Coronavirus news: University imposes quarantine for all students
Illinois' Bradley University is temporarily using remote learning.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 901,000 people worldwide.
Over 27.7 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 6.35 million diagnosed cases and at least 190,784 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 747,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 667,000 cases and over 652,000 cases respectively.
Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least six of which are in crucial phase three trials.
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University of Wisconsin pauses in-person classes
With cases surging on campus, the University of Wisconsin has put a halt to in-person classes on its Madison campus for two weeks. The pause will begin on Sept. 10 and run through Sept. 25, the school said Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, our positive test rate among students continues to rise far too rapidly," the school wrote in a statement. "It has been 20 percent or greater for the past two days. As we saw at the end of last week, these numbers reflect a rapid rise in infection among students living off campus, but the latest numbers also show a sharp increase in certain residence halls."
The university will also make students at Sellery and Witte residence halls quarantine for the two weeks due to a specific surge at those locations.
Wisconsin also outlined a number of further control measures, including closing study spaces at the library and student union for the two weeks, shifting dining halls to takeout only and canceling all in-person gatherings over 10 people.
Global death toll surpasses 900,000
The coronavirus has now claimed more than 900,000 lives across the globe.
The total number of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 reached the grim milestone late Wednesday. There have been 900,203 confirmed deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
At the same time, there have been more than 27 million cases reported worldwide.
The U.S. crossed 190,000 deaths earlier in the day.
Indoor dining to soon resume in NYC
In New York City -- once the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic -- indoor dining can resume on Sept. 30 at a 25% capacity, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.
Tables must be spaced 6 feet apart, Cuomo said, and at least one diner in each party must leave contact information.
The governor asked New Yorkers to help report any restaurants that violate the 25% capacity rule.
If there is a spike in infection rate, the city can "hit the emergency pause button," Cuomo said.
If there is no rise in infection rate, "we can always reassess the guidelines and go from 25% to 50%," he said.
Nov. 1 has been set as the benchmark date for upping indoor capacity to 50%, he said.
Pharmacists will be allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccines to kids
The Department of Health and Human Services will allow licensed pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 3 and up, when or if a vaccine is made available, Surgeon General Jerome Adams announced Wednesday.
In August, the Health and Human Services Department said pharmacists would be permitted to provide routine childhood vaccinations amid concerns that kids were missing out on visits to their doctors during the pandemic.
But the American Academy of Pediatrics called that decision "incredibly misguided," saying children would not get the same level of care from a pharmacist that they would from pediatricians. The American Academy of Pediatrics stressed that doctors' offices are open and safe.
ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.
