COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 12 October

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 37.4 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at over 1.07 million.

In the US, confirmed cases have risen to 7,694,865, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an increase of 53,363 cases from its previous count. The number of deaths rose by 577 to 213,614.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had fully recovered from COVID-19 and was not an infection risk for others. "I’m in great shape,” he told Fox News.

Cases in India have now topped 7 million, after the health ministry reported 74,383 new infections in the previous 24 hours. A rise in infections in southern states is offsetting a drop in western regions.

Asia-Pacific countries including Singapore, Australia and Japan are easing some international travel restrictions as coronavirus cases slow.

China’s Qingdao city will conduct COVID-19 tests for its population of more than 9 million people over five days, after new cases appeared linked to a hospital treating imported infections.

Deaths in Brazil have passed 150,000. It has the second highest death toll after the US. Confirmed cases stand at more than 5.09 million.

2. Record daily increase in Russia

Russia has recorded a new record increase in daily cases, pushing the world’s fourth highest infection tally towards 1.3 million, reports Reuters.

The country's coronavirus taskforce recorded 13,634 new cases in the last 24 hours, including 4,501 in Moscow. The death toll now stands at 22,597.

The capital has been the hardest-hit area. It has opened two temporary hospitals and ordered businesses to have at least 30% of staff working remotely.

In August, Russia became the first country to grant regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine. Large-scale trials had not been completed, which caused concern among some in the global scientific community.

About 400 high-risk patients have received jabs, according to the health ministry, but the vaccine is not yet in general circulation.

3. Cases spike in Western Europe as second wave hits

A second wave of coronavirus infections is sweeping across much of Europe, while countries seek to bring in new restrictions without further damaging economies.

France recorded a one-day record number of cases on 10 October, with 26,896 infections. It comes just days after the capital city of Paris was put on maximum alert, with all bars closing but restaurants allowed to remain open.

Ireland also recorded a record daily increase over the weekend – with 1,012 new cases of COVID-19, almost double the average for the past week. Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said he was “very worried about the numbers we are seeing and how quickly they are deteriorating.”

Italy is preparing fresh nationwide restrictions, including on private parties, in response to a recent spike in new coronavirus cases, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam warned the UK had reached a "tipping point". More than 15,160 people tested positive for coronavirus on 10 October, reports the BBC – an increase of more than 1,300 on the previous day.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a three-tier local lockdown system which would see regions under different restrictions, depending on the severity of cases.

An aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany should continue capping the number of people allowed at gatherings and clamp down on unnecessary travel as it battles rising coronavirus infections.

“We must be a bit stricter in places where infection chains spread mostly, which is parties and, unfortunately, also travel,” the chancellor’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, told public broadcaster ARD.