Coronavirus updates, December 7: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 420,294 on Monday after 3,795 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours across the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 9:00 am, December 7, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 420,294

• AJK: 7,356

• Balochistan: 17,466

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,732

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 32,816

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 49,676

• Punjab: 123,762

• Sindh: 184,486

Deaths: 8,398

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,413

• Punjab: 3,177

• Sindh: 3,019

• Balochistan: 169

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 98

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 341

• AJK: 181

More than 67,027,780 infections have been confirmed globally with over 1,535,492 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University tally.

End of live updates for December 7

11:55pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — ICT registered 402 new cases in past 24 hours

11:25pm — Paris, France — New COVID-19 cases slow down but hospitalisations up again

French health authorities reported 3,411 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, sharply down from Sunday's 11,022, but the number of people hospitalised for the disease increased for the second day - the first time it has done so in three weeks.

The Monday figures tend to dip as there are fewer tests conducted on Sundays. The seven-day moving average of new infections, which averages out weekly data reporting irregularities, stood at 10,489.

France's cumulative number of cases now totals 2,295,908, the fifth-highest tally in the world.

10:55pm — Paris, France — France still far above goal of 5,000 COVID-19 cases per day: Top health official

France is still far from reducing its number of new COVID-19 cases per day to 5,000, and the risk of a strong rebound of the pandemic remains high, the health ministry's top official said.

"For the last few days, the level of infections has stopped falling," Jerome Salomon told a press conference.

10:21pm — Geneva, Switzerland — WHO hopes to visit China as soon as possible to study coronavirus origins

The World Health Organization wants to visit China "as soon as possible" to study the origins of the new coronavirus, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"We are planning and hope to be on the ground as soon as possible," he told a news conference.

WATCH: WHO's media briefing on coronavirus

9:24pm — London, UK — 14,718 new COVID cases reported, 7-day total up 4.7%

The United Kingdom reported 14,718 new cases of COVID-19, down from 17,272 cases a day earlier, official data showed.

The total number of cases over the past seven days was 108,306, which was 4.7% higher than in the previous seven-day period.

The country also reported 189 new COVID-19 deaths, down from 231 a day earlier. The seven-day total was down by 7.3%.

Since the start of the pandemic, the United Kingdom has recorded a total of 1.738 million cases of the disease and 61,434 deaths within 28 days of a positive test — the highest death toll in Europe.

8:32pm — Los Angeles, US — California bans private gatherings amid record COVID-19 surge

California compelled much of the state to close shop and stay at home on Monday, when some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions in the United States came into effect one day after the state set a record with more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases.

Governor Gavin Newsom's order was triggered in areas where fewer than 15 percent of intensive care hospital beds were available, affecting more than 23 million people in Southern California.

In addition, five counties in Northern California surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area have voluntarily imposed the restrictions even before reaching the intensive care unit threshold.

California has been under a stay-at-home order for all but essential services since March. The new order, which will last at least three weeks, bans private gatherings of any size, shuts all but critical infrastructure and retail operations, and requires everyone to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing.

7:58pm — Inovio doses first volunteer as part of its COVID-19 vaccine mid-stage trial

Inovio Pharmaceuticals said it has dosed the first participant in a mid-stage clinical trial testing its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800.

The Phase 2 portion of the Phase 2/3 study will enroll about 400 participants who are 18 years or older, to assess the vaccine's ability to produce immune response and to determine the appropriate doses for a later study, the company said.

Inovio said it plans to fully enroll the Phase 2 segment of the trial, which is being funded by the US Department of Defense, by the end of this month.

7:32pm — Karachi, Pakistan — CM Shah informs Bilawal Bhutto of COVID-19 situation in Sindh

In a meeting with PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Chief Minister Sindh informed him about the COVID-19 situation in the province along with measures taken by the provincial health department to contain the virus.

Read the complete story here.

6:59pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — District administration fines bus depot management over violation of coronavirus SOPs

Secretary Transport Authority visits bus stands in Faizabad with staff, the district administration said, adding that the visit was made to inspect the implementation of coronavirus SOPS.

The secretary Transport Authority inspected seven depots and slapped a fine of Rs35,000 on five of them.

Moreover, the teams present inspected 40 vehicles at Chongi No 26 Bus Stop.

40 of the vehicles were slapped with a fine, the district administration added.

6:46pm — Lahore, Pakistan — Punjab decides to take action against SOPs violation ahead of PDM rally

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said the coronavirus situation in Punjab was worsening with every passing day and that the province would come up with a strategy to safeguard people's lives.

