A man and his children wear ventilation masks against the spread of the COVID-19 at a park in Bogota on Oct 9, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

SAO PAULO / AMSTERDAM / MEXICO CITY / PARIS - The COVID-19 infections in Colombia rose to 902,747 after tests detected 8,447 new cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection said Saturday.

The country's death toll climbed to 27,660 after 165 more fatalities were reported over the past day, said the ministry.

A total of 783,131 patients have recovered, it added.

The Colombian government extended the selective quarantine phase till the end of October in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Brazil 

Brazil registered 559 additional coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 26,749 new cases, the nation’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The South American country has now registered 5,082,637 total confirmed coronavirus cases and 150,198 total deaths.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands reached a new record in daily coronavirus cases, hitting nearly 6,500 infections in 24 hours, data released on Saturday showed.

The government has warned that new restrictions will have to be imposed across the country, one of the worst hit in Europe’s second COVID-19 wave, if the number of infections and hospital admissions does not drop this weekend.

Mexico

Mexico has paid an advance of US$159.8 million to guarantee the purchase of a successful vaccine against COVID-19 through the COVAX initiative, the Mexican foreign ministry reported on Saturday.

According to the ministry, Mexico on Thursday transferred the funds and presented risk guarantee documents for another US$20.6 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which coordinates the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility.

ALSO READ: Global virus cases hit daily record, tally tops 36 million

US

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the coronavirus reported and hospitalizations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row, according to a Reuters analysis.

Ten of the 50 states reported record one-day rises in cases on Friday, including the Midwestern states of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. Wisconsin and Illinois recorded over 3,000 new cases for a second day in a row - a two-day trend not seen even during the height of the previous outbreak in the spring, according to Reuters data.

The Western states of Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming also reported their biggest one-day jumps in cases, as did Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Nineteen states have seen record increases in new cases so far in October. (Graphic: here)

Amid the resurgence in cases across the nation, President Donald Trump, who recently contracted COVID-19, addressed his supporters from the balcony of the White House on Saturday, a prelude to restarting his re-election campaign.

He is scheduled to travel on Monday to Florida.

Trump and his administration have faced criticism for their handling of the pandemic that has claimed over 213,000 lives in the country, as well as for a lax approach to mask-wearing and social distancing in the White House.

While deaths nationally continue to trend downward, the United States is losing on average 700 lives a day. Three states reported a record one-day increase in fatalities on Friday: Arkansas, Missouri and Montana. Health experts caution that deaths are a lagging indicator and usually rise weeks after cases climb.

The number of people who succumb to COVID-19 is expected to accelerate this winter.

The country’s daily death rate is projected to more than triple by mid-January to 2,250, with an overall 395,000 fatalities by Feb. 1, 2021, according to a new update of the University of Washington’s widely-cited model.

France

The number of new coronavirus infections in France jumped over 26,000 in one day for the first time since the start of the epidemic, health ministry data showed on Saturday.

The ministry reported 26,896 new infections, taking the cumulative total to 718,873 since the start of the year. The number of deaths from the virus increased by 54 to 32,684.

Ireland

Ireland on Saturday reported 1,012 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number in a day since the start of the pandemic and almost double the average for the past week.

The surge, after a week in which regions of neighbouring Northern Ireland reported some of the highest infection rates in Europe, is likely to increase pressure on the government to impose additional restrictions.

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said in a statement that he was “very worried about the numbers we are seeing and how quickly they are deteriorating.”

Ireland reported an average of 523 cases per day over the previous seven days, double the infection rate seen three weeks earlier.

UK

The United Kingdom recorded 15,166 new daily cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, a rise on the 13,864 cases reported the day before, government data showed.

A further 81 people died after testing positive for the virus within 28 days, the latest daily figures showed.

Tunisia

Tunisian Health Ministry on Saturday reported 3,137 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 31,259 and the death toll to 456 in the country.

"The ministry also recorded 634 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 132 in intensive care units," said a ministry statement.

A total of 271,765 lab tests have been carried out by Oct 9, of which 11.5 percent proved positive, according to the ministry.

Algeria

Algeria on Saturday reported 136 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally of infections to 52,940, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry also announced six new fatalities from the novel coronavirus, raising the country's death toll to 1,795.

Meanwhile, 103 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 37,170.

Morocco

Morocco on Saturday reported 3,443 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the country since March 2 to 149,841.

The death toll rose by 42 to 2,572, while 445 patients are in intensive care units, said the Moroccan Ministry of Health in a press release.

The number of recoveries from the coronavirus in Morocco increased to 124,854 after 1,832 more recoveries were added on Saturday, the ministry said.

Casablanca remains the worst-hit region in the country with 1,733 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths during the last 24 hours.

Italy

Italy’s new cases climbed for a fifth day, reaching 5,724, the most since late March. That’s well above the previous seven-day average of 3,409. Daily testing hit a record and the positivity rate climbed to 4.3 percent, the highest since April.

There were 29 COVID-19 related deaths, as patients in intensive care units rose by 3 to 390, still far below the peak of about 4,000 in early April. Italy’s government is set to further reinforce measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic amid cases resurgence.

