A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.
Over 44.3 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 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. The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has also varied from country to country.
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 nation, with more than 8.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 227,673 deaths.
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.
Here's how the news developed today. All times Eastern.
Oct 28, 2020, 9:07 AM EDT
Poland sees record rise in new cases
Poland confirmed another 18,820 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, its highest single-day increase yet.
An additional 236 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered across the Central European country in the past 24 hours, according to the Polish Ministry of Health.
A health worker wearing personal protective equipment waits for people at a COVID-19 test center in front of a hospital in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 27, 2020.
Kacper Pempel/Reuters
Poland's cumulative total currently stands at 299,049 cases with 4,851 deaths.
Meanwhile, nearly 14,000 COVID-19 patients remained hospitalized in Poland as of Wednesday morning, including 1,150 who are on ventilators, the health ministry said.
Oct 28, 2020, 8:03 AM EDT
Eli Lilly to supply US with 300,000 vials of experimental antibody drug
Eli Lilly and Company announced Wednesday an initial agreement with the U.S. government to supply 300,000 vials of one of its experimental antibody treatments for $375 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The federal government will accept the vials of bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody drug, if it is granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The initial agreement also provides the option for the federal government to purchase up to an additional 650,000 vials through June 2021, according to a press release from Eli Lilly and Company.
The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical firm submitted a request earlier this month for the FDA to authorize emergency use of bamlanivimab in non-hospitalized, high-risk individuals with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.
"The U.S. is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and associated hospitalizations," said David Ricks, chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, "and we believe bamlanivimab could be an important therapeutic option that can bring value to the overall healthcare system, as it has shown a potential benefit in clinical outcomes with a reduction in viral load and rates of symptoms and hospitalizations."
In this May 2020 file photo provided by Eli Lilly and Company, a researcher tests possible COVID-19 antibodies in a laboratory in Indianapolis, Indiana.
David Morrison/Eli Lilly and Company via AP
If the FDA authorizes use of the therapeutic, the federal government will allocate the doses to state and territorial health departments which will then determine which health care facilities receive the drug for use in outpatient care. The government-purchased doses would become available to Americans at no cost, though health care professionals could charge for administering the intravenous infusion, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"This agreement with Eli Lilly is part of Operation Warp Speed’s efforts to position the federal government to distribute potential therapeutics, allowing faster distribution if trials are successful," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.
The deal comes after the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced Monday that it has stopped testing a combination of bamlanivimab with the antiviral medication remedesivir in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, after an independent review of results found a "lack of clinical benefit." Eli Lilly and Company said that all other studies of bamlanivimab, including its own phase 3 clinical trials, will continue and that it remains "confident" that the drug may help prevent progression of COVID-19 for individuals earlier in the course of their disease.
Oct 28, 2020, 6:06 AM EDT
Russia's daily death toll reaches record high for 2nd straight day
Russia registered 346 more deaths from 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 320 deaths in a 24-hour reporting period was set just a day earlier.
An additional 16,202 new cases of COVID-19 were also confirmed in the past day, down from Sunday's peak of 17,347, according to Russia's coronavirus response headquarters.
A medic leaves an ambulance outside a hospital where patients infected with COVID-19 are being treated in the settlement of Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 27, 2020.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
Moscow remains the epicenter of the country's outbreak and recent surge. More than 22% of the new cases -- 3,670 -- and over 21% of the new deaths -- 61 -- were reported in the Russian capital.
The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,563,976 cases with 26,935 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.
Oct 28, 2020, 5:52 AM EDT
South Africa's president enters self-quarantine
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is under self-quarantine after a guest at a dinner he attended over the weekend tested positive for COVID-19.
"The President is showing no symptoms at this time and will, in line with COVID-19 health advice, be tested should symptoms manifest," Ramaphosa's office said in a statement Wednesday. "The President will perform his duties remotely and will observe the guidelines that apply to self-quarantine."
Ramaphosa attended a fundraising dinner for the Adopt-a-School Foundation at a hotel in Johannesburg on Saturday evening. Thirty-five guests were in attendance at the event and were the only people hosted by the venue at that time.
"The event adhered stringently to COVID-19 protocols and directives on screening, social distancing and the wearing of masks," Ramaphosa's office said. "As was the case with all guests, the President himself removed his mask only when dining and addressing the guests."
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visits the COVID-19 treatment facilities at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 24, 2020.
Jerome Delay/Pool via Reuters
On Tuesday, the Adopt-a-School Foundation advised the dinner guests that an attendee had tested positive for COVID-19 after showing symptoms on Sunday. The South African president had already attended two other events Tuesday morning before being alerted of the infected guest, who is currently "receiving medical attention," according to Ramaphosa's office.
"The President is screened regularly by the South African Military Health Service and subjects himself to screening at venues where he participates in engagements," his office said.
South Africa has confirmed more than 717,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including at least 19,053 deaths. The country accounts for almost half of all diagnosed cases on the African continent, according to data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
