Coronavirus updates: 23-year-old college student dies from COVID-19

PHOTO: An intubation set up for a COVID-19 patient in Houston, Texas.

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1st vaccine nears finish line as COVID-19 numbers continue to rise

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.3 million people worldwide.

Over 58.7 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.

The United States is the worst-affected nation, with more than 12.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 256,783 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.

Nov 20, 2020 11:19 AM

Russia reports record high of over 24K new cases

Russia confirmed 24,318 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the country's coronavirus response headquarters.

It's the highest single-day tally of COVID-19 infections that Russia has reported since the start of the pandemic, and it marks the second straight day that the country has set a new record for its daily case counts.

PHOTO: Police officers, wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus, stand guard in front of the State Historical Museum of Russia on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 19, 2020.

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Police officers, wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus, stand guard in front of the State Historical Museum of Russia on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 19, 2020.

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An additional 461 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide over the past day, just under Russia's peak of 463 deaths recorded the previous day. The country's cumulative total now stands at 2,039,926 cases, including 35,311 deaths, according to the coronavirus response headquarters.

The Eastern European nation of 145 million people has the fifth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, India, Brazil and France, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

ABC News' Alina Lobzina contributed to this report.

Nov 20, 2020 10:51 AM

North Carolina college student dies from COVID-19 complications

A 23-year-old college student in North Carolina died from COVID-19 complications on Thursday morning.

Jamesha Waddell was a senior at Livingstone College, a private, historically black Christian college in Salisbury, about 45 miles northeast of Charlotte. She left campus on Sept. 19 and was self-isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19, according to Livingstone College president Jimmy Jenkins.

"While isolating at home, Jamesha’s condition worsened, and she required hospitalization and intensive care," Jenkins said in a statement Thursday. "This morning, her spirit transitioned due to complications related to the COVID-19 virus."

As students prepare to leave campus next week for winter, Jenkins urged them to "remain vigilant in mitigating the spread of this virus" by wearing a face mask, practicing social distancing and washing hands frequently.

Nov 20, 2020 10:26 AM

India becomes 2nd country in the world to reach 9 million cases

India's tally of COVID-19 cases has hit the 9 million mark, becoming only the second country in the world to do so.

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed 45,882 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, along with an additional 584 deaths from the disease. That brings the country's cumulative total to 9,004,365 cases with 132,162 deaths.

Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty Images

A municipal vehicle sprays disinfectant to sanitize a busy road in Allahabad, India, on Nov. 20, 2020.

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Despite surpassing the grim milestone, India has seen a steady decline in its infection rate since reaching a peak of 97,894 new cases on Sept. 16.

India has the second-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, and the third-highest death toll from the pandemic, after the United States and Brazil. The relatively low death toll in a vast county of 1.3 billion people has raised questions about how India is counting COVID-19 fatalities.

Nov 20, 2020 9:20 AM

US records all-time high of over 187K new cases

There were 187,833 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Thursday, marking the highest single-day increase in infections worldwide since the pandemic began, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

It's the first time that the United States has reported over 180,000 newly diagnosed infections. Thursday's count shatters the country's previous record of 177,224 new cases on Nov. 13.

An additional 2,015 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide on Thursday, the highest since May 6 but still under a peak of 2,609 new deaths on April 15, according to Johns Hopkins data.

PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stands by a COVID-19 map during a White House coronavirus task force press briefing in the James S. Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19, 2020.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stands by a COVID-19 map during a White House coronavirus task force press briefing in the James S. Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19, 2020.

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A total of 11,717,947 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 252,555 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.

Much of the country was under lockdown by the end of March as the first wave of pandemic hit. 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 100,000 for the first time on Nov. 4.

Nov 20, 2020 10:17 PM