The special assistant's press conference came after a meeting of the apex-committee, chaired by CM Punjab Usman Buzdar, concluded.

In today's meeting, it was decided that coronavirus Standard Operations Producers (SOPs) would be followed and to ensure that, the state's rit would be maintained.

"The meeting decided to take action against violators of SOPs [...] a proposal in this regard will be sent to the NCOC (National Command Control Centre)," she said.

Awan said that the Opposition's Lahore rally would fail like it did in Multan.

5:54pm — Athens, Greece — Schools, restaurants to remain shut until after Christmas

Greece said on Monday that it will not re-open schools, restaurants and courts until Jan. 7, effectively extending most of the restrictions the country imposed last month to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Greece had to enforce a nationwide lockdown in November, its second this year, after an aggressive surge in COVID-19 cases. It has extended it twice since then, most recently until Dec. 14.

In a televised briefing, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the health system was still under enormous pressure and some restrictions should not be lifted until next month, including a night curfew and movement between regions.

5:10pm — New Delhi, India — Govt speeding up review of Pfizer, Astra COVID-19 vaccines 

India is accelerating its review of coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca for emergency use, a senior government official said, as the world's second-most affected country struggles to contain the outbreak.

The Indian government is pinning its hopes for mass supply of the vaccine on Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, which on Monday lodged the first formal application for emergency use approval for AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer Inc had already applied for emergency use approval for its vaccine in India over the weekend, the official said, declining to be identified.

"We are in the process of reviewing. It is an accelerated reviewing process, which is there for Serum too," the government official said.

"It is the need of the hour. We have to review at the earliest."

4:39pm — Copenhagen, Denmark — Govt shuts down parts of the country to curb local infection spikes

Denmark will implement further lockdown measures in parts of the country to curb a recent spike in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.

Bars, restaurants, museums and cinemas will have to close on Dec. 9 in 38 municipalities, including Copenhagen, and students in upper primary school, high schools and universities will be sent home.

The new restrictions will be in place until Jan 3.

4:07pm — Budapest, Hungary — Some 3,000 to 5,000 Hungarians could participate in clinical trials of Russian vaccine

Some 3,000 to 5,000 Hungarians could participate in clinical trials of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, Hungarian Human Resources Minister Miklos Kasler said on his Facebook page.

Kasler said a Hungarian delegation of medical experts had received "detailed notification" about the Russian vaccine in Moscow, and observed "that the vaccine is being manufactured with the latest technology and with WHO protocols being applied."

3:30pm — Moscow, Russia — Kremlin sees no need to impose broad lockdown

The Kremlin said on Monday there was no need to impose lockdown restrictions to curb the sharp rise in coronavirus cases since September and that the current set of measures in place were widely seen by authorities as enough.

Infections have surged to record highs in recent weeks. Earlier on Monday authorities confirmed 28,142 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 7,279 in Moscow. 

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3:00pm — WHO chief asks people to enjoy the holiday season safely 

2:00pm —Moscow, Russia — Russia approves clinical trials for Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Ad5-Ncov

Russia has granted approval for clinical trials to be held for the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Ad5-Ncov involving 8,000 volunteers, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.

Ad5-nCoV is a vaccine candidate co-developed by CanSino Biologics and a Chinese military-backed research unit.

1:30pm — Moscow, Russia —  Russia reports 28,142 new coronavirus cases, 456 deaths

Russia confirmed 28,142 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours on Monday, including 7,279 in Moscow, pushing the national tally to 2,488,912 since the pandemic began.

Authorities said 456 people had died overnight, taking the official death toll to 43,597.

1:15pm — London, UK — COVID vaccine could be airlifted to UK if Brexit blocks ports: minister

Millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine could be airlifted to Britain if ports are snarled up when the Brexit transition period ends delaying the import of medicines, a junior foreign office minister said on Monday.

"We have extensive plans in place to ensure the protection of our vaccines, that is absolutely the priority product," James Cleverly told Sky News. "We've looked at the use of non-commercial flights, we have border arrangements in place."

Britain is preparing to become the first country to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, initially making the shot available at hospitals for care workers and the most vulnerable before distributing stocks to doctors' clinics.

Asked if the vaccine would be airlifted in from a manufacturing site in Belgium if necessary, Cleverly said "amongst other things, yes".

12:15am — Lahore, Pakistan — Authorities launch major crackdown against SOPs violators

Authorities in Lahore launched a major crackdown against SOP violations in the provincial capital.

