote.

The Trump campaign had canceled all of Trump's events when he was diagnosed with COVID-19. It has not yet announced when he will return to the campaign trail

Oct 08, 2020, 2:52 PM EDT

Ohio cases on ‘concerning upward trend’

Ohio reported 1,539 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, in what the governor called the continuation of a “concerning upward trend.”

PHOTO: Andrew Robinson, a Kent State sophomore, takes a COVID test in Ohio, Oct. 2, 2020. The Ohio Pandemic Testing Team from the Ohio National Guard, with Kent Health Department, provide free COVID-19 test at Kent State University.
Andrew Robinson, a Kent State sophomore, takes a COVID test in Ohio, Oct. 2, 2020. The Ohio Pandemic Testing Team from the Ohio National Guard, with Kent Health Department, provide free COVID-19 test at Kent State University.
Lisa Scalfaro/Record-Courier via USA Today Networks

“Ohio’s positivity rate has jumped to 3.9% and the 7-day rolling average is 3.3%,” Gov. Mike DeWine tweeted. “This reflects the ongoing increasing trend of virus spread that we are seeing throughout the state. These numbers are not good.”

Thirteen more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the state’s fatality total to 4,983, according to numbers released by the governor. Over 164,000 people in Ohio have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

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