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 More than 73.68 million people have been reported to be infected by
the coronavirus globally and 1,655,424 have died, according to a
Reuters tally, with the United States leading the way in the number
of deaths and infections.
A fast-spreading U.S. surge is pushing hospitals to the brink, weeks
after millions took to the air and roads for the Thanksgiving
holiday, with admissions rising to record heights for a 19th
straight day.
Now many countries are preparing for the Christmas rush, with travel
plans for thousands of Australians thrown into chaos when states and
territories imposed border restrictions after 28 COVID-19 cases were
detected in Sydney.
Large areas of England will be added to the "very high alert"
COVID-19 tier category this weekend, placing residents under the
most stringent curbs even as the government tries to defend a plan
to relax curbs for five days over Christmas.
"It doesn't look like the tier system is holding the epidemic wave
back, unfortunately" John Edmunds, a member of the government's
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told Sky News.
"I think we are going to have to look at these measures and perhaps
tighten them up."
South Korea, praised worldwide for its handling of the pandemic in
its early stages, reported 1,062 new cases on Friday, its
second-highest ever daily tally, as the government agonised over
tighter restrictions.
Austrians abroad were heading home early for Christmas ahead of new
quarantine rules coming in on Saturday. The country is going into a
third lockdown after Christmas, the national news agency APA
reported on Friday.
'NO SAFE PLACE'
Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset will ask cabinet colleagues on
Friday to close restaurants for a month, two newspapers reported.
The Spanish capital of Madrid, one of Europe's worst COVID-19
hotspots at the start of the pandemic, has progressively reduced its
spread without closing down clubs or shops.
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 But with an average
notification rate of 244 cases per 100,000
inhabitants over the last 14 days, the region is
back to levels seen before the second wave
started.
Police in Lithuania were planning to set up
roadblocks to enforce a lockdown.
"There is no safe place in Lithuania," Prime
Minister Ingrida Simonyte told reporters last
week. As government leaders
across the world address their nations on how to fight the pandemic,
U.S. President Donald Trump has been largely silent, with his
critics accusing him of abrogating his responsibilities as cases
soar.
French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for the coronavirus
on Thursday, prompting a track-and-trace effort across Europe
following his numerous meetings with EU heads of government.
EU states will start vaccinations against COVID-19 on Dec. 27 as
Europe tries to catch up with Britain and the United States after
what some have criticised as a slow EU approval process for the
shots. The European Union has been waiting for the
European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve a vaccine from Pfizer Inc
and German partner BioNTech SE. The EMA is expected to make an
announcement on Dec. 21.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will "rapidly" work towards
granting emergency approval of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine
candidate, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said on Thursday.
 A panel of outside advisers to the FDA overwhelmingly endorsed the
emergency use the vaccine, virtually assuring a second option for
protection.
Last week, the same panel backed the Pfizer vaccine, leading to an
FDA emergency use authorisation a day later.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Nick Macfie;
Editing by Jon Boyle)
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