Texas sees record number of daily coronavirus deaths, cases
The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 583,000 people worldwide.
Over 13.5 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 governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their nations' outbreaks.
The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 3.4 million diagnosed cases and at least 137,358 deaths.
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Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
10:49 p.m.: 15 jockeys test positive at Del Mar, races canceled
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California has canceled three days of horse races after 15 jockeys tested positive for COVID-19.
The races had been set to take place July 17, 18 and 19.
"Racing will return on July 24," Joe Harper, Del Mar's CEO, said in a statement. "Canceling this weekend’s races will give us additional time to monitor the situation and give the individuals who tested positive additional time to recover."
The entire group of jockeys competing at the track was tested after two -- Flavien Prat and Victor Espinoza -- tested positive individually.
Prat won the 2019 Kentucky Derby aboard Country House after a disqualification of Maximum Security. Espinoza is a legendary jockey, winning the Triple Crown aboard American Pharaoh in 2015 and taking the Kentucky Derby three times.
7:45 p.m.: LA County reports record COVID-19 hospitalizations
Los Angeles County saw a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on Wednesday.
The county's department of health reported 2,193 people currently hospitalized.
People between the ages of 18 and 40 years old are being hospitalized at a higher rate than before, too, according to the department.
There were 2,758 new cases and 44 new deaths reported in the county Wednesday.
5:38 p.m.: Record new cases, deaths reported in Texas
Texas reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths on Wednesday, according to data from the state's health department.
There were 10,791 new cases and 110 new fatalities reported.
Texas has 282,365 confirmed cases and 3,432 fatalities statewide. There are 10,471 patients currently hospitalized, and intensive care units are filling up in some areas.
The Beaumont region currently doesn't have any ICU beds available.
4:15 p.m.: Houston classes to be all online for 1st 6 weeks of school
In Houston, classes will be online-only for the first six weeks of the school year, officials said Wednesday.
The start of the school year was also delayed for two weeks, now beginning Sept. 8, due to a rise of coronavirus cases in the area, school officials said.
Face-to-face instruction is set to begin Oct. 19 with a "phased-in approach," but the date could change based on COVID-19 conditions, according to the school district.
Families also have an option to choose full-time virtual learning for the fall semester or entire school year, the district added.
Harris County, which includes Houston, has over 49,000 confirmed coronavirus cases -- the most in the state.
3:50 p.m.: 1 in 5 people in heavily populated California county are testing positive
In Riverside County, California, home to 2.5 million people, 1 in 5 residents are testing positive for COVID-19.
A local hospital has just three intensive care unit beds left and officials told ABC News the hospital admission rate has doubled in the last month.
"They come in faster than we’re able to discharge," Shannon Ashcom, a nurse at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, told ABC News via video.
