Coronavirus updates: New cases on the rise in 49 states, territories
Weekly cases and deaths are both up more than 15% over the previous week.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide.
Over 46.5 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 9.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 231,003 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.
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Lessons from South Korea's COVID response: WHO
The world can learn from countries that have successfully reduced the number of COVID-19 cases, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a remote press conference Monday.
Tedros, who is currently quarantining after being exposed to someone with COVID-19, invited professor Yae-jean Kim, an infectious disease expert from Seoul's Samsung Medical Center in South Korea, to explain how the country brought its outbreak under control. According to Kim, the key elements of South Korea’s response were rapid PCR testing and isolation; transparent communication with the public through press releases and conferences; and public participation and compliance with public health measures.
ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
Optimism plays 'major role' in willingness to uphold public health restrictions: Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday he didn’t anticipate how much of a problem pandemic fatigue would be for Americans.
"I think one of the things that I tried to emphasize as often as I possibly can, is that this will end," Fauci told a panel of doctors from Harvard University. "Because so many adults are vulnerable to the virus, the concept of reaching herd immunity by letting people live their lives normally isn’t the way forward. Instead, a combination of a vaccine and public health measures, as well as optimism about the future, is key."
He went on, "We really do have to be positive. I believe the idea that a vaccine is on the horizon is going to be playing a major, major role in how people accept the continuation of the stringent public health restrictions that they have if they don't see any relief in sight."
ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.
NYC keeping 'very close eye' on rising COVID cases: de Blasio
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s "keeping a very close eye" on rising COVID-19 cases in New York during a Monday press conference.
"That is an area of concern," de Blasio said of the city’s seven-day average of 593 new cases. The mayor also pointed to the city’s positive test rate. While the seven-day average for positivity is 1.81%, the latest number — 2.08% — is higher than the mayor would like.
"I want to keep encouraging people to get tested on a very high level," de Blasio said. "We want to turn the tide now."
Germany enters 4-week partial shutdown
A four-week partial shutdown began in Germany on Monday, with bars, cinemas, restaurants, theaters and other leisure facilities shuttered until the end of the month.
Unlike the lockdown imposed in the spring amid the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, schools, nonessential shops and hair salons will remain open.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and regional authorities will review the situation after two weeks.
The new restrictions come after the European country reported on Saturday its highest number of COVID-19 infections within a 24-hour period -- 19,059 -- since the start of the pandemic. The cumulative total now stands at 545,027 cases with 10,530 deaths, according to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control agency.
US reports more than 81,000 new cases
There were 81,493 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Sunday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The latest daily tally is slightly higher than the day prior but still less than the country's all-time high of 99,321 new cases set on Friday.
An additional 447 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide Sunday, almost half the previous day's count and down from a peak of 2,666 new deaths in mid-April.
A total of 9,207,364 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 230,996 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country's cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 90,000 for the first time on Oct. 30.