Coronavirus updates: 23-year-old college student dies from COVID-19

Jamesha Waddell, a senior at Livingstone College, died Thursday.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Erin Schumaker, Ivan Pereira, Jon Haworth, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: November 23, 2020, 2:19 PM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.3 million people worldwide.

Over 58.7 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 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.

The United States is the worst-affected nation, with more than 12.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 256,783 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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Nov 17, 2020, 6:45 PM EST

Chuck Grassley tests positive

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Tuesday night he tested positive for the coronavirus. The 87-year-old said he went into isolation earlier in the day after he learning he was exposed to someone who had the virus.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, walks to a Republican caucus luncheon in the Hart Senate Office Building on Oct. 23, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images, File

"While I still feel fine, the test came back positive for the coronavirus. I am continuing to follow my doctors' orders and CDC guidelines," Grassley said in a statement.

Grassley, the second-oldest senator, said he will work from home, but his offices in Iowa and Washington, D.C., will remain open for constituents.

Six U.S. senators have contracted COVID-19.

Nov 17, 2020, 3:35 PM EST

New York reaches highest hospitalization numbers since June

New York state has 2,124 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, the most since June 9, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

PHOTO: Patrick Foye, Chairman and CEO of the MTA, hands out face masks on a New York subway, Nov. 17, 2020.
Patrick Foye, Chairman and CEO of the MTA, hands out face masks on a New York subway, Nov. 17, 2020. He announced at a news conference a regional 'Mask Force' that encourages universal mask usage on public transit.
Mark Lennihan/AP

"Our micro-cluster strategy and testing capacity will help us through this new season, but ensuring we don't go back to where we were in the spring is going to depend on our behavior," Cuomo warned.

The state’s positivity rate stands at 3.18%, with 5,088 people testing positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Nov 17, 2020, 3:03 PM EST

Ohio announces 3-week overnight curfew 

In hard-hit Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine announced a three-week curfew that will begin Thursday and run from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night.

Customers enjoy a round of drinks at a bar in the Short North District on July 31, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio.
Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images

"The situation in Ohio is deteriorating," DeWine warned.

Every county has at least twice the high-incidence level set by the CDC, he said.

Ohio has over 312,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 5,772 fatalities.

"I'm also asking each Ohioan every day to do at least one thing that reduces your contact with others," DeWine tweeted. "If we can cut down contacts by 20-25 percent, this will make a difference. Paired with mask-wearing, this will go a long way from stopping our hospitals from being overrun."

Nov 17, 2020, 2:38 PM EST

US surpasses 2 million monthly cases for 1st time

Barely halfway through November, the U.S. has surpassed 2 million monthly cases for the first time, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

Paramedics and firefighters with Anne Arundel County Fire Department prepare to transport a patient to the hospital as first responders respond to a 911 emergency call on Nov. 10, 2020, in Glen Burnie, Md.
Alex Edelman/Getty Images

The U.S. is now averaging more than 150,000 new cases every day, nearly three times the average from just a month ago, the COVID Tracking Project found. Every state in the country is reporting an increasing number of new COVID-19 cases.

The previous record number of cases in a single month was 1,897,631 in July.

ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos, Brian Hartman, Ben Bell and Soorin Kim contributed to this report.

Related Topics