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Coronavirus live updates: Eli Lilly to supply US with 300,000 vials of antibody drug

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narvikk/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 44 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 8.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 226,982 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.

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

Oct 28, 1:28 pm
Italy, Greece report record increases again

Italy and Greece both reached new records for daily COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row.

Italy reported 24,991 new cases on Wednesday, breaking the record of 21,994 cases from Tuesday, according to the Civil Protection Agency.

Italy now has over 589,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 37,905 fatalities.

Greece set a new record with 1,547 new cases on Wednesday, up from Tuesday’s record of 1,259, according to the National Public Health Organization.

Greece now has over 34,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 603 deaths.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Oct 28, 12:32 pm
Dodgers delay World Series celebration after Turner’s positive test

One day after winning the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers said Wednesday that the team will wait to celebrate with the fans “until it is safe to do so.”

While the Dodgers were playing the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday night, third baseman Justin Turner tested positive for COVID-19 and was pulled from the series-winning game, ESPN reported.

Turner tweeted that he had no symptoms and “just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine.” 

 

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Oct 28, 12:18 pm
Fauci says we won’t have ‘some semblance of normality’ until at least 2021

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Australians on Wednesday, “I think it will be easily by the end of 2021, and perhaps into the next year, before we start having some semblance of normality.”

Fauci defined “normal” as packing theaters and restaurants operating at full capacity, according to The Age.

Fauci applauded Australia’s response to the pandemic.

“Australia is one of the countries that has done quite well. New Zealand has done well,” he said, according to The Age.

“I would like to say the same for the U.S., but the numbers speak for themselves,” Fauci said, describing the U.S. as “getting worse and worse.” 

Oct 28, 11:47 am
Wisconsin football on pause following 12 COVID-19 cases

The University of Wisconsin football team is pausing all activities for at least one week following an “elevated number” of COVID-19 cases, the team announced.
 
As of Wednesday morning, 12 people — six athletes and six staff members — had tested positive within the last five days, the team said.

Wisconsin was set to plan Nebraska on Saturday but the game has been canceled.

Oct 28, 10:29 am
France braces for possible nationwide lockdown

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce further restrictions to curb a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Macron is slated to make a televised address on Wednesday evening, after holding emergency meetings with government officials to discuss the COVID-19 response. A four-week nationwide lockdown is reportedly among the options being considered, according to French media.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told France Inter radio on Tuesday that citizens “must expect difficult decisions.”

Macron’s announcement would follow an alarming spike in deaths from COVID-19 as well as record numbers of new cases across France. Nighttime curfews have already been imposed in many areas, including Paris.

France’s public health agency has confirmed 1,198,695 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 35,541 deaths.

Oct 28, 9:07 am
Poland sees record rise in new cases

Poland confirmed another 18,820 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, its highest single-day increase yet.

An additional 236 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered across the Central European country in the past 24 hours, according to the Polish Ministry of Health.

Poland’s cumulative total currently stands at 299,049 cases with 4,851 deaths.

Meanwhile, nearly 14,000 COVID-19 patients remained hospitalized in Poland as of Wednesday morning, including 1,150 who are on ventilators, the health ministry said.

Oct 28, 8:03 am
Eli Lilly to supply US with 300,000 vials of experimental antibody drug

Eli Lilly and Company announced Wednesday an initial agreement with the U.S. government to supply 300,000 vials of one of its experimental antibody treatments for $375 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The federal government will accept the vials of bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody drug, if it is granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The initial agreement also provides the option for the federal government to purchase up to an additional 650,000 vials through June 2021, according to a press release from Eli Lilly and Company.

The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical firm submitted a request earlier this month for the FDA to authorize emergency use of bamlanivimab in non-hospitalized, high-risk individuals with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

“The U.S. is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and associated hospitalizations,” said David Ricks, chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, “and we believe bamlanivimab could be an important therapeutic option that can bring value to the overall healthcare system, as it has shown a potential benefit in clinical outcomes with a reduction in viral load and rates of symptoms and hospitalizations.”

If the FDA authorizes use of the therapeutic, the federal government will allocate the doses to state and territorial health departments which will then determine which health care facilities receive the drug for use in outpatient care. The government-purchased doses would become available to Americans at no cost, though health care professionals could charge for administering the intravenous infusion, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“This agreement with Eli Lilly is part of Operation Warp Speed’s efforts to position the federal government to distribute potential therapeutics, allowing faster distribution if trials are successful,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.

