Coronavirus updates: Chris Christie speaks out after contracting COVID-19
The former New Jersey governor spoke to ABC News exclusively.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1 million people worldwide.
Over 38.9 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 7.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 217,700 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 868,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 837,000 cases and over 744,000 cases, respectively.
More than 190 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:
US passes 8 million cases
There are currently 8,008,042 COVID-19 cases and 218,097 deaths in the United States.
Denver limits social gathering to 5 people
In reaction to a growing positivity rate, Denver health officials are reducing the social gathering limit from 10 to five people. Additionally, people must wear their face mask when outside and walking with others from outside their household.
The new restrictions are only for Denver County and not the rest of the state.
As of Friday, Colorado has 81,895 COVID-19 cases and 2,162 deaths, as per John Hopkins University data. Denver has 15,383 confirmed cases, and has had 440 deaths.
New England Patriots cancel practice after positive COVID-19 test
The Patriots are canceling their Friday practice after a positive COVID-19 test, per a source. There is also a second test they are awaiting to confirm is a positive, ESPN reported.
Indianapolis Colts open for practice after 4 players re-test negative
The Indianapolis Colts will reopen their practice facility Friday after four individuals' re-tests for COVID-19 confirmed they were negative, the team announced.
The team closed their facility Friday morning after initial positive tests. They involved one player and three staff members, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Indianapolis is scheduled to have a home game Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"After consultation with the NFL and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills, the team will open the practice facility this afternoon under the league's intensive protocol and will continue preparation for Sunday's game against Cincinnati," the team's statement said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ABC News' Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.
New cases and deaths are both on the rise in US, HHS memo says
The number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the United States increased by double digits in week-over-week comparisons, while the number of deaths is also on the rise, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Thursday night.
The memo, which is circulated among the highest levels of the federal government and is used to determine daily priorities for the agencies working on a COVID-19 response, said 38 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new infections, while 8 jurisdictions are at a plateau and 10 others are in a downward trend.
There were 366,455 new cases confirmed during the period of Oct. 8-Oct. 14, a 16.4% increase from the previous week. There were also 4,893 fatalities from COVID-19 recorded during the same period, a 3.1% increase compared with the week prior, according to the memo.
The national positivity rate for COVID-19 tests dropped from 6% to 5% in week-to-week comparisons. Meanwhile, 24% of hospitals nationwide have more than 80% of beds full in their intensive care units. That figure was 17%-18% during the summertime peak, the memo said.
Arkansas saw its death toll from COVID-19 increase by 25% during the week ending Oct. 11. Case rates continue to rise in rural parts of the state, according to the memo.
A review of death certificates in Georgia revealed that while Black residents make up 30% of the state's population, they account for 48% of the 7,416 deaths from COVID-19 to date. Just over 82.4% of ICU beds and 81.3% of inpatient beds were occupied in Georgia during the period of Oct. 5-11, the memo said.
In Iowa, 7% of new cases are being reported in the 18-40 age group. COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state reached an all-time high on Oct. 7, with 449 reported admissions, according to the memo.
Kentucky broke its record for weekly case count on Oct. 1 for the third straight week, the memo said.
New Mexico saw its number of new cases increase 53.3% in the week ending Oct. 11, compared to the week prior. The Albuquerque area experienced a relative increase of 89.5% in new cases between Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, according to the memo.
ABC News' Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