The district administration sealed 28 restaurants, cafes, hotels and 19 marriage halls for violating the coronavirus SOPs.

12:00pm — Berlin, Germany — Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 12,332 

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 12,332 to 1,183,655, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by 147 to 18,919, the tally showed. 

11:45am — Seoul, South Korea — S Korea's Moon orders coronavirus testing to be expanded amid third wave

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered testing for the new coronavirus to be expanded by mobilizing the military and more people from the public service, as the country continued to report triple-digit daily new cases.

Moon said testing sites should operate longer hours to allow people working to get tested at their convenience and more drive-through testing facilities should be set up, presidential Blue House spokesman Chung Man-ho told a briefing. 

11:30am — Hyderabad, Pakistan — Six UCs of Hyderabad put under smart lockdown 

Authorities in Hyderabad have imposed a smart lockdown in six union councils in 12 areas of Hyderabad due to rising coronavirus cases.

The areas went under lockdown from 9 am today and will be under the restrictions till December 16. 

11:15am — Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico registers 7,455 new coronavirus cases, 261 more deaths

Mexico's Health Ministry on Sunday reported 7,455 new cases of coronavirus infection and an additional 261 fatalities, bringing the country's totals to 1,175,850 cases and 109,717 deaths.

The government says the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. 

11:00am — Seoul, South Korea — South Korea reports 615 new coronavirus cases

South Korea reported 615 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, capping a month of triple-digit daily increases that have driven the nation's largest wave of infections in nine months.

On Sunday authorities said they will impose heightened social distancing rules for the capital Seoul and surrounding areas that will last until at least the end of the month.

10:45pm — Shanghai, China — China reports 15 new COVID-19 cases vs 18 a day earlier

China reported 15 new COVID-19 cases on December 6, down from 18 cases a day earlier, the national health authority said on Monday.

The National Health Commission said in a statement 12 of the new cases were imported infections originating from overseas. Three locally transmitted infections were reported in the Inner Mongolia region.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to six from two cases a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 86,634, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.

10:30am — Brasilia, Brazil — Brazil's coronavirus cases top 6.6 million, health ministry says

Brazil reported 26,363 additional confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, and 313 deaths from COVID-19, its health ministry said on Sunday.

The South American country has now registered 6,603,540 cases since the pandemic began, while its official death toll has risen to 176,941, according to ministry data. Brazil has the world's third worst outbreak after the United States and India.

10:15am — Rudy Giuliani tested positive for coronavirus, Trump says

US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said the American leader on Twitter on Sunday. 

10:00am — Mumbai, India — India reports nearly 33,000 new coronavirus cases

India reported 32,981 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Monday.

Cumulative cases now total 9.68 million, the second-highest tally in the world after the United States.

But health officials are drawing some encouragement that daily readings have stayed below the 50,000 mark for a month, inspite of a busy festival season that saw crowded markets and busy streets. The number peaked in September when more than 97,000 cases were reported on a single day.

Deaths rose by 391, with the total now 140,573, the health ministry said.

9:30am — Islamabad, Pakistan — Faisal Mosque’s hall sealed over SOPs violations

The local administration of Islamabad on Sunday sealed the hall of Faisal Mosque over violation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs). 

The Deputy Commissioner (DC), Islamabad Hamza Shafqat announced the sealing of Faisal Mosque’s inner hall through his Twitter handle.

According to local administration, Islamabad congregational prayers will not be offered in the inner hall of the mosque adding that the decision was taken after precautionary measures were not followed during the Friday prayers two days ago.

9:00am — Faisalabad, Pakistan — Five held for violating Marriage Act, corona SOPs

The district administration on Sunday arrested five people besides registering cases against management of five marriage halls and sealing three fast food points for non-compliance of Marriage Act and violating corona SOPs.

Assistant Commissioner Sadar Umar Maqbool got a case registered against the management of five marriage halls for violating the Marriage Act and corona SOPs and arrested five persons.

The police arrested the management of hall no 1 and 2 of Chiniot Palace, Royal Banquet on Satiana Road, Al-Haram Marriage Hall at Gulberg and Huzaifa Marriage Hall. Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner City Syed Ayub Bukhari during inspection sealed Hill Marquee, Castle Marquee and Chenab Barbecue on Susan Road for violating corona SOPs.

Later, the AC City inspected parking areas of Allied Hospital and General Hospital Ghulam Muhammadabad for overcharging. The administration also arrested three persons from the parking stands of Allied and General Hospital and lodged two FIRs at GM Abad and Civil Lines police stations.