Myriam Borzee/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 863,000 people worldwide.

Over 26 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 six million diagnosed cases and at least 185,752 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 715,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 641,000 cases and over 633,000 cases respectively.

Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, six of which are in crucial phase three trials.

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

Sep 03, 2:13 pm
SUNY Oneonta students sent home for rest of fall semester

The State University of New York at Oneonta will send all of its on-campus students home and suspend all in-person classes and activities for the rest of the fall semester, the school announced on Thursday.

The college was in the midst of its two-week “pause” period, which began Aug. 30, where the focus was on testing and limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

An increase in confirmed cases — 389 since the start of the semester on Aug. 24 — caused the college to make the determination to cease in-person learning.

“While this is sudden news and something no one wanted, the risk to our campus and Oneonta community is too great. I know the vast majority of our students have been diligent in protecting our campus since day one,” president of the school, Barbara Jean Morris, said in a statement. “We committed to do everything we could to mitigate this situation, and today, that means ending residential housing for this semester.”

Students who have tested negative will be asked to leave on-campus housing by next Monday. Those who wish to remain on campus will be given an opportunity to request permission to stay.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an appearance on NBC’s Today Show on Wednesday that sending students home after an outbreak is the “worst thing you could do.”

“Keep them at the university in a place that’s sequestered enough from the other students, but don’t have them go home because they could be spreading it in their home state,” he said.

Sep 03, 12:15 pm
Fauci calls vaccine timetable ‘guesstimates’

Responding to claims that a vaccine could be ready by the end of October, Dr. Anthony Fauci would not commit to a specific date, calling any projection of when it would be available a “guesstimate.”

“If you look at the projections of the enrollment and the kinds of things you’ll need to get a decision about whether a vaccine is safe and effective, most of us project that that’s going to be by November and December, by the end of the year,” Fauci told CNN in an interview on Thursday.

When asked about the possibility of a vaccine being ready by October, Fauci called it “unlikely, not impossible.”

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he doesn’t think Americans should be concerned that politics will influence when a vaccine would be approved for the public.

“The FDA has been very explicit that they are going to make a decision based on the data as it comes in,” he said.

Fauci says once approved, he would not hesitate to take a coronavirus vaccine.

“A vaccine would not be approved for the American public unless it was both indeed safe and effective,” he said.

ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.

Sep 03, 11:31 am
Malls, casinos in New York to reopen

Malls in New York City can reopen at 50% capacity on Sept. 9, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday.

The malls must have enhanced filtration systems and additional staff will be required to help control foot traffic.

There will still be no indoor dining in the malls, Cuomo said.

Casinos in the state have also been authorized to reopen on Sept. 9 at 25% capacity — they must also have a filtration system in place and occupants must follow social distancing guidelines.

Cuomo, at his daily conference with reporters, would not commit to when indoor dining would resume in New York City.

“My opinion is restaurants should open. The question is how?” he said.

Sep 03, 10:37 am
Temple University suspends in-person learning for fall semester amid rise in cases

Temple University announced on Thursday it will now have virtual learning for the entire fall semester after a rise in cases among students at the school.

“In light of the recent increase in positive test results among our students, and after consultation with our own healthcare professionals and leaders at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, we have concluded that the data indicate it is time to pivot to primarily online education,” university President Richard Englert said in a statement.

Only “essential in-person teaching” at the university’s domestic campuses will continue for the rest of the fall semester — this applies only to courses where “educational objectives” cannot be reached without some in-person instruction.

The university estimated that 95% of classes would become virtual.

Any student that is using university housing and chooses to leave by Sept. 13 will be given a full refund for housing and meal plan charges for the semester. Students who wish to remain in university housing may do so, the school said.

Sep 03, 6:55 am
Over 800 students positive at University of Georgia

The University of Georgia reported that more than 800 people on campus have tested positive for COVID-19. Data released Wednesday showed that 798 students, 19 staff members and four faculty members tested positive following the first week of classes.

“The rise in positive tests last week is concerning. It is critically important that all of our students continue to make every effort to prioritize their health and safety by taking the proper steps to avoid exposure to this virus,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement Wednesday. “… And, for those of you heading out of town over the Labor Day weekend, be very careful and think about the health of everyone around you. All of us must take our responsibilities very seriously as we seek to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

One professor at UGA said while the number of confirmed diagnosed cases is concerning, he believes the true numbers could be much higher.

Dr. Mark Ebell, an epidemiology professor at UGA, told ABC affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta that he believes, based on test data, that another 2,000 asymptomatic students could be on campus right now.

He said those who tested positive are those “who had a cough, fever and knew they were sick and reported the diseases.”

The state of Georgia has more than 274,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, with at least 5,795 deaths.

Colleges and universities throughout the country are seeing a rise in cases and students come back to campus. At the University of Indiana, 30 Greek Houses, which have over 1,000 students, have been told to quarantine due to COVID-19.

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