Coronavirus updates: CDC forecasts up to 226,000 US deaths by mid-October
The national death toll currently stands at more than 202,000.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 980,000 people worldwide.
Over 32 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 6.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 202,728 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 799,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 746,000 cases and over 693,000 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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Pac-12 to resume football, basketball seasons
The Pac-12 will resume its football and basketball seasons in November, the conference announced on Thursday.
A seven-game, conference-only football season will begin on Nov. 6, with the Pac-12 Championship game scheduled for Dec. 18. Pac-12 universities with the necessary public health approvals can start practice immediately, the conference said.
The University of Colorado halted football practices for two weeks on Thursday after Boulder said it was banning gatherings of 18- to 22-year-olds.
The season for men's and women's basketball will start on Nov. 25 -- the same as the NCAA's official start date for those sports.
Other winter sports can begin in line with their respective NCAA seasons, the conference said.
In August, the CEO group had voted to postpone all sports, including football and basketball, through at least the end of the year.
Thursday's announcement was based on updated Pac-12 recommendations "that take into account material changes to testing capabilities, the prevalence of COVID-19 and cardiac issues, along with updated state and local health official guidance," the conference said in a release.
Student-athletes will take daily antigen tests, as well as at least one weekly PCR test, officials said.
No fans will be allowed to attend competitions taking place on Pac-12 campuses. The conference will revisit that decision in January, officials said.
France reports record case increase
There were 16,096 new COVID-19 cases reported in France on Thursday, marking the highest one-day rise since the beginning of the outbreak, French health authorities said.
The nation now has over 497,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19.
The death toll increased by 52 on Thursday, bringing the fatality total to 31,511.
France reported 4,258 new hospitalizations in the last week, including 718 patients in intensive care.
France on Wednesday announced new restrictions to combat the rise in cases.
Starting Monday in Paris and seven other major cities, outdoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people. Bars must shut their doors at 10 p.m., gyms will be closed and sporting events will be limited to 1,000 spectators.
Marseille, Aix-en-Provence and Guadeloupe are enacting stricter rules; starting Monday all bars and restaurants will be closed.
ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud and Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
CDC forecasts 214,000-226,000 deaths by Oct. 17
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forecasts that the U.S. will lose another 3,400 to 7,400 lives to COVID-19 by Oct. 17, bringing the nationwide death toll to between 214,000 and 226,000.
The national death toll currently stands at 202,404, according to Johns Hopkins University.
ABC News' Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Boulder bans gatherings for 18 to 22 year olds
In Boulder, Colorado, people ages 18 to 22 will soon be banned from all gatherings, whether indoors, outdoors, or with people outside that age range, the Boulder County Public Health Department announced.
This comes after nearly three weeks of cases rising in Boulder County, "with the vast majority" connected to 18 to 22 year olds, "particularly those attending the University of Colorado Boulder," the department said.
"While there has been little evidence of spread of the virus beyond the 18-22 age group, the continued increase in new cases in the city of Boulder prompted the Public Health Order to help prevent the spread to other community members," the department said.
The health department also calls out 36 addresses where the department claims residents "repeatedly engaged in activities that violate public health orders." Those residents must stay in their homes for two weeks, only leaving for essential services, according to the Health Department.
The order will last for two weeks, beginning at 4 p.m. local time on Thursday.
Residents in the 18 to 22 age group are exempt for exercising outside alone, studying outside alone and going to work if they don’t live in one of the homes with stay-at-home requirements.
Young adults can interact with relatives they live with, and those in high school can participate in school activities, the department added.
"While there has been little evidence of spread of the virus beyond the 18-22 age group, the continued increase in new cases in the city of Boulder prompted the Public Health Order to help prevent the spread to other community members," the department said.
ABC News' Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
Africa sees steady decline of new cases
Africa has seen a steady decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases being reported across the continent since July 20, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
Over the past four weeks, there were 77,147 new cases recorded in Africa, down from 131,647 reported in the previous four weeks. Some of the continent's most-affected countries including Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa have all seen infections drop every week over the past two months. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 have also remained low in the region.
Africa was the only region in the world to report a decline in both new COVID-19 cases and deaths for the week of Sept. 14-20.
The WHO credited the decline to "a variety of socio-ecological factors as well as early and strong public health measures taken by governments across the region." The socio-ecological factors include low population density and mobility, hot and humid climate and lower age group.
"The downward trend that we have seen in Africa over the past two months is undoubtedly a positive development and speaks to the robust and decisive public health measures taken by governments across the region," Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, said in a statement Thursday. "But we must not become complacent. Other regions of the world have experienced similar trends only to find that as social and public health measures are relaxed, cases start ramping up again."
Africa's COVID-19 cases have largely been among a younger age group and more pronounced in a few nations rather than continent-wide, suggesting country-specific aspects are driving the pattern of disease and death. About 91% of infections in sub-Saharan Africa are among people below the age of 60, while over 80% of cases are asymptomatic, according to the WHO.
Although African governments have made efforts to improve COVID-19 testing, the level remains low. Nevertheless, the WHO said missed COVID-19 cases are largely because they are asymptomatic and that there is no evidence of miscalculation of death figures.
"Africa has not witnessed an exponential spread of COVID-19 as many initially feared," Moeti said. "But the slower spread of infection in the region means we expect the pandemic to continue to smolder for some time, with occasional flare-ups."
