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 19, 2020, 9:02 PM EST

COVID-19 tests, cases, hospitalizations break records in US

Daily COVID-19 tests, cases and current hospitalizations in the U.S. all set new records on Thursday, based on tallies by The COVID Tracking Project.

There were 1,971 reported deaths -- the highest since May 7. North and South Dakota are reporting the highest totals of fatalities per capita in the U.S., according to the data.

States reported 1.8 million daily tests and 182,832 new cases, and 80,698 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the tracker.

Thirteen states, primarily in the Midwest, saw more than 1,000 cases per million people, it said.

"This wave of cases arrives in a moment when many hospital systems across the country are already inundated with COVID-19 patients and are warning of staff shortages," the COVID Tracking Project said in its weekly report

There aren't any indications that case numbers have peaked either, it said.

States reported 8,461 deaths this week, the highest weekly death count since May, the tracker said.

"The record levels of hospitalizations we’re already seeing will almost certainly be followed by a spike in the reported fatalities," it said.

Nov 19, 2020, 8:36 PM EST

Visitors to Hawaii can show negative COVID-19 test to avoid quarantine

People planning to visit Hawaii soon can show proof of a negative COVID-19 test to bypass the state's mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced that beginning Tuesday, visitors to the state must have a negative COVID-19 test in hand from "a trusted testing partner" to avoid the quarantine. 

If test results are not available before boarding the final leg of the trip, then the traveler must quarantine, he said.  

The policy applies to both international and domestic flights.

ABC News' Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

Nov 19, 2020, 6:28 PM EST

FDA authorizes drug combination for treatment of COVID-19

The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for a drug combination to treat COVID-19.  

The drugs are Eli Lilly's baricitinib and Gilead's remdesivir, the latter of which was given to President Donald Trump as part of his coronavirus treatment. 

The authorization is only for hospitalized adults and children 2 years of age or older who need help breathing. 

Baricitinib, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is not authorized as a stand-alone treatment for COVID-19. It must be used in combination with remdesivir. 

A Phase 3 study found that when used with remdesivir, the combination helped hospitalized patients recover faster than remdesivir alone, cutting the median time to recovery by about one day. 

ABC News' Sony Salzman contributed to this report

Nov 19, 2020, 9:01 PM EST

California issues nightly curfew for most of state

Most of California will be under a nightly curfew with a new stay-at-home order issued Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the state experiences a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases.

Starting Saturday, counties labeled as having widespread risk will be under the order for four weeks. From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., nonessential activities and gatherings with members outside of the household are banned.

The order currently affects nearly 95% of the state's population.

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