Coronavirus updates: CDC issues stricter guidance for Thanksgiving
"Celebrate with people in your household," the agency says in updated guidance.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide.
Over 50.4 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.
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 nation, with more than 10 million diagnosed cases and at least 237,742 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:
Sec. Ben Carson tests positive
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning after experiencing symptoms that prompted him to get tested.
"Secretary Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus," Carson's chief of staff, Coalter Baker, told ABC News in a statement. "He is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery."
Carson was tested at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It was a short visit and he is no longer at the hospital.
Carson was at the White House for the Trump campaign's election night watch party on Tuesday -- an event that was also attended by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who also tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
Ukraine's president tests positive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
"There are no lucky people for whom #COVID19 does not pose a threat. Despite all the quarantine measures, I received a positive test," Zelensky wrote on his official Twitter account.
The former comedian-turned-president noted that he feels "good" and takes "a lot of vitamins."
"Promise to isolate myself, but keep working," he added. "I will overcome COVID19 as most people do. It's gonna be fine!"
Wales emerges from 'firebreak' lockdown as new restrictions begin
Wales emerged from its 17-day "firebreak" lockdown on Monday, with pubs, gyms, hair salons, restaurants and schools allowed to reopen.
But as the lockdown restrictions ended, new ones went into effect. People cannot travel in or out of the country, including to neighboring England, without a "reasonable excuse." Two households can again join together to form a bubble and meet up inside their homes. People can meet in groups of four inside cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants, which can serve alcohol until 10 p.m.
Businesses that were forced to shutter during lockdown can now reopen, while supermarkets can again sell non-essential goods. People are still required to work from home whenever possible.
Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford called on people to be "careful and cautious."
"The fact that you can travel is not an invitation to travel and it's certainly not an instruction to travel," Drakeford said at a press conference Monday.
Drakeford said it's still too early to know whether the "firebreak" was a success but there were "tentative positive signs," including a plateauing case rate.
"We cannot go back to the way we were living our lives and throw away all that hard work," he added.
Wales' lockdown ended just a few days after England entered a month-long lockdown on Nov. 5.
Portugal returns to state of emergency amid rising infections
Portugal began a 15-day state of emergency on Monday, with curfews imposed in the areas hit hardest by coronavirus pandemic.
From Monday until at least Nov. 23, some 7 million people across Portugal must stay at home on weekdays between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and on weekends after 1 p.m. Meanwhile, restaurants have to close by 10.30 p.m. on weekdays and are only allowed to provide takeaway services on weekends after 1 p.m.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Friday that the country would return to a state of emergency, which grants authorities special powers such as the restriction of movement. The decree can be extended indefinitely in 15-day periods. A state of emergency was in effect in Portugal earlier this year at the beginning of the pandemic.
The move comes as the southern European country of over 10 million people grapples with a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Although Portugal has reported relatively low numbers compared with other countries in Europe -- over 179,324 total cases with 2,896 deaths -- daily infections hit an all-time high of 6,640 over the weekend.