The deal comes after the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced Monday that it has stopped testing a combination of bamlanivimab with the antiviral medication remedesivir in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, after an independent review of results found a “lack of clinical benefit.” Eli Lilly and Company said that all other studies of bamlanivimab, including its own phase 3 clinical trials, will continue and that it remains “confident” that the drug may help prevent progression of COVID-19 for individuals earlier in the course of their disease.

Oct 28, 6:06 am
Russia’s daily death toll reaches record high for second straight day

Russia registered 346 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting a new national record, according to the country’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The country’s previous record of 320 deaths in a 24-hour reporting period was set just a day earlier.

An additional 16,202 new cases of COVID-19 were also confirmed in the past day, down from Sunday’s peak of 17,347, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

Moscow remains the epicenter of the country’s outbreak and recent surge. More than 22% of the new cases — 3,670 — and over 21% of the new deaths — 61 — were reported in the Russian capital.

The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,563,976 cases with 26,935 deaths, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

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

Oct 28, 5:52 am
South Africa’s president enters self-quarantine

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is under self-quarantine after a guest at a dinner he attended over the weekend tested positive for COVID-19.

“The President is showing no symptoms at this time and will, in line with COVID-19 health advice, be tested should symptoms manifest,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement Wednesday. “The President will perform his duties remotely and will observe the guidelines that apply to self-quarantine.”

Ramaphosa attended a fundraising dinner for the Adopt-a-School Foundation at a hotel in Johannesburg on Saturday evening. Thirty-five guests were in attendance at the event and were the only people hosted by the venue at that time.

“The event adhered stringently to COVID-19 protocols and directives on screening, social distancing and the wearing of masks,” Ramaphosa’s office said. “As was the case with all guests, the President himself removed his mask only when dining and addressing the guests.”

On Tuesday, the Adopt-a-School Foundation advised the dinner guests that an attendee had tested positive for COVID-19 after showing symptoms on Sunday. The South African president had already attended two other events Tuesday morning before being alerted of the infected guest, who is currently “receiving medical attention,” according to Ramaphosa’s office.

“The President is screened regularly by the South African Military Health Service and subjects himself to screening at venues where he participates in engagements,” his office said.

South Africa has confirmed more than 717,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including at least 19,053 deaths. The country accounts for almost half of all diagnosed cases on the African continent, according to data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oct 28, 5:19 am
Russia’s foreign minister in self-isolation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone infected with COVID-19.

Lavrov, however, is “feeling well,” according to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Following a contact with an individual infected with Covid-19, Sergei Lavrov will opt for self-isolation,” the ministry said in a statement Tuesday. “The visits and meetings planned earlier are postponed.”

Oct 28, 4:24 am
US reports over 73,000 new cases, nearly 1,000 deaths

There were 73,240 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Tuesday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest daily tally is nearly 6,500 more than the previous day but still less than the country’s all-time high of 83,757 new cases set on Friday.

An additional 985 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide Tuesday, more than double the previous day’s count but still down from a peak of 2,666 new deaths in mid-April.

A total of 8,779,653 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 226,723 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 80,000 for the first time on Oct. 23.

An internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Tuesday night shows the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded across the nation has increased substantially in week-over-week comparisons, as has the number of new deaths from the disease.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

San Francisco passes CAREN Act to criminalize phony 911 calls based on race

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LordRunar/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(SAN FRANCISCO) — San Francisco leaders voted to crack down on so-called “Karens” who use 911 calls to discriminate against minorities.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the Caution Against Racially and Exploitative Non-Emergencies, or CAREN, Act on Tuesday, which amends the city’s police code and allows anyone harmed by such calls to sue.

The bill, nicknamed for the slang term given to people who make the baseless calls, means violators would be liable in court to general damages of at least $1,000 plus costs and attorney’s fees, and punitive damages.

Supervisor Shamann Walton, who introduced the bill in July, said in a statement that the act should make residents think twice before calling the police on their Black or minority neighbors over a non-emergency.

“Rather than calling the police or law enforcement on your neighbor, or someone who you think doesn’t look like they should be your neighbor, try talking to them and getting to know them. Let’s build relationships in our communities,” he said in a statement.

