COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 5 October

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 35.1 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at over 1.03 million.

COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted in Auckland this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said. A new outbreak was detected in the city in August.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to reimpose restrictions in nine neighbourhoods identified as COVID-19 clusters. Non-essential business and schools will be closed.

The World Bank President, David Malpass, has said investors need to be ready to grant relief if the pandemic causes a debt crisis in some countries. This could include debt cancellation.

Paris, France, is set to be placed on maximum COVID-19 alert. Bars will be forced to close for two weeks from tomorrow, and restaurants will need to put in place new sanitary protocols in order to remain open.

Italy is also set to impose new restrictions in the coming weeks, in order to curb a rising number of coronavirus cases.

India hopes to receive up to 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by July, health minister Harsh Vardhan said yesterday. The country has 6.55 million confirmed cases and more than 100,000 deaths.

Nine US states have seen record COVID-19 case increases in the last seven days - mostly in the upper Midwest and West.

Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin all reported record increases on Saturday, when nearly 50,000 new infections were reported nationally. Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Wyoming also set record case increases last week.

Experts have warned the colder weather forcing people inside could help promote the spread of the virus. Daytime temperatures are now around 10 degrees Celsius in the upper Midwest.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director General, has said we're at a critical moment in the outbreak response, calling on leaders to strengthen their responses. In a media briefing on Friday, he also called for solidarity and collective action from individuals.

"For us all, the fastest way for us to get through this is to act together," he said.

"If we all keep doing the basics: physical distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, coughing and sneezing safely away from others, avoiding crowds and keeping windows and doors open when you can’t meet friends and family outside – together, we will suppress this virus."

Once the virus is under control, it's then vital governments keep going, he added. "Stay vigilant and be ready – and keep investing in your national health systems including contact tracing."