Ovidiu Dugulan/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL and ELLA TORRES, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 753,000 people worldwide.

Nearly 21 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 United States is the worst-affected country in the world, with more than 5.2 million diagnosed cases and at least 167,242 deaths.

Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.

12:18 p.m.: Half of Americans know someone with COVID: Survey

The number of Americans who know someone in the U.S. who has tested positive for coronavirus has reached a new high, according to a new survey.

Half of the country’s population now says they know someone who has contracted the virus, up from 41% last month, according to the Societal Experts Action Network.

The survey also shows that the virus has touched all regions of the country, with 51% in the Midwest and South knowing someone who has tested positive, 49% in the Northeast and 47% in the West.

While the numbers were comparable among racial groups, Black and Hispanic people are much more likely than white people to know someone who has died from coronavirus.

For Black and Hispanic people, the numbers are respectively 35% and 28%. For white people, the number is 16%.

The study also showed that pessimism in the country remains, with two-thirds of people saying the situation is getting worse.

Moreover, 74% of Americans favor a national face mask mandate. On Friday, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, told CBS News This Morning that Trump does not want to tell people to wear masks.

“If people feel more comfortable wearing masks, they absolutely should. I do think it’s a public health — a good thing to do. But President Trump does not believe that Washington should be telling people how to live their lives and all the different states,” Kushner said.

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has taken the opposite stance, saying that governors should institute mask mandates.

11:57 a.m.: Museums to reopen in NYC

Museums and cultural institutions can reopen in New York City beginning Aug. 24, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday. They have been closed since mid-March.

Cuomo said they will operate at 25% capacity and both timed ticketing and face coverings will be required. There will also be pre-set staggered entries.

Other businesses are also set to reopen, with bowling alleys starting Monday. Protocol for gyms will be released Monday, he said.

Cuomo also provided an update on COVID-19 cases in the state. Out of the 85,455 tests reported Thursday, 727 — or .85% — were positive.

Total hospitalizations fell to 554 and there were four COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, he said.

5:33 a.m.: CDC: Up to 200,000 deaths by Labor Day

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted in its latest forecast that the U.S. coronavirus death toll could reach 200,000 by Labor Day as children across the country head back to school.

Its national ensemble forecast predicts that 4,200 to 10,600 new COVID-19 deaths will be reported for the week ending on Sept. 5 and that 180,000 to 200,000 total COVID-19 deaths will be reported by that date.

Last month, the CDC predicted there would be between 160,000 and 175,000 deaths by Aug. 15. As of Aug. 13, with more than 1,000 deaths a day every day for more than two weeks, there have been 167,097 deaths.

The U.S. surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 deaths on May 27.

New cases continue to decrease across the country week-over-week, but the rate of new deaths have increased over the same period, according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency memo obtained by ABC News.

There were 7,517 deaths recorded from Aug. 5 to 12, which marked a 2.3% increase in new deaths compared with the previous week. The national test-positivity rate remains at 6.5%.

ABC News analyzed state coronavirus trends across all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and found there were increases in cases in two states (Hawaii and Illinois) and Puerto Rico, increases in the daily rate of positivity in 15 states plus D.C., increases in hospitalizations in 19 states, and increases in daily deaths in 23 states, D.C, and Puerto Rico.

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