A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide.
Over 46.5 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 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. The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has also varied from country to country.
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 nation, with more than 9.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 231,003 deaths.
Nearly 200 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.
Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Nov 02, 2020, 1:45 PM EST
NYC keeping 'very close eye' on rising COVID cases: de Blasio
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s "keeping a very close eye" on rising COVID-19 cases in New York during a Monday press conference.
"That is an area of concern," de Blasio said of the city’s seven-day average of 593 new cases. The mayor also pointed to the city’s positive test rate. While the seven-day average for positivity is 1.81%, the latest number — 2.08% — is higher than the mayor would like.
"I want to keep encouraging people to get tested on a very high level," de Blasio said. "We want to turn the tide now."
Nov 02, 2020, 10:37 AM EST
Germany enters 4-week partial shutdown
A four-week partial shutdown began in Germany on Monday, with bars, cinemas, restaurants, theaters and other leisure facilities shuttered until the end of the month.
Unlike the lockdown imposed in the spring amid the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, schools, nonessential shops and hair salons will remain open.
Pedestrians cross Marienplatz in Munich, Germany, Nov. 2, 2020.
Philipp Guelland/EPA via Shutterstock
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional authorities will review the situation after two weeks.
The new restrictions come after the European country reported on Saturday its highest number of COVID-19 infections within a 24-hour period -- 19,059 -- since the start of the pandemic. The cumulative total now stands at 545,027 cases with 10,530 deaths, according to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control agency.
Nov 02, 2020, 9:56 AM EST
Italy's prime minster announces new nationwide restrictions
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced new nationwide restrictions to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, including an evening curfew and limitations on movement between regions.
Conte outlined the planned measures to lawmakers on Monday, ahead of a new decree expected to be announced soon. He said the decree would include restrictions on movement in the late evening and for regions where the COVID-19 infection rate is highest. Arcades, betting shops, galleries and museums will all be closed, joining cinemas, gyms, pools and theaters which were shuttered under the last set of restrictions.
A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the novel coronavirus walks past the graves of the deceased during All Souls Day at the Verano Cemetery in Rome, Italy, on Nov. 2, 2020.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images
The new decree will also include the closure of shopping malls on weekends, except for any food stores, pharmacies and newsstands located inside. Meanwhile, high schools and middle schools will be asked to transition to full-time remote learning, according to Conte.
Italy, once the epicenter of the pandemic, is battling a rising number of COVID-19 infections as a second wave hits Europe. The country's civil protection agency confirmed 29,907 new cases on Sunday, including 208 deaths, bringing its cumulative total to 709,335 cases with 38,826 deaths.
ABC News' Phoebe Nathanson contributed to this report.
Nov 02, 2020, 9:23 AM EST
White House adviser apologizes for interview with Russian state TV
Dr. Scott Atlas, an adviser on the White House coronavirus task force, has apologized after appearing on a Russian state-funded television network to criticize lockdown measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Atlas addressed the matter via Twitter on Sunday, saying he was "unaware" that RT was a registered foreign agent.
"I regret doing the interview and apologize for allowing myself to be taken advantage of," Atlas tweeted. "I especially apologize to the national security community who is working hard to defend us."
Atlas, a neuroradiologist who was handpicked by President Donald Trump to join the coronavirus task force in August, told RT during a lengthy interview on Saturday that he considered the pandemic to be largely under control and that lockdowns are actually "killing people."
RT, formerly called Russia Today, is registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a U.S. law that applies to people or companies disseminating information in the United States on behalf of foreign governments, political parties and other "foreign principals."
U.S. intelligence agencies have alleged that RT, which broadcasts around the world in English, served as a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin as part of efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Russia denies interfering.