The act expands the city’s definition of a protected class “to prevent false emergency calls with the specific intent to discriminate against a person or otherwise infringe the person’s rights or cause the person specified harms on the basis of the person’s race, color, ancestry, national origin, place of birth, sex, age, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, weight, or height.”

Mayor London Breed has said she supports the bill, which would go into law 30 days after it’s signed.

The false reports have gained more attention in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and the racial reckoning it prompted in the U.S.

One of the most prominent cases came in May when a woman in New York’s Central Park called police on a birdwatcher who had asked her to put her dog on a leash. She claimed an “African American man” was threatening her and “tried to assault her” — neither of which was true. She is expected to plead guilty to falsely reporting an incident at a court date next month.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a similar bill into law Tuesday.

The bill, HB 5098, expands the state’s definition of hate crimes to include “false 911 calls or reports to law enforcement against another person made on the basis of race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Coronavirus live updates: Study stops using Eli Lilly's antibody drug

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Ovidiu Dugulan/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 43.6 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.

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 8.7 million diagnosed cases and at least 226,002 deaths.

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

Oct 27, 1:04 pm
Greece, Italy report record rise in cases

Greece reported 1,259 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a record 24-hour increase, surpassing the 935 new infections reported on Saturday, according to the National Public Health Organization.

The small Mediterranean country now has over 32,000 cases.

Twelve new deaths were reported on Tuesday, pushing Greece’s fatality total to 593.

Meanwhile, Italy on Tuesday also reported a record 24-hour increase — 21,994 newly diagnosed cases — breaking a record set on Sunday, according to the Civil Protection Agency.

Italy now has more than 564,000 cases and at least 37,700 fatalities.

Walter Ricciardi, a top Italian physician and adviser to Health Minister Roberto Speranza, called for Naples and Milan to be locked down on Tuesday, saying “in Milan and Naples you can get COVID by walking into a bar or a restaurant or catching a bus.”

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 12:25 pm
Birx blasts ND city for having lowest mask use of anywhere she’s visited

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx visited shops and restaurants in Bismark, North Dakota, on Monday, where she said she saw the lowest make use of anywhere she’s visited, local TV station KFYR-TV reported.

“There is not only evidence that masks work, there is evidence that masks used as a public health mitigation effort works,” Birx said, according to KFYR-TV.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is against a statewide mask ruling, instead leaving it up to local governments, KFYR said. In Bismark, the city commission is expected to vote on a mask order Tuesday night, according to KFYR.

Oct 27, 9:57 am
New cases are up 26% in US while deaths increase 15%, HHS memo says

The number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded across the United States has increased substantially, as has the number of new deaths from the disease, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News on Monday 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 40 U.S. states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new infections, while nine jurisdictions are at a plateau and seven others are in a downward trend.

There were 488,498 new cases confirmed during the period of Oct. 19-25, a 26% increase from the previous week. There were also 5,615 fatalities from COVID-19 recorded during the same period, a 15.1% increase compared with the week prior, according to the memo.

The national positivity rate for COVID-19 tests increased from 5.6% to 6.1% in week-to-week comparisons. Meanwhile, 22% of hospitals across the country have intensive care units that are more than 80% occupied. That figure is up from the summertime peak, when 17-18% of U.S. hospitals had 80% of ICU beds full, the memo said.

Arizona reported 848 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 21, its highest count since Aug. 26, according to the memo.

In the U.S. territory of Guam, which continues to be classified as a “red zone” for COVID-19 infections, an average of 89.7% of inpatient beds and 80.2% of ICU beds were occupied in the week ending Oct. 20, the memo said.

North Dakota saw a record high of 1,036 new cases on Oct. 20, surpassing the 1,000 mark of daily incident cases for the first time, according to the memo.

New Jersey reported 852 daily COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 22, its highest since late July, the memo said.

Oklahoma reached a record 956 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 22. The previous record was set just two days earlier, according to the memo.

Utah reported an all-time high of 314 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Oct. 21, as several hospitals in the state reached capacity, the memo said.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

Oct 27, 9:23 am
Indian minister says he’s been hospitalized after testing positive

India’s Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and, per doctors’ recommendations, has been hospitalized for a few days.

“Those who have come in contact with me are advised to get COVID-19 tests done,” Athawale wrote on his official Twitter account.

It’s the latest Indian minister to contract the virus, as the country’s cumulative case count nears eight million. Only the United States has a higher tally of diagnosed cases.

