A Civil Protection (FNPC) ambulance crew wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) transport a patient to Beaujon Hospital in Paris, France, on  Oct 24, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

NEW YORK / LONDON / ROME / BERLIN / CARIO / GENEVA / SAN PAULO / LIMA - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering imposing a new month-long lockdown in England next week after scientists warned the coronavirus was spreading faster than their worst predictions, local media reported. 

The new measures were still under discussion, and no final decision had been made, the Times said, citing a senior government source.

The UK government has significantly pared its year-end coronavirus testing target to around one million a day from nearly two million, the Financial Times reported.

The government had planned to increase testing to about 1.9 million by end-December from 500,000 daily tests in October, the paper said, citing NHS Test and Trace documents it saw. 

However, the effort has been hampered by the slower-than-expected roll-out of tests due to delays in the process for validating new technology, according to two unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, the UK’s drug regulator has started accelerated reviews of COVID-19 vaccines under development from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc, as Britain gets ready to approve the first successful shot as quickly as possible.

The country's total cases reached 992,874, with 46,319 fatalities, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News.

US

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 9 million on Friday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

US COVID-19 case count rose to 9,007,298, with the national death toll reaching 229,293, as of 3:24 pm local time, according to the CSSE.

The US reported 99,325 cases Friday, the most for any country in a single day as infections and hospitalizations surged in the lead up to the presidential election. 

The record came in the final days of a presidential race in which Trump’s management of the virus is a central issue, and infections and hospitalizations are rising especially fast in several key states, including Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

It was the fourth time in the last week that a national record was broken. The first COVID-19 case in the US was reported in January in Washington State.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson plans to start testing its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in youths aged 12 to 18 as soon as possible, and the company's previous experience with the same technology in a vaccine successfully used in children could give it a leg up with regulators. 

"We plan to go into children as soon as we possibly can, but very carefully in terms of safety," J&J's Dr. Jerry Sadoff told a virtual meeting of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Friday.

WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Committee on COVID-19, after a two-day meeting, unanimously agreed on Friday that the pandemic still constituted a public health emergency of international concern.

The meeting was convened by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus under the International Health Regulations to review the pandemic situation and progress made on the temporary recommendations.

COVID-19 tests should be more widely used in international travel than quarantines, said Didier Houssin, chair of the WHO Emergency Committee. Top emergency expert Mike Ryan earlier said that travelling was now "relatively safe" with a "relatively low" risk. 

The pandemic continued to require a coordinated international response, said the committee. The organization pledged to provide concrete and targeted advice for countries in the coming months and vowed to maintain essential health services and plan for future COVID-19 vaccines.

The committee also urged countries to avoid politicization of the pandemic response, which is seen as a major detriment to global efforts. "Governments should focus on tackling the virus and avoid politicization," said Tedros at a press briefing after the meeting.

He called on countries to keep investing in the health system and workforce, and improving testing, tracing and treatment of all cases.

Global tally

Coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 45.6 million while the global death toll topped 1.18 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Italy

Italy has registered 31,084 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Friday, its highest daily tally since the start of the epidemic and up from the previous record of 26,831 posted on Thursday. 

The ministry also reported 199 COVID-related deaths, compared with 217 the day before. A total of 38,321 people have now died in Italy because of coronavirus, the second highest death toll in Europe after Britain's, while 647,674 cases of the disease have been registered to date.

While hospitalizations are rising, the number of patients in intensive-care units, or ICUs, is at less than half the peak level of last spring.

Germany

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 19,059 to 518,753, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 103 to 10,452, the tally showed.

"Currently, an accelerated increase of transmissions in the population in Germany can be observed. Therefore, the entire population is strongly encouraged to commit itself to infection prevention and control," RKI said in a daily situation report.

The nationwide incidence rate of the last seven days continued to increase to 99 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the report.

Russia

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is backing the development and roll-out of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, said on Friday it had completed the pre-submission of preliminary documents to Brazil's health regulator. 

The pre-submission, conducted together with RDIF's local partners - the Brazilian state of Paraná and União Química Farmacêutica Nacional - is necessary for registration of the Russian vaccine for use in Brazil.

Russia has registered 18,140 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 1,618,116, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Saturday.

Meanwhile, 334 new deaths were reported, taking the nationwide count to 27,990.

Belgium 

The number of daily hospital admissions in Belgium is doubling every eight days. The country risks running out of available intensive-care beds by the end of next week after it took only eight days for the number of Covid-19 patients being treated in intensive care units to soar from 525 on Oct 21 to 1,057 yesterday.

All non-essential stores will close in Belgium and there will be a partial ban of visits to family and friends. Schools will also stay closed for two weeks. A night curfew is already in place and bars and restaurants were closed earlier this month.

READ MORE: WHO eyes vaccine insurance coverage for poor nations

Spain

The number of coronavirus infections in hard-hit Spain rose by 25,595 on Friday, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic and the second consecutive record after Thursday's 23,580, health ministry data showed. 

The death toll went up by 239, bringing the total number of fatalities to 35,878 in Spain, which approved a six-month state of emergency this week to try to curb the second wave of coronavirus contagion.

Protesters who deny the existence of COVID-19 and object to restrictions to curb the pandemic's spread clashed with police in Barcelona on Friday. 

