Coronavirus updates: 23 COVID-19 cases linked to Trump rallies

The outbreaks occurred at Trump campaign rallies in Minnesota last month.

ByMorgan Winsor, Erin Schumaker, and Ivan Pereira
Video byJessie DiMartino
Last Updated: October 27, 2020, 5:32 AM EDT

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

Over 43 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 8.6 million diagnosed cases and at least 225,230 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 906,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 892,000 cases and over 778,000 cases, respectively.

Nearly 200 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 26, 2020, 7:42 AM EDT

World 'should learn from Senegal,' WHO epidemiologist says

As the novel coronavirus spreads rapidly across the United States, a top infectious disease epidemiologist is praising the successful testing and diagnosis strategy of a West African nation.

"We can [and] should learn from Senegal," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the COVID-19 technical lead at the World Health Organization, wrote on her official Twitter account Sunday.

A woman wears a face mask to protect against the novel coronavirus while sitting outside her house in the Ouakam neighbourhood of Dakar, Senegal, on Oct. 23, 2020.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Van Kerkhove's tweet included a post from the WHO's Regional Office for Africa about the challenges Senegal faced at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and how the country has taken steps to strengthen its testing through digitization, decentralization and fast results. Since the start of pandemic, the nation of 16 million people has reported at least 15,565 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 322 deaths.

In another tweet, Van Kerkhove said the world should also learn from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Rwanda, Uruguay, China and Singapore.

Oct 26, 2020, 7:17 AM EDT

China testing entire city after a single asymptomatic case

All 4.7 million residents of a city in China's northwest Xinjiang region are being tested for COVID-19 after a single asymptomatic case was detected there, officials said.

Local authorities launched the mass testing program in Kashgar, after a 17-year-old girl who didn't have any symptoms tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday during a routine screening at the garment factory where she works.

PHOTO: Commuters wearing face masks to help protect against the novel coronavirus look out from a traveling bus during the morning rush hour in Beijing, China, on Oct. 26, 2020.
Commuters wearing face masks to help protect against the novel coronavirus look out from a traveling bus during the morning rush hour in Beijing, China, on Oct. 26, 2020. Schools have been closed and communities are on lockdown in Kashgar, a city in China's northwest Xinjiang region, after more than 130 asymptomatic cases of the coronavirus were discovered.
Andy Wong/AP

By Sunday afternoon, another 137 asymptomatic cases were identified in Kashgar -- all linked to another factory where the girl's parents work, according to a statement from Xinjiang's regional health commission. It's the highest number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases reported in a day in China in more than six months.

Testing of the entire city is expected to be completed by Tuesday. At least 2.8 million people have been tested so far, according to Xinjiang's regional health commission.

Meanwhile, lockdown measures have been imposed and all schools in the region are closed until Friday.

Oct 26, 2020, 5:57 AM EDT

El Paso County imposes nighttime curfew as hospitals and ICUs fill up

A nightly curfew has been issued for El Paso County in Texas, where COVID-19 infections have exploded in recent weeks.

El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego ordered all residents to stay home between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting Sunday night, for the next two weeks to help prevent further spread of infection. The curfew is not applicable for those traveling for work or essential services, only one person per household is allowed to access essential services at a time.

A fine of $250 will be handed down to those who aren't wearing a mask and $500 for any other violations of the order, Samaniego said.

A bartender wearing face mask to protect against the novel coronavirus makes a cocktail at Strelka bar in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 23, 2020.
Pavel Golovkin/AP

El Paso County has seen a 160% increase in COVID-19 positivity rates since Oct. 1, as well as a 300% jump in hospitalizations. As of Saturday night, all hospitals and intensive care units in the area had reached 100% capacity, according to Samaniego.

"The purpose of the curfew is to limit mobility in the community," Samaniego said during a press conference Sunday night. "Currently, our hospitals are stretched to capacity."

ABC News' Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

Oct 26, 2020, 5:06 AM EDT

Russia's daily case count hits new record high

Russia confirmed 17,347 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting a new national record, according to the country's coronavirus response headquarters.

The country's previous record of 17,340 new cases was set on Thursday.

An additional 219 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered in the last 24 hours, down from Wednesday's peak of 317, according to Russia's coronavirus response headquarters.

A bartender wearing face mask to protect against the novel coronavirus makes a cocktail at Strelka bar in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 23, 2020.
Pavel Golovkin/AP

Moscow remains the epicenter of the country's outbreak and recent surge. More than 30% of the new cases -- 5,224 -- and over 28% of the new deaths -- 62 -- were reported in the capital.

The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,531,224 cases with 26,269 deaths, according to Russia's coronavirus response headquarters.

The Eastern European country of 145 million people has the fourth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, India and Brazil, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

ABC News' Alina Lobzina contributed to this report.

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