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:

Nov 20, 2020, 1:43 PM EST
Cases double in Kansas counties without mask mandate
Nov 20, 2020, 12:49 PM EST
More cases in past 4 weeks than in first 6 months of pandemic
Nov 20, 2020, 9:57 AM EST
Florida Sen. Rick Scott tests positive, urges everyone to wear masks
Nov 20, 2020, 6:02 AM EST
North Carolina college student dies from COVID-19 complications
Nov 20, 2020, 4:20 AM EST
US records all-time high of over 187K new cases

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.

Nov 19, 2020, 4:17 PM EST

Louisiana in '3rd surge' as positivity rate climbs

Louisiana, where the positivity rate has climbed to 7.5%, is in the midst of "the third surge of this pandemic," Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

Members of the Louisiana National Guard staff the drive through a COVID-19 testing site at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans, Nov. 14, 2020.
Kathleen Flynn/Reuters

Including 15 deaths on Thursday, the state's death toll has climbed to 6,199.

Hospitalizations in the state jumped to 929, an increase that's "very concerning," the governor added. "It's increasing at a rate we just can't sustain over time."

Edwards also warned residents to avoid traditional Thanksgiving gatherings.

“If you’re planning on a Thanksgiving that looks like previous Thanksgivings, where you bring extended family, friends around a common dinner table, you’re making a mistake," he said.

ABC News' Rachel Katz contributed to this report.

Nov 19, 2020, 3:44 PM EST

New Hampshire governor issues statewide mask mandate

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu issued a statewide mask mandate that will go into effect Friday.

"In looking at the data, it is clear that a statewide mask mandate is in the best interest of our citizens," Sununu tweeted. "Our hospitalization rate is increasing. We have always said that we cannot let our health care system get overrun, and instituting this mandate will help."

"To those who are opposed to this -- I want to make something very clear: Instituting this mask mandate today will allow us to keep our economy open and helps ensure our health care system has the capacity and workforce it needs in the coming weeks," he continued. "If you don’t wear a mask into a store and are asymptomatically spreading COVID, you risk shutting down that business for weeks, you risk unknowingly infecting someone with severe health issues or someone who works on a longterm care facility."

Everyone over 5 years old must follow the mandate.

Nov 19, 2020, 2:59 PM EST

National Zoo, Smithsonian museums to close

The National Zoo and all Smithsonian museums will close on Nov. 23 due to rising cases in the Washington, D.C., area and across the country, the Smithsonian said.

People walk past a merry-go-round and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum along the National Mall.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images, File

"Due to the changing nature of the situation, we are not announcing a reopening date at this time," the Smithsonian said.

The pandemic had shuttered Smithsonian museums from March 14 through mid-September. They reopened gradually with timed-entry tickets.

Nov 19, 2020, 2:25 PM EST

US records deadliest day in over 6 months

Hours after the U.S. crossed the milestone of 250,000 deaths, states reported another 1,869 American lives lost on Wednesday -- the deadliest day in more than six months, according to the COVID Tracking Project.