Portugal

Portugal on Saturday reported the biggest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak, according to government data.

There were 1,646 new cases in a day, more than the 1,394 reported on Friday, and taking the total to 85,574. The number of patients in intensive care units fell by 3 to 122, a level that’s less than half of the peak reached in April

Poland

Poland imposed special shopping hours for the elderly starting Oct 15 following a record rate of new infections, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference in Warsaw on Saturday.

Poland reported 5,300 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, according to data published on Saturday. That takes the total number of infected to 121,638 with the death toll rising by 53 to 2,972. Poles are obliged to wear masks in public as of today.

Spain

Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appealed for unity on Saturday after the far-right Vox party said it would take legal action against a partial lockdown imposed on Madrid to contain one of Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.

Vox, which is echoing the conservative-led Madrid regional authority’s opposition to the new restrictions implemented via a state of emergency, has also called for protests.

The measures affecting 3.8 million people in the Spanish capital and eight satellite towns include a ban on non-essential travel except for work, school or medical reasons.

Around 7,000 police are deployed to ensure compliance.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal said his party, Spain’s third largest, would appeal in the constitutional court against the “illegal” state of emergency. Opponents say the measures in Madrid are excessive and will crush the economy.

But Sanchez told a news conference that health should come before politics. “We have to be united. This is an epidemiological battle, not ideological,” he said.

Spaniards are bemused and angry over the political bickering, as their nation suffers the highest COVID-19 caseload in Western Europe and its worst recession since the civil war.

Bulgaria 

Bulgaria reported 448 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 24,319, official figures showed on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, recoveries from the disease rose by 105 to 15,818, while the death toll went up from 887 to 891, the health ministry said, adding that 1,189 patients are currently hospitalized, with 59 of them in intensive care.

The number of infected medical workers has reached 1,357, the ministry said.

Germany 

COVID-19 cases in Germany increased by 3,483 over the past 24 hours to 322,864, according to data released Sunday by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

And 11 more deaths lift the country's death toll to 9,615, according to the RKI, the federal government agency for disease control and prevention.

Since Autumn begins, there has been a surge in COVID-19 infections in Germany with a daily record increase of over 4,000 cases.

Canada 

Canada has confirmed a total of 180,145 COVID-19 cases as of Saturday afternoon, including 9,608 deaths, according to CTV.

The case count rose over the 170,000 level on Tuesday.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said in a statement on Saturday that Canada is seeing shifting patterns in the spread of COVID-19 over time.

"While the highest case numbers have been in the 20 to 39 age group over the summer, we are now seeing increasing case numbers in older age groups, where the risk of more severe outcomes is higher," said Tam.

"We must do everything possible to prevent the introduction and further spread of the virus in these settings," she added.

Canadians began the Thanksgiving long weekend amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases that has prompted more restrictions in several hot areas.

Saturday morning, Ontario province reported 809 new cases and seven more deaths, a day after recording another daily record with 939 new cases and five more deaths.

The Ontario provincial government has closed gyms, movie theaters and casinos and banned indoor dining, and urged Ontario people to stay home as much as possible for at least 28 days.

Meanwhile, Quebec province confirmed 1,097 new cases and 13 more deaths on Saturday. The province reported more than 1,000 new infections for the eighth time in nine days.

Albania

The Albanian government has decided to make mask-wearing mandatory in all outdoor spaces in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Saturday.

Rama made the announcement during a joint press conference with Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu.

Under the new measure, all citizens are required to wear a face mask at all times in all outdoor and public indoor spaces, and anyone found not to comply could face a fine.

Rama urged all citizens to follow the new measure in order to prevent a second lockdown, which he said many countries are already facing.

"A second lockdown would be devastating for Albanian families and the economy of the country," Rama stated.

Manastirliu said currently there are 550 beds in hospitals designated for COVID-19 patients.

According to her, health authorities have been working to include regional hospitals in the treatment of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, to increase the capacity to a total of 1,600 beds.

READ MORE: Spain invokes state of emergency for Madrid lockdown

Georgia 

Georgia reported 523 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing its total to 11,794.

Of the 523 new cases, 194 were confirmed in the capital city of Tbilisi, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health said.

As of Sunday, 6,327 of the 11,794 COVID-19 patients have recovered, while 85 others have died, said the center.

Egypt 

Egypt registered late on Saturday 125 new COVID-19 cases, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 104,387.

Also on Saturday, 11 more patients passed away from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 6,040, Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 51 more patients recovered and left hospitals, raising the total recoveries to 97,643, he added.

Egypt announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Feb. 14 and the first death from the viral disease on March 8.

Around mid-June, Egypt saw a peak of COVID-19 daily infections and deaths, with a record 97 deaths on June 15 and 1,774 infections on June 19, before they started to decline in the first week of July.

Russia 

Russia on Sunday reported 13,634 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, a new daily record that brought its nationwide tally to 1,298,718.

The country’s coronavirus taskforce said that 149 people had died overnight, pushing the death toll to 22,597.

Russia, which has a total population of around 145 million, has recorded the fourth highest number of infections in the world since the start of the pandemic.