Coronavirus updates: Chris Christie speaks out after contracting COVID-19
The former New Jersey governor spoke to ABC News exclusively.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1 million people worldwide.
Over 38.9 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 7.9 million diagnosed cases and at least 217,700 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 868,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 837,000 cases and over 744,000 cases, respectively.
More than 190 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:
Indianapolis Colts open for practice after 4 players re-test negative
The Indianapolis Colts will reopen their practice facility Friday after four individuals' re-tests for COVID-19 confirmed they were negative, the team announced.
The team closed their facility Friday morning after initial positive tests. They involved one player and three staff members, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Indianapolis is scheduled to have a home game Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"After consultation with the NFL and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills, the team will open the practice facility this afternoon under the league's intensive protocol and will continue preparation for Sunday's game against Cincinnati," the team's statement said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ABC News' Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.
Governor surges state resources for COVID-19 response
Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Friday that the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Division of Emergency Management surge in resources to support the COVID-19 response in Texas.
Resources include medical personnel, medical supplies, and personal protective equipment for the Panhandle and South Plains areas.
DSHS has deployed 171 medical personnel to these communities, and an additional 100 personnel will arrive by Sunday. DSHS has also deployed 100 IV pumps, 56 ventilators, and 25 oxygen concentrators to the region.
"As the Amarillo and Lubbock communities see a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the State of Texas is providing support to hospitals throughout these two regions," said Governor Abbott. "The additional medical personnel, supplies, and PPE surged to the Panhandle and South Plains will help these communities care for patients and contain the spread of this virus."
ABC News' Matthews Furhman contributed to this report.
Czech Republic reports nearly 10,000 new cases, setting another record
The Czech Republic confirmed 9,721 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, its highest single-day rise yet.
The previous record of 9,544 new cases was set a day earlier, meaning it's the second straight day that the country has reported its highest increase in infections.
The cumulative total now stands at 149,010 cases with 1,230 deaths, according to the Czech health ministry. Almost 50,000 of those cases were registered last week.
More than 84,000 cases were active Friday, including 2,920 patients who remained hospitalized for COVID-19, while over 63,000 have recovered from the disease, according to the health ministry data.
The Czech Republic has the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in Europe. Over the past two weeks, the country of 10.7 million people has reported 701.9 cases per 100,000 population, according to data published Friday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The Czech government said hospitals could reach full capacity around the end of the month due to growing number of COVID-19 patients. Over the weekend, the Czech military will start building a field hospital in Prague that will be able to house 500 patients.
New cases and deaths are both on the rise in US, HHS memo says
The number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the United States increased by double digits in week-over-week comparisons, while the number of deaths is also on the rise, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Thursday night.
The memo, which is circulated among the highest levels of the federal government and is used to determine daily priorities for the agencies working on a COVID-19 response, said 38 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new infections, while 8 jurisdictions are at a plateau and 10 others are in a downward trend.
There were 366,455 new cases confirmed during the period of Oct. 8-Oct. 14, a 16.4% increase from the previous week. There were also 4,893 fatalities from COVID-19 recorded during the same period, a 3.1% increase compared with the week prior, according to the memo.
The national positivity rate for COVID-19 tests dropped from 6% to 5% in week-to-week comparisons. Meanwhile, 24% of hospitals nationwide have more than 80% of beds full in their intensive care units. That figure was 17%-18% during the summertime peak, the memo said.
Arkansas saw its death toll from COVID-19 increase by 25% during the week ending Oct. 11. Case rates continue to rise in rural parts of the state, according to the memo.
A review of death certificates in Georgia revealed that while Black residents make up 30% of the state's population, they account for 48% of the 7,416 deaths from COVID-19 to date. Just over 82.4% of ICU beds and 81.3% of inpatient beds were occupied in Georgia during the period of Oct. 5-11, the memo said.
In Iowa, 7% of new cases are being reported in the 18-40 age group. COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state reached an all-time high on Oct. 7, with 449 reported admissions, according to the memo.
Kentucky broke its record for weekly case count on Oct. 1 for the third straight week, the memo said.
New Mexico saw its number of new cases increase 53.3% in the week ending Oct. 11, compared to the week prior. The Albuquerque area experienced a relative increase of 89.5% in new cases between Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, according to the memo.
ABC News' Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
Germany sees highest single-day increase in infections
Germany confirmed 7,334 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, its highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic.
It's the first time Germany has surpassed 7,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day, and it marks the second straight day that the country has broken its own record for the daily tallies.
An additional 24 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered Thursday. The cumulative totals now stands at 348,557 cases and 9,734 deaths, according to the latest data from the country’s public health institute.
Until this week, Germany’s highest recorded figure was nearly 6,300 cases on March 28, according to data published by the Robert Koch Institute. While testing has increased since then, the country is among several in Europe that have seen a sharp uptick in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.
Earlier this week, Germany's federal and state governments agreed to toughen rules on wearing face masks and to have bars close early in areas where infections are high.