About 50 demonstrators threw bricks and fireworks at police and set fire to rubbish containers in the centre of Spain's second largest city, police said.

Greece

Greece registered 1,690 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, a new daily record since the first case was diagnosed in the country on Feb. 26, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced on Friday.

The previous daily record, at 1,547 cases, was set on Wednesday.

Greece now has a total of 37,196 cases and 620 fatalities. Currently, 128 people are hospitalized in ICUs.

In October, the country's record of daily confirmed cases has been broken several times, triggering a series of measures by authorities on the regional level in a bid to control the virus' spread.

An empty front desk at a closed hotel amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Cusco, Peru, Oct 30, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

Slovenia 

The government of Slovenia on Friday extended key restrictive measures designed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Store closures and the six-person ceiling for gatherings have been extended by a week. The mandatory use of face masks in indoor and outdoor public spaces and obligation to use hand sanitizers have been extended by two weeks.

The autumn holidays have also been extended for a week for primary school pupils. Remote schooling will resume in secondary schools, and kindergartens will provide urgent day care only. The extensions aim to limit social contacts and thereby stem the spread of coronavirus, government spokesman Jelko Kacin and Education Minister Simona Kustec said on Friday.

Slovenia reported 1,798 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 32,442, and 23 deaths taking the toll to 315, the highest daily death toll yet, according to official figures released here on Friday.

ALSO READ: Pfizer, Astra vaccines said to be in accelerated UK review

Poland

Poland reported a new daily record of 20,629 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the national tally to 340,834, the Ministry of Health said on Friday.

Another 202 people have died, bringing the COVID-19 death toll in the country to 5,351.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that cemeteries will be closed this weekend and on Monday. Sunday marks All Saints' Day, when Poles traditionally visit the graves of their loved ones.

Morawiecki also informed that from Monday, public administration employees will work remotely for at least two weeks.

The Netherlands

The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the Netherlands topped the 11,000 mark for the first time, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said on Friday.

A total of 11,141 COVID-19 infections were registered in the past 24 hours, 865 more than the 10,276 cases reported on Thursday. Despite this increase, the RIVM said the figures were "stable."

The higher number of positive tests could, according to the RIVM, be explained by delayed results and larger numbers of tests administered. The number of daily deaths from the novel coronavirus in the Netherlands grew by 87, compared to 62 on Thursday.

Czech Republic

The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, the lower house of the parliament, on Friday approved the extension of the state of emergency in the country until Nov. 20.

The current state of emergency would end on Nov. 3. The government sought to extend it until Dec. 3, but did not receive sufficient support for another 30-day extension.

The government argues that the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country is still critical. It wants to maintain the validity of some restrictions which might end if the state of emergency ended.

Czech Republic reported 13,605 new coronavirus cases for Oct. 30 and 216 new deaths, Health Ministry data showed on Saturday. The total number of cases in the country of 10.7 million stood at 323,673, while deaths reached 3,078.

Ukraine 

Ukraine registered a record 8,752 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the national security council said on Saturday, up from 8,312 cases on Friday.

Total infections stood at 387,481, it said.

Families light candles in honor of the thousands of residents from the Iztapalapa district who have died from complications related to COVID-19 in Mexico City, Oct 30, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

Mexico

Mexico's health ministry reported on Friday 6,000 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 516 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 918,811 and the death toll to 91,289. 

Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. On Sunday, the ministry said the true death toll from COVID -19 may be around 50,000 higher.

Brazil

Brazil recorded 508 new COVID-19 deaths and 22,282 new cases of coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Friday. 

Brazil has so far had more than 5.5 million confirmed cases of the virus and nearly 160,000 deaths, official data show.

Chile

The positivity rate of PCR tests to detect the novel coronavirus in Chile has reached 4 percent, Chilean Minister of Health Enrique Paris reported on Friday.

Paris said that "the positivity rate at the national level reached 4 percent in the last 24 hours, after 36,880 PCR exams were reported," for a total of 4,269,503 tests administered.

He added that new cases fell 9 percent over the last seven days and 6 percent over the last two weeks, and said that 12 regions of the country had lowered the number of new daily cases of COVID-19 over the last week.

The ministry reported 1,529 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 508,571 cases, as well as 40 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 14,158.

Peru

Peru’s government, wary about the coronavirus pandemic despite a slowdown of new cases, has asked people to stay away from cemeteries for the important Day of the Dead celebration when millions usually pay respects to relatives who have died.

The government of President Marin Vizcarra has urged people not to go to cemeteries on Sunday to visit the deceased for the Dia de los Difuntos, as the holiday is called in Spanish.

In capital Lima, the two largest cemeteries will be closed on Saturday and Sunday, when they normally receive around 100,000 people for the holiday, said Daniel Cáceda, manager of the entity that oversees the locations.

Morocco

In Morocco, the tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 215,294 after 3,256 new cases were added, which included 3,625 fatalities and 177,925 recoveries.

Tunisia

Tunisian Health Ministry announced 3,751 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of infections to 58,029.

The death toll from the virus rose by 100 to 1,253 in the North African country, the ministry said in a statement, adding the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 1,131.

Sudan 

Sudan reported 32 new infections, increasing the tally to 13,804.