Coronavirus updates: Florida tops 14,000 deaths as restaurants reopen
Bars and restaurants can reopen at full capacity effective immediately.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 987,000 people worldwide.
Over 32.4 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 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 7 million diagnosed cases and at least 203,704 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 803,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 751,000 cases and over 695,000 cases, respectively.
Nearly 190 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least nine of which are in crucial phase three trials.
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Virginia governor and wife test positive for COVID-19
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and his wife, Pamela, have both tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release from his office.
The couple was notified Wednesday evening that a member of the governor's official residence staff, who works closely within their living quarters, had developed COVID-19 symptoms and subsequently tested positive for the disease. Both the governor and the first lady received nasal swab tests Thursday afternoon, and the results came back positive.
Northam has no symptoms while his wife is currently experiencing mild symptoms. They are both "in good spirits," according to the press release.
"As I’ve been reminding Virginians throughout this crisis, COVID-19 is very real and very contagious," the governor said in a statement Friday. "The safety and health of our staff and close contacts is of utmost importance to Pam and me, and we are working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that everyone is well taken care of. We are grateful for your thoughts and support, but the best thing you can do for us -- and most importantly, for your fellow Virginians -- is to take this seriously."
The couple will isolate for the next 10 days and evaluate their symptoms. Northam will continue fulfilling his duties as Virginia's governor from their official residence in Richmond, according to the press release.
Renowned Indian singer dies after being on life support for 'severe COVID-19 pneumonia'
Renowned Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam died Friday, weeks after he had been hospitalized for COVID-19 symptoms. He was 74.
Balasubrahmanyam, an iconic playback singer of Indian cinema who reportedly held a Guinness World Record for his more than 40,000 songs, was admitted at MGM Healthcare in Chennai, southeastern India, on Aug. 5. He was placed on life support nine days later for "severe COVID-19 pneumonia," according to a statement from the hospital's assistant director of medical services, Dr. Anuradha Baskaran.
"In a further setback this morning, despite maximal life support measures and the best efforts of the clinical team, his condition deteriorated further and he suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest," Baskaran said. "We express our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, well-wishers and admirers at their loss during this time of anguish and sorrow."
Poland reports another record daily rise in cases
Poland reported a record rise in COVID-19 cases for the second straight day on Friday.
The Polish Ministry of Health confirmed another 1,587 new cases of the disease in the past 24 hours, the country's highest daily caseload since the start of the pandemic. An additional 23 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported in the past day.
A majority of the newly confirmed infections were in the central part of the country.
In total, Polish Ministry of Health has identified 84,396 confirmed cases with 2,392 deaths.
Wisconsin grapples with record-high COVID-19 hospitalizations
A total of 530 people remained hospitalized for COVID-19 in Wisconsin as of Thursday afternoon -- the highest yet since the pandemic began.
Among those patients, 371 were receiving mechanical ventilation and 141 were in intensive care units. Currently, 80% of all hospital beds statewide are full, according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Wisconsin topped 500 for the first time Wednesday, according to a report by Madison ABC affiliate WKOW.
"There is no doubt that we are in a significant near-crunch time in a number of regions in the state," Dr. Mark Kaufman, chief medical officer of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, told WKOW.
The rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations comes as hospitals are also gearing up for flu season.
"We really don't know how people will react if they are co-infected with both COVID and influenza," Kaufman said. "But it is not likely to be good."
Florida tops 14,000 deaths as restaurants reopen
The death toll from COVID-19 in Florida has now topped 14,000 after an increase of 120 new deaths in the last day, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The fatality total -- 14,083 -- is made up of 13,915 Florida residents and 168 non-residents.
This comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that restaurants and bars can reopen at full capacity, effective immediately.
The executive order says restaurants can’t be limited to less than 100% capacity indoors unless the local government provides specific rationale.
DeSantis also said the state will be able to hold "a full Super Bowl" next year, which is set for February in Tampa.
DeSantis' executive order also wipes out all outstanding fines for not wearing masks in public.
Florida has over 695,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19, the third-highest state for case totals in the nation, behind California and Texas.
ABC News' Rachel Katz and Scott Withers contributed to this report.