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed 36,470 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the lowest single-day tally since mid-July. The ministry also registered another 488 fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the country’s death toll to 119,502.

Oct 27, 8:24 am
Violent protests erupt in Italy over new restrictions

Protesters took to the streets in Milan, Turin and several other Italian cities on Monday in anger over the latest COVID-19 restrictions, which have shuttered cinemas, gyms and other leisure venues and have forced cafes and restaurants to close early.

The protests, at times, turned violent as some people smashed storefront windows, looted shops, set fires and hurled objects at police, who used tear gas to clear the tumultuous crowds.

A number of people were detained overnight in connection to the violence and vandalism in various cities and towns. More than two dozen people were reportedly arrested in Milan alone.

Italy, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, has seen an increase in infections in recent weeks. Over the weekend, the country’s civil protection agency confirmed a record 21,273 new cases of COVID-19. As of Monday night, the cumulative total was 542,789 cases with 37,479 deaths.

Oct 27, 7:28 am
Study stops using Eli Lilly’s antibody treatment for COVID-19 patients due to ‘lack of clinical benefit’

Researchers have stopped testing a combination of remedesivir with one of Eli Lilly and Company’s experimental antibody treatments in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, after an independent review of results found a “lack of clinical benefit.”

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is funding the clinical trial, said in a statement Monday that it plans to test other experimental drugs as COVID-19 treatments in the study.

Eli Lilly and Company said that all other studies of its monoclonal antibody drug, bamlanivimab, will continue, including one in recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate cases and another in people at risk of infection.

“While there was insufficient evidence that bamlanivimab improved clinical outcomes when added to other treatments in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, we remain confident based on data from Lilly’s BLAZE-1 study that bamlanivimab monotherapy may prevent progression of disease for those earlier in the course of COVID-19,” Eli Lilly and Company said in a statement Monday.

Earlier this month, the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize emergency use of bamlanivimab in non-hospitalized individuals with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

Oct 27, 6:07 am
Russia’s daily death toll reaches all-time high

Russia registered 320 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting a new national record, according to the country’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The country’s previous record of 317 deaths in a 24-hour reporting period was set less than a week ago.

An additional 16,550 new cases of COVID-19 were also confirmed in the past day, down from a peak of 17,347 the day prior, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

Moscow remains the epicenter of the country’s outbreak and recent surge. More than 26% of the new cases — 4,312 — and over 19% of the new deaths — 61 — were reported in the capital.

The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,547,774 cases with 26,589 deaths, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

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

Oct 27, 5:10 am
US reports more than 66,000 new cases

There were 66,784 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Monday, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest daily tally is nearly 6,000 more than the previous day but still less than the national record of 83,757 new cases set on Friday.

An additional 481 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide Monday, almost half the previous day’s count and down from a peak of 2,666 new deaths in mid-April.

A total of 8,704,524 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 225,735 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 80,000 for the first time on Oct. 23.

Oct 27, 4:34 am
Analysis shows COVID-19 positivity rates rising in 37 US states

An ABC News analysis of COVID-19 trends across all 50 U.S. states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam found there were increases in the daily positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in 37 states.

The analysis also found increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations in 35 states plus Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as increases in daily COVID-19 death tolls in 27 states.

Meanwhile, case numbers are higher — a daily average of at least 15 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week — and staying high in 33 states plus Puerto Rico and Guam, and case numbers are lower — a daily average of under 15 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week — but are going up in nine states.

Six states hit a record number of current hospitalizations in a day, while 16 states saw a record number of current hospitalizations in a week. Twenty states plus Puerto Rico reported a record number of new cases in a week. Six states reached a record number of new deaths in a week.

The United States is rapidly approaching an average of 70,000 new cases a day, the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic. Just a week ago, the country was averaging 57,000 new cases a day. That average has doubled in the last six weeks. Friday and Saturday marked the two highest days on record for the country, with a combined 165,678 new cases over the 48-hour reporting period.

The month of October is now on track to become the second-highest month on record for COVID-19 cases in the United States. Nearly 1.4 million daily cases have been reported since Oct. 1, and nearly half a million of those cases have been reported in the last seven days alone.

Midwestern states continue to struggle, reaching record-high daily figures on Saturday. But the Midwest is not alone. Since Oct. 3, the seven-day average of new cases in the South have risen by 45%, and the West is now reporting daily case numbers not seen since mid-August.

