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Coronavirus latest: Cases on the rise in 3 US states

The seven-day average for new cases in the United States has jumped by 13%.

Last Updated: September 21, 2020, 1:15 PM EDT

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 961,000 people worldwide.

Over 31.1 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 6.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 199,552 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 786,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 713,000 cases and over 683,000 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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed today. All times Eastern.
Sep 21, 2020, 1:15 PM EDT

CDC adds then removes guidance on airborne spread

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued and later removed updated guidance on its website to address growing evidence of limited airborne transmission of the virus that caused COVID-19.

It’s already known that the novel coronavirus is most commonly transmitted "through respiratory droplets or small particles, such as those in aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes."

On Friday, the CDC also included that "There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants, or in fitness classes)," noting that "In general, indoor environments without good ventilation increase this risk."

A general view of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 30, 2014.
Tami Chappell/Reuters, FILE

But on Monday morning, the updated information on airborne transmission was removed from the site and in its place, the agency explained that posting the new information was done in error.

"A draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted in error to the agency's official website. CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Once this process has been completed, the update language will be posted."

The World Health Organization acknowledged in July that the novel coronavirus could spread through the air, after hundreds of scientists called for the global health arm of the United Nations to recognize the risk of airborne transmission.

ABC News' Eric Strauss and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

Sep 21, 2020, 11:20 AM EDT

Eastern Michigan University to test campus wastewater for COVID-19

Eastern Michigan University said it will soon begin testing wastewater on campus for signs of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

As part of its return-to-campus plan, the public research university is partnering with Michigan-based firm Aquasight to track the presence of the novel coronavirus in wastewater flowing from residence halls and apartment complexes on the school's campus in Ypsilanti, west of Detroit.

Tests have shown that wastewater contains infectious biomarkers that can signal the growth or reduction of the virus in a community or around a college campus, according to Eastern Michigan University President James Smith.

"This monitoring process, while not diagnostic, may provide early detection of asymptomatic cases," Smith said in a statement Friday. "The results of the tests will help us pinpoint any concerning trends and expand individual testing among specific populations as necessary."

Other schools, including the University of Arizona and Utah State University, are reportedly doing similar testing.

Sep 21, 2020, 10:52 AM EDT

Hundreds of asylum seekers test positive for COVID-19 in Greece

More than 200 asylum seekers who recently resettled at a new temporary camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, after the old one had burned down, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Greek government spokesmen Stelios Petsas.

During a regular press briefing Monday, Petsas said that all 7,064 individuals who were admitted to the new Kara Tepe camp, near the island's capital Mytilene, had been tested for COVID-19 and that 243 of them were found to be infected.

The average age of those who tested positive was 24, and most didn't have any symptoms, according to Petsas.

PHOTO: Migrants are seen inside the new temporary Kara Tepe camp on the northeastern island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sept. 19, 2020.
Migrants are seen inside the new temporary Kara Tepe camp on the northeastern island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sept. 19, 2020. Thousands of migrants have been forced to relocated to Kara Tepe after fires ravaged the country's largest refugee camp amid a COVID-19 outbreak there.
Panagiotis Balaskas/AP

Another 160 people who had come into contact with the migrants, mostly police officers and administrative staff at the camp, were also tested for the virus but all had negative results, Petsas said.

The new facility is not far from the remains of the Moria camp, where fires forced some 12,000 migrants to flee last week and seek shelter. Greek police believe the blazes were set deliberately by a small group of migrants angered by a lockdown imposed after a COVID-19 outbreak at the overcrowded camp. Six people, all Afghan nationals, have been arrested on suspicion of arson.

Sep 21, 2020, 7:42 AM EDT

New Zealand to lift restrictions except in its biggest city

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that all remaining coronavirus-related restrictions will be lifted across much of the country, except for the most populous city.

The restrictions will end late Monday.

Auckland, where a fresh outbreak now appears to be under control, will continue to have some regulations for at least another 16 days. The plan is to increase the cap on gatherings in the city from 10 to 100 on Wednesday and then remove the limit altogether two weeks later, according to Ardern.

"Auckland needs more time," Ardern told reporters Monday. "Whilst we have reasonable confidence we are on the right track, there is still a need in Auckland for that cautious approach."

PHOTO: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses a press conference on the latest COVID-19 updates in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sept. 21, 2020.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses a press conference on the latest COVID-19 updates in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sept. 21, 2020. Ardern said all remaining virus restrictions will be lifted across much of the country, with the exception of the largest city, Auckland, which will continue to have some restrictions for at least another 16 days.
Greg Bowker/AP

A cluster of cases emerged in Auckland last month, ending New Zealand's 102-day streak without any local transmission of the novel coronavirus. The outbreak prompted the government to impose a temporary lockdown in the region and reschedule national elections.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, New Zealand's Ministry of Health has identified 1,815 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases as well as 25 coronavirus-related deaths. There are currently 62 active cases and three coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the country.

There were no new cases confirmed in the nation of 5 million people on Monday.

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