Coronavirus updates: CDC forecasts up to 226,000 US deaths by mid-October
The national death toll currently stands at more than 202,000.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 980,000 people worldwide.
Over 32 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 6.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 202,728 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 799,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 746,000 cases and over 693,000 cases, respectively.
Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least six of which are in crucial phase three trials.
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UK reports highest number of new daily cases
The United Kingdom reported 6,634 daily COVID-19 cases on Thursday, reaching a new record high.
The number of hospital admissions is also on the rise.
The U.K. now has over 412,000 coronavirus cases and at least 41,951 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins data.
ABC News' Mike Trew contributed to this report.
Contact tracing app launched in England, Wales
The United Kingdom’s long-awaited contact tracing app launched in England and Wales on Thursday.
The app, available to download for free on iPhones and Androids, alerts users if they've come into contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19.
"The app will advise you to self-isolate if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case," the Department of Health and Social Care said. "It will also enable you to check symptoms, book a free test if needed and get your test results."
The BBC reported that over 1 million people have already downloaded the app.
ABC News' Mike Trew contributed to this report.
Africa sees steady decline of new cases
Africa has seen a steady decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases being reported across the continent since July 20, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
Over the past four weeks, there were 77,147 new cases recorded in Africa, down from 131,647 reported in the previous four weeks. Some of the continent's most-affected countries including Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa have all seen infections drop every week over the past two months. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 have also remained low in the region.
Africa was the only region in the world to report a decline in both new COVID-19 cases and deaths for the week of Sept. 14-20.
The WHO credited the decline to "a variety of socio-ecological factors as well as early and strong public health measures taken by governments across the region." The socio-ecological factors include low population density and mobility, hot and humid climate and lower age group.
"The downward trend that we have seen in Africa over the past two months is undoubtedly a positive development and speaks to the robust and decisive public health measures taken by governments across the region," Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, said in a statement Thursday. "But we must not become complacent. Other regions of the world have experienced similar trends only to find that as social and public health measures are relaxed, cases start ramping up again."
Africa's COVID-19 cases have largely been among a younger age group and more pronounced in a few nations rather than continent-wide, suggesting country-specific aspects are driving the pattern of disease and death. About 91% of infections in sub-Saharan Africa are among people below the age of 60, while over 80% of cases are asymptomatic, according to the WHO.
Although African governments have made efforts to improve COVID-19 testing, the level remains low. Nevertheless, the WHO said missed COVID-19 cases are largely because they are asymptomatic and that there is no evidence of miscalculation of death figures.
"Africa has not witnessed an exponential spread of COVID-19 as many initially feared," Moeti said. "But the slower spread of infection in the region means we expect the pandemic to continue to smolder for some time, with occasional flare-ups."
Russia sees highest daily caseload since July
Russia confirmed 6,595 new cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the country’s highest single-day increase since July.
An additional 149 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded in the past day, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.
Meanwhile, Moscow reported more than 1,000 new cases over the last 24 hours for the first time since June. The Russian capital also registered 15 new deaths.
Russia’s cumulative total now stands at over 1.12 million confirmed cases -- the fourth highest caseload in the world -- and nearly 20,000 deaths.
Last month, Russia became the first country in the world to officially register a COVID-19 vaccine and declare it ready for use. The Russian government approved the vaccine before completing its final Phase III trial, and no scientific data has been released from the early trials so far.
ABC News' Alina Lobzina contributed to this report.