Even the Northeast, which had consistently reported improving trends after COVID-19 struck in the spring, has seen a concerning resurgence of the virus. Rhode Island hit an all-time high of new cases last week, and the average rate of positivity has now surpassed 5% in Massachusetts.

The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized nationwide continues to hover around 41,000. Just in the last month, current hospitalizations have increased by 40%.

In the Northeast, hospitalizations are nearing the 4,000 mark. The number of patients hospitalized in the Midwest is now the highest on record.

The trends were all analyzed from data collected and published by the COVID Tracking Project over the past two weeks, using the linear regression trend line of the seven-day moving average to examine whether a state’s key indicators were increasing, decreasing or remained flat.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Hurricane Zeta slated to bring dangerous conditions to parts of Louisiana, northern Gulf Coast

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ABC NewsBY: KARMA ALLEN, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Zeta strengthened as it made its way toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Monday, and is set to make landfall along the Louisiana coast later this week.

Zeta strengthened into a hurricane on Monday and is expected to make landfall along the northern Gulf Coast by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The hurricane was moving northwest at about 10 mph with its eye located about 90 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It had maximum winds of about 80 mph as of Monday evening.

The hurricane is forecast to bring strong winds and a “dangerous storm surge” to portions of the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the National Weather service. Coastal areas along the Northern Gulf Coast were placed under hurricane and storm surge watches, and Louisiana, Florida and Alabama were given warnings, the NWS said Monday, noting threats of coastal flooding, heavy rain and possible tornadoes.

Louisiana declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm Monday night. Louisiana Gov. John Edwards said he issued the order despite uncertainty surrounding the storm’s final path and urged residents to follow the guidelines.

“While there is some uncertainty in Zeta’s track, it is likely that Louisiana will see some impacts from this storm, and the people of our state need to take it seriously. It’s easy to let your guard down late in the hurricane season, but that would be a huge mistake,” Edwards said.

He said state officials were already assisting local authorities with “critical items like pumps, generators and food and water” for first responders.

“We stand ready to expand that assistance as needed,” Edwards said in a statement. “Everyone should be monitoring the news for information and should heed any direction they get from their local leaders.”

A storm surge watch is in effect in several areas between Intracoastal City, Louisiana and Navarre, Florida, including Lake Pontchartrain, Pensacola Bay and Mobile Bay.

A hurricane watch is in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi/Alabama border, putting residents in areas like Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans on alert.

The storm also triggered several tropical storm watches from the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in Florida, and from west of Morgan City, Louisiana, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana.

The NWS said residents in and around those areas should monitor the storm closely, as the agency will likely issue additional hurricane and storm surge watches as Zeta progresses.

Zeta is forecast to make landfall along Louisiana’s northern coast Wednesday night. Meteorologist said the storm could decrease in strength by that time, but it’s expected to be at or near hurricane strength at the time of landfall.

It’s expected to bring heavy rainfall across the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, the Cayman Islands and central to western Cuba through Tuesday, causing flash floods in some urban areas.

Portions of the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the southern Appalachians and some Mid-Atlantic states will likely experience heavy rain as well between late Tuesday and Thursday, according to the NWS.

ABC News’ Melissa Griffin and Josh Hoyos contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Coronavirus live updates: El Paso County imposes curfew as hospitals and ICUs fill up

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Myriam Borzee/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.

Over 43 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 8.6 million diagnosed cases and at least 225,230 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 906,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 892,000 cases and over 778,000 cases, respectively.

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.

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

Oct 26, 10:08 am
Pence tests negative, after close aides infected

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife both tested negative for COVID-19 again Monday morning, according to a spokesperson.

The negative results come after at least five people within Pence’s orbit were found to be infected as of Saturday night.

Multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that four of Pence’s staff members tested positive for COVID-19, including his chief of staff Marc Short as well as the vice president’s “body man,” a position that often represents an individual who is the closest aide to the office holder.

Pence’s “body man” and two additional staffers who tested positive have been quarantining since last week, the sources said.

ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci contributed to this report.

Oct 26, 9:13 am

Trump’s chief of staff admits US is ‘not going to control the pandemic’

As COVID-19 infections surge across the nation, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows admitted Sunday that the United States is “not going to control the pandemic.”

“We’re not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations,” Meadows said in an interview on CNN’s State of the Union.

