Coronavirus updates: Over 7,000 Americans died in past week

The increase comes less than two weeks after Halloween.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, and Meredith Deliso
Video byJessie DiMartino
Last Updated: November 18, 2020, 4:38 AM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.3 million people worldwide.

Over 53.2 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 10.7 million diagnosed cases and at least 244,283 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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Nov 12, 2020, 12:30 PM EST

NYC 'preparing' to close schools if positivity rate climbs over 3%

New York City is "preparing" to temporarily close schools immediately if the citywide seven-day positivity rate climbs over 3%, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The seven-day positivity now stands at 2.6%.

Elementary school students are welcomed back to P.S. 188 as the city's public schools open for in-person learning on Sept. 29, 2020, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

While noting there is an "unbelievably low level of transmission in our schools," the mayor nonetheless said the city "will move immediately, the next day schools will be shut down."

"No one wants to see that happen," he said. "There is still a chance to turn that around. But we are preparing for that possibility."

ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report

Nov 12, 2020, 11:02 AM EST

New tool shows COVID-19 risk anywhere in the US in real time

Worried about COVID-19 this Thanksgiving?

You can calculate the risk level of being exposed to the virus while attending a gathering, given the event size and location, through a new tool developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool is a free, interactive, peer-reviewed, online dashboard that estimates the risk that at least one individual infected with COVID-19 is present in gatherings of different sizes throughout the United States and, increasingly, around the globe.

The tool allows users to adjust the size of the event and hover their cursor over a map of the United States to see the current risk level by county. For example, as of Thursday, there is a 93% chance of being exposed to COVID-19 at a dinner of 15 people in South Dakota's virus-hit Dewey County.

ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.

Nov 12, 2020, 10:59 AM EST

Nearly 550 people on Delta's no-fly list

Nearly 550 people are on Delta's no-fly list for not complying with the airline's mask policy, company CEO Ed Bastion said in an internal memo to employees Thursday.

Delta Airlines has no-touch boarding at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix to promote health and safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oct 13, 2020.
Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Network

"Fortunately, that number represents a tiny fraction of our overall customers, the vast majority of whom follow our guidelines," he said.

Bastion told employees, "Please continue to conduct a self-assessment every day for symptoms before coming into work and remember mask-wearing continues to be essential."

ABC News' Amanda Maile contributed to this report

Nov 12, 2020, 9:30 AM EST

Africa sees average 8% rise in new cases over past month

Africa's top public health official said the continent of 1.3 billion people has seen an average 8% rise in new COVID-19 cases over the past month.

"We expected it to happen," John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a virtual press conference Thursday, adding that when a second wave of the pandemic hits, "it seems to come back with a lot of full force."

People stand on white-powder markers on the ground to adhere to social distancing measures as they wait to be tested for COVID-19 during a free mass testing drive in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 18, 2020.
Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

More than 1.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across Africa, including over 45,000 deaths. Although testing remains a challenge, the 54-nation continent is on track to surpass 2 million total cases within days as infections creep up in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Nigeria.

Nkengasong urged governments and citizens to follow public health measures.

"We are at a critical point in the response," he said.

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