COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 1 November

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 246.7 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5 million. More than 7.04 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has declared the country reopened and ready for a new way of life, having surpassed its COVID-19 vaccination target.

South Korea has also eased a number of COVID-19 restrictions, and introduced vaccine passports, as the country moves towards 'living with COVID-19'.

Mexico received nearly 6 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, its health ministry said. It follows the arrival of nearly 6.5 million Sputnik V vaccine doses last Tuesday.

Singapore could see as many as 2,000 COVID-19 deaths annually, Janil Puthucheary, a senior minister of state said in parliament on Monday.

The United Arab Emirates has approved for emergency use the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11.

New COVID-19 cases in Britain from 25 to 31 October have fallen 13.5% compared with the previous 7 days.

New COVID-19 cases topped 7,000 in France on Saturday for the first time since 21 September, hitting 7,360.

Thailand and Australia have both significantly eased international border restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in the Thai capital for quarantine-free travel after the southeast Asian nation gave the green light for such visitors from more than 60 countries, including China and the United States.

Hundreds of citizens arrived in Australia - the first to arrive without a permit or the need to quarantine since April 2020. While travel is limited at first to just a few states and to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and New Zealand nationals, it heralds a plan to re-open to international tourists and workers.

Australia's announcement of quarantine-free travel for Singapore citizens from 21 November was a step forward to 'a new normal', said Philip Goh, the Asia-Pacific vice president of airline trade body IATA.

"We are excited by this positive development and we look forward to further easing of border restrictions by Australia and other countries in the region," Goh said.

Authorities have extended COVID-19 restrictions for another week in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. However, some will be eased after that, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today.

A 10 November re-opening date for retail stores and institutions such as libraries and museums has been agreed, Ardern told a news conference.

"Because of the high vaccination rates in Auckland we can move with greater confidence," Ardern said. "These decisions are carefully balanced and allow us to release some of the pressure and fatigue that we know exists in Auckland."

New Zealand has been unable to quash the current outbreak, forcing it to adopt a strategy of living with the virus instead of the earlier aim of elimination.

"Previously we worked hard to eliminate every case. While Delta has forced us to change our approach, vaccines ensure we have the same goal," Ardern said.

More than 75% of New Zealand, or about 3.1 million people, have now been fully vaccinated, while 88% have got one dose.