When pressed on why the Trump administration wasn’t going to get control of the pandemic, Meadows said: “Because it is a contagious virus.”

Oct 26, 8:15 am
France may actually have 100,000 new cases per day, government advisor says

France’s public health agency said Sunday that it had confirmed another 52,010 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily increase the country has seen since the start of the pandemic.

However, Dr. Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who heads the scientific council that advises the French government on the pandemic, told France’s RTL radio on Monday morning that, in reality, the country may have an estimated 100,000 new cases per day due to undiagnosed cases and asymptomatic infections.

Delfraissy said that France is in a “very difficult, even critical, situation.”

As of Sunday afternoon, France’s public health agency had confirmed a total of 1,138,507 cases with 34,761 deaths. More than 12,000 patients remained hospitalized with COVID-19, including at least 1,816 in intensive care.

The European nation has the fifth-highest tally of diagnosed cases, after the United States, India, Brazil and Russia, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Oct 26, 7:45 am
World ‘should learn from Senegal,’ WHO epidemiologist says

As the novel coronavirus spreads rapidly across the United States, a top infectious disease epidemiologist is praising the successful testing and diagnosis strategy of a West African nation.

“We can & should learn from Senegal,” Maria Van Kerkhove said on her official Twitter account Sunday.

Van Kerkhove’s tweet included a post from the WHO’s Regional Office for Africa about the challenges Senegal faced at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and how the country has taken steps to strengthen its testing through digitization, decentralization and fast results.

In another tweet, Van Kerkhove said the world should also learn from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Rwanda, Uruguay, China and Singapore.

Oct 26, 7:17 am
China testing entire city after a single asymptomatic case

All 4.7 million residents of a city in China’s northwest Xinjiang region are being tested for COVID-19 after a single asymptomatic case was detected there, officials said.

Local authorities launched the mass testing program in Kashgar, after a 17-year-old girl who didn’t have any symptoms tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday during a routine screening at the garment factory where she works.

By Sunday afternoon, another 137 asymptomatic cases were identified in Kashgar — all linked to another factory where the girl’s parents work, according to a statement from Xinjiang’s regional health commission. It’s the highest number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases reported in a day in China in more than six months.

Testing of the entire city is expected to be completed by Tuesday. At least 2.8 million people have been tested so far, according to Xinjiang’s regional health commission.

Meanwhile, lockdown measures have been imposed and all schools in the region are closed until Friday.

Oct 26, 5:57 am
El Paso County imposes nighttime curfew as hospitals and ICUs fill up

A nightly curfew has been issued for El Paso County in Texas, where COVID-19 infections have exploded in recent weeks.

El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego ordered all residents to stay home between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting Sunday night, for the next two weeks to help prevent further spread of infection. The curfew is not applicable for those traveling for work or essential services. Only one person per household is allowed to access essential services at a time.

A fine of $250 will be handed down to those who aren’t wearing a mask and $500 for any other violations of the order, Samaniego said.

El Paso County has seen a 160% increase in COVID-19 positivity rates since Oct. 1, as well as a 300% jump in hospitalizations. As of Saturday night, all hospitals and intensive care units in the area had reached 100% capacity, according to Samaniego.

“The purpose of the curfew is to limit mobility in the community,” Samaniego said during a press conference Sunday night. “Currently, our hospitals are stretched to capacity.”

Oct 26, 5:06 am
Russia’s daily case count hits new record high

Russia confirmed 17,347 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting a new national record, according to the country’s coronavirus response headquarters.

The country’s previous record of 17,340 new cases was set on Thursday.

An additional 219 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered in the last 24 hours, down from Wednesday’s peak of 317, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

Moscow remains the epicenter of the country’s outbreak and recent surge. More than 30% of the new cases — 5,224 — and over 28% of the new deaths — 62 — were reported in the capital.

The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,531,224 cases with 26,269 deaths, according to Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters.

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

Oct 26, 4:36 am
US reports some 60,000 new cases after record-breaking surge

There were 60,789 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 nearly 23,000 less than the previous day and falls under the national record of 83,757 new cases set on Friday.

An additional 914 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered nationwide Sunday, down by from a peak of 2,666 new deaths in mid-April.

A total of 8,636,168 people in the United States have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 225,230 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 80,000 for the first time on Oct. 23.

Over the weekend, the country reported more than 83,000 new cases two days in a row.

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