Coronavirus updates: 23 COVID-19 cases linked to Trump rallies
The outbreaks occurred at Trump campaign rallies in Minnesota last month.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.
Over 43 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 8.6 million diagnosed cases and at least 225,230 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 906,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 892,000 cases and over 778,000 cases, respectively.
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:
Dow down 720 points as COVID cases rise and stimulus hopes evaporate
The Dow was down 720 points today, or 2.5%, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rose nationwide. At the same time, Americans' hope for a second round of stimulus checks evaporated.
"It looks like the clock’s run out" on a stimulus deal before the election, according to market research firm Fundstrat, and investors have turned pessimistic again.
Among the only stock market winners today is Zoom, up 2.5%, as the company continues to benefits from Americans working from home, while most other industries, including airlines and restaurant chains, struggle. Even tech giants Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet (Google), which have been relatively insulated from the pandemic, are slightly down today.
ABC News' Rebecca Jarvis contributed to this report.
New York’s micro-cluster strategy is working: Cuomo
COVID-19 testing positivity has fallen to 3.25% in New York's red zones, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a Monday news conference. The state's overall testing positivity rate is 1.18%, among the lowest in the nation during a time when daily cases, hospitalizations and testing positivity rates are rising around the country.
"The easiest way to control with the maximum benefit is to wear the mask," Cuomo said. Despite the fact that New York's micro-cluster approach to stemming the virus' spread appears to be working, the governor said he's concerned about the upcoming holiday season.
"We have one of the lowest rates in the country," Cuomo said. "I’m concerned about everybody else.”
Pence tests negative after close aides infected
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife both tested negative for COVID-19 again Monday morning, according to a spokesperson.
The negative results come after at least five people within Pence's orbit were found to be infected as of Saturday night.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that four of Pence's staff members tested positive for COVID-19, including his chief of staff, Marc Short, as well as the vice president's "body man," a position that often represents an individual who is the closest aide to the office holder.
Pence's "body man" and two additional staffers who tested positive have been quarantining since last week, the sources said.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders and John Santucci contributed to this report
Trump's chief of staff admits US is 'not going to control the pandemic'
As COVID-19 infections surge across the nation, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows admitted Sunday that the United States is "not going to control the pandemic."
"We're not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations," Meadows said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
When pressed on why the Trump administration wasn't going to get control of the pandemic, Meadows said: "Because it is a contagious virus."
23 COVID-19 cases linked to Trump rallies: Health official
At least 23 coronavirus cases have been linked to three outbreaks that occurred at Trump campaign events in Minnesota in September, Minnesota Health Department spokesperson Doug Schultz told ABC News.
The outbreaks occurred at a Trump rally at Bemidji Aviation on Sept. 18, where 16 cases have been identified; a Mike Pence speech at a Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport hotel on Sept. 24, where three cases have been identified; and a Trump rally at Duluth Airport on Sept. 30, where four cases have been identified, Schutlz said.
Two of the 16 who contracted the virus at the Bemidji event were hospitalized, according to the Health Department.
Another outbreak occurred at a counter-rally that took place near the Bemidji event, where four cases have been identified, the Health Department said.
One coronavirus case was linked to Joe Biden's rally in Duluth on Sept. 18, and one case was linked to Eric Trump's speech in Becker on Oct. 1, but the Health Department said these two cases were not classified as outbreaks.
Since Sept. 12, the seven-day average of new cases in Minnesota has nearly tripled, increasing by almost 200% in the last six weeks. Minnesota health officials also reported a near-record increase of 2,268 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state on Saturday.
Minnesota's health protocols currently cap gatherings at 250 people, even when outdoors, and masks are required in situations where physical distancing cannot be properly maintained.
An official news release about Pence's rally today in Hibbing, Minnesota, said that "all attendees will be given a temperature check, masks which they are instructed to wear, and access to hand sanitizer."
ABC News' Soo Rin Kim and Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.