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.
Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.
Nov 23, 2020, 5:24 PM EST
Buffalo Bills player out for season over COVID-related heart issue
The Buffalo Bills announced that one of their players would be out for the rest of the season due to a heart issue brought on by the coronavirus.
The team tweeted that a cardiologist discovered tight end Tommy Sweeney had myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, which was connected to COVID-19.
Sweeney was placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 on Oct. 24.
Nov 23, 2020, 3:39 PM EST
Feds begin Regeneron shipment to states
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced they have begun to ship the the first batch of Regeneron’s antibody treatment to hospitals across the country.
President Donald Trump was treated with Regeneron when he was hospitalized with the coronavirus in the beginning of October.
The treatment is authorized for use for patients 12 and older with mild to moderate COVID-19 but are at higher risk of getting very sick. Health care providers will decide who gets access to the drug based on need, according to HHS officials.
The federal government provided around 30,000 doses to the hospitals so far and will ship tens of thousands more in the weeks to come, according to officials.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty
Nov 23, 2020, 3:20 PM EST
North Carolina strengthens mask mandate after reporting new daily case record
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced new statewide measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, after the state passed 5,000 deaths Monday.
The state recorded 2,419 new cases and 1,601 new hospitalizations Monday, both of which were record numbers, Cooper tweeted.
The governor announced he was bolstering the state's mask mandate, which has been in effect since June, by requiring that all residents wear a face covering anytime they interact with someone outside their household.
"That means wearing a mask at home when you have friends or family over to visit. It means a mask at work, at the gym, at the store, at school," he tweeted.
The order will remain in effect until Dec. 11 at the earliest, according to the governor.
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.
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.