Coronavirus updates: Los Angeles to prohibit gatherings, close playgrounds

Cases are on the rise in Southern California.

Last Updated: November 23, 2020, 3:06 PM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 61 million people and killed over 1.4 million worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.
Nov 23, 2020, 3:06 PM EST

Pennsylvania could run out of ICU beds by next week

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine warned in a news release that the state's hospitals could run out of ICU beds within a week.

“This week’s data, in terms of hospitalization increase, an increase in the use of ventilators, case increase and percent positivity are worrisome,” she said in a statement.

The 14-day average of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 has increased from 1,111 on Nov. 1 to 2,700 on Nov. 23, according to the Pennsylvania Health Department.

Health care workers at a drive-thru testing site in Philadelphia, Nov. 17, 2020.
Kriston Jae Bethel/The New York Times via Redux

As of Nov. 19, the state has seen a seven-day case increase of 36,133 cases, according to the Health Department.

Gov. Tom Wolf urged residents to follow the state's health guidelines, including wearing a mask, avoiding travel and gatherings and washing their hands.

"Another week of significant increases of COVID-19 across Pennsylvania is a call to action," he said in a statement.

Nov 23, 2020, 2:48 PM EST

Ohio breaks record for new daily cases

Ohio recorded a record-breaking 11,800 new coronavirus cases Monday as the state continued to see an upward trend.

The new daily case number was 300 more than the previous record set on Friday, according to data from the Ohio Health Department.

Gov. Mike DeWine told reporters during a news conference that the jump in numbers was due in part to two labs that weren't able to report their data for two days.

DeWine, however, noted that there are 4,358 patients in the state's hospitals that are being treated for the virus, which he said was a 59% increase from two weeks ago.

"We also currently have 1,079 patients who are in the ICU, which is again far higher than we have seen so far during this pandemic," the governor said.

Nov 23, 2020, 1:59 PM EST

Italy death toll surpasses 50,000

There were 22,930 new cases in Italy on Monday and 630 additional deaths, the country's Civil Protection Agency reported.

Italy now has 1,431,795 total COVID-19 cases and 50,453 deaths.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Nov 23, 2020, 12:08 PM EST

England lockdown to end next week as planned

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that a monthlong, nationwide lockdown in England will be lifted next week as scheduled.

Nonessential businesses and shops, including gyms and hair salons, will be allowed to reopen when the country returns to a regional tiered system of COVID-19 restrictions after Dec. 2.

"For the first time since this wretched virus took hold, we can see a route out of the pandemic," Johnson told members of Parliament, adding that breakthroughs in testing, treatments and vaccines should reduce the need for restrictions next year.

People wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus walk past Christmas-themed window displays inside Burlington Arcade in central London, United Kingdom, on Nov. 23, 2020.
Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Unlike previous restrictions, the tiered measures will be a uniform set of rules and much tougher. The prime minister is expected to announced which parts of the county is in which tier on Thursday.

"I can't say that Christmas will be normal this year," Johnson said. "We all want some kind of Christmas; we need it, we certainly feel we deserve it. But what we don't want is to throw caution to the winds and allow the virus to flare up again, forcing us all back into lockdown."

ABC News' Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Related Topics