Coronavirus updates: CDC now 'strongly recommends' masks on airplanes, buses

The goal is to "help safely reopen America’s economy," the CDC said.

ByMorgan Winsor, Ivan Pereira, and Marc Nathanson
Video byJessie DiMartino
Last Updated: October 19, 2020, 11:56 AM EDT

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 40 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 8.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 219,674 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 875,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 854,000 cases and over 755,000 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 potential vaccines 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 19, 2020, 11:56 AM EDT

Belgium faces 'tsunami' of new cases, health minister warns

A midnight curfew went into effect across Belgium on Monday while bars and restaurants have been ordered to close except for providing takeaway service, as the European nation faces a "tsunami" of new COVID-19 infections.

"We are really very close to a tsunami," Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke told broadcaster RTL. "We no longer control what is happening."

PHOTO: Casper Caluwe, manager of Japanese restaurant Umamido, cleans the restaurant as he gets ready to welcome customers for take-away service in downtown Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 19, 2020.
Casper Caluwe, manager of Japanese restaurant Umamido, cleans the restaurant as he gets ready to welcome customers for take-away service in downtown Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 19, 2020. Bars and restaurants across Belgium shut down for a month and a nighttime curfew went into effect on Oct. 19, as the country's health minister warned of a possible "tsunami" of new COVID-19 infections.
Francisco Seco/AP

Belgium, which is home to the European Union's headquarters, has the second-highest COVID-19 infection rate per capita in Europe, after the Czech Republic. Over the past two weeks, Belgium recorded 756.9 cases per 100,000 people, compared with Czech Republic's 858.6 cases per 100,000, according to data released Monday by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Belgium has confirmed 222,253 cases and at least 10,413 deaths. The 14-day incidence of COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants was up 221% on Sunday, according to data from the country's public health agency.

Oct 19, 2020, 11:26 AM EDT

South Africa's health minister tests positive

South Africa's health minister, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19.

"I wish to inform the public that this afternoon my wife, Dr May Mkhize and I have tested positive for COVID-19," he said in a statement posted on his official Twitter account Sunday. "We decided to go test yesterday when I started showing mild symptoms. I was feeling abnormally exhausted and as the day progressed, I started losing appetite."

"My wife had a cough, was dizzy and extremely exhausted," he continued. "Given her symptoms, the doctors advised that she must be admitted for observation and rehydration."

Mkhize said their close contacts over the past week, including some colleagues and family members, have been informed of their positive test results and were advised to immediately self-isolate and get tested.

"I am now in quarantine at home and both my wife and I remain optimistic that we will fully recover from this virus," he said.

PHOTO: South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize takes delivery of emergency medical equipment for COVID-19 from China at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa, on April 14, 2020.
South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize takes delivery of emergency medical equipment for COVID-19 from China at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa, on April 14, 2020. Mkhize announced on Oct. 18, 2020, that he and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19, warning of a possible resurgence of the disease in the African country.
Themba Hadebe/AP

The health minister warned of a possible second wave of infections and urged his fellow South Africans to continue wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and washing hands.

"I wish to take this opportunity to urge all South Africans to continue adhering to health protocols," he said. "As country, we’ve made significant strides in our fight against this pandemic. Let us not dare regress."

South Africa accounts for nearly half of all confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent. As of Monday, South Africa has reported 703,793 confirmed cases with at least 18,471 deaths, according to data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oct 19, 2020, 11:08 AM EDT

UNICEF stockpiling half a billion syringes this year ahead of vaccine

The United Nations Children's Fund said it will stockpile 520 million syringes in its warehouses by the end of the year to begin preparations for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The effort is part of a larger plan of delivering over 1 billion syringes to support vaccination efforts, on top of 620 million syringes that the U.N. agency will purchase for other vaccination programs against other disease such as measles and typhoid.

A medical syringe is inserted into a small bottle labeled "Vaccine COVID-19" in this illustration taken April 10, 2020.
Dado Ruvic/Reuters

"Vaccinating the world against COVID-19 will be one of the largest mass undertakings in human history, and we will need to move as quickly as the vaccines can be produced," UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement Monday. "In order to move fast later, we must move fast now. By the end of the year, we will already have over half a billion syringes pre-positioned where they can be deployed quickly and cost effectively. That’s enough syringes to wrap around the world one and a half times."

Oct 19, 2020, 9:55 AM EDT

TSA screens over 1 million people for 1st time since March

More than 1 million people went through airport security checkpoints across the United States on Sunday for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

A TSA staff members wears a face mask to protect against the novel coronavirus as he walks past flight information screens at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 14, 2020.
Nam Y. Huh/AP

The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1,031,505 individuals on Sunday, the most since mid-March. Although that figure is still some 60% lower than this time last year, it's a significant jump from a low of 87,534 people screened on April 14.

ABC News' Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

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