MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2020) The global COVID-19 death toll has topped 1.217 million as of Wednesday, according to data provided by the US-based Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, which has also registered more than 47.6 million positive tests since the start of the pandemic.
As of 18:30 GMT Wednesday, the number of cases globally stood at 47,675,228, including 1,217,745 fatalities.
The United States still has the world's largest coronavirus disease case total, with 9,405,705 positive tests registered since the start of the pandemic. The country's death toll currently stands at 232,889.
Russia is ready to cooperate with other countries on the Sputnik V vaccine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.
"Russia has certified the first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. We are working on two more vaccines. We are ready to cooperate on vaccination on the platform of the Council of Europe," Lavrov said in an address to an online ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe.
There is a "small chance" of the University of Oxford's coronavirus vaccine, which is being produced in conjunction with AstraZeneca, being ready before Christmas, vaccine trial chief investigator Andrew Pollard said Wednesday.
Pollard reportedly said the University of Oxford was hoping to present late-stage results of its trial by the end of the year.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged on Wednesday to roll out new types of COVID-19 testing on a "scale never seen before" once the lockdown ends in early December. England is going to enter a four-week strict lockdown from Thursday, in an attempt to tackle the current surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
India's Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane will deliver medical aid to neighboring Nepal for fighting COVID-19 during his three-day visit beginning on Wednesday, Indian-based regional news agency ANI News reported.
Lawmakers in the United Kingdom's House of Commons have voted overwhelmingly to approve the government's plan to introduce a four-week nationwide lockdown in England in order to curb the coronavirus disease.
During the vote on Wednesday afternoon, members of parliament voted 516-38 in favor of approving the lockdown, which will come into force on Thursday.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has signed a new decree tightening anti-COVID-19 measures, a government press release stated.
The new measures will enter into force on November 5 and will remain in place until at least December 3. During the implementation period, the country will be divided into zones according to the transmission risk level � red (highest), orange (high) and green (low).
The document also envisages measures that will be applicable nationwide, regardless of risk level. Among them, the closure of all museums and exhibitions, a curfew starting at 22:00 local time [21:00 GMT], distance learning for all secondary schools, closure of shopping malls on non-working days and shutting down of all gaming venues and slot machines.
Tighter COVID-19 restrictive measures have also come into force in the Netherlands. Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Tuesday evening that museums, theaters, and other entertainment venues would be closed for two weeks.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has also announced on Wednesday that the majority of shops and entertainment venues will close in Poland after the country reported a new single-day record of 24,692 positive tests.
The Lithuanian government has also decided to introduce a nationwide quarantine starting November 7 to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said on Wednesday.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen went into isolation and was tested for COVID-19 after several lawmakers and officials, including Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup, contracted the virus, the Danish Local media outlet reported on Wednesday, citing the prime minister's office.
Israeli Finance Minister Israel Katz will also self-quarantine after a security guard who accompanied him was diagnosed with the coronavirus disease.
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is also said to have tested positive for the coronavirus disease upon his arrival in Thailand for an official visit, domestic media outlets reported.
The number of registered cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide has risen by a record 3.36 million in the past week, the World Health Organization said.
India, which has the world's second-highest COVID-19 case total of more than 8.3 million, registered over 46,000 new positive tests on Wednesday.
Russia has recorded 19,768 COVID-19 cases over the preceding 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to 1,693,454, the federal response center said on Wednesday. The latest rise was a new single-day record for the country.
New single-day records for positive tests were set in several European countries. Switzerland registered over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in one day, which is the highest rise since the onset of the pandemic, the Federal Office of Public Health said on Wednesday.
Switzerland is set to mobilize 2,500 military personnel to help the country in the fight against the coronavirus, according to the Federal Council's statement, published on Wednesday.
Estonia also registered a record-high daily increase of 208 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country's total tally to 5,333, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
In Iran, more than 500,000 people have now been discharged after contracting the coronavirus disease, Sima Sadat Lari, a spokeswoman for the Iranian Health Ministry, said on Wednesday.
During an appearance on the IRINN broadcaster, the spokeswoman also announced that 8,452 new positive tests for the disease were reported over the preceding 24 hours, taking Iran's case total to 646,164.
