The United States on Saturday registered 1,66,555 Covid-19 cases, taking the tally in the country to 1,09,03,890, John Hopkins University data showed. The toll rose by 1,266 to 2,45,598. This is the twelfth consecutive day when the daily infection tally crossed the 1 lakh mark, according to CNN.

Four states in the US set new death records with South Dakota logging 53 fatalities, Wyoming 17, Oklahoma 23 and Montana registering 36, The New York Times reported.

Medical experts believe that the surge can push hospitals past their capacity and force states into shutdown. “You can make more ICU beds, but what you can’t make are more ICU nurses,” Dr Jonathan Reiner, CNN Medical Analyst and professor of medicine at George Washington University, said. “We will run out of the capacity in many of these hospitals to care for the critically ill.”

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Meanwhile, Mexico has surpassed the 10 lakh-mark, the country’s health ministry said. It now has 10,03,253 infection and its toll stood at 98,259.

Austria goes into shutdown; Europe sees surge in cases

Austria will impose a second country-wide lockdown from Tuesday after it registered a record rise of 9,586 daily infections on Friday, BBC reported. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has urged citizens to not meet anyone from outside their household.

He also said that schools would close and students would take lessons at home. Under the new lockdown measures, all non-essential shops and services will stay shut. The lockdown will remain in place till December 6.

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Countries across Europe are reporting a surge in coronavirus cases. In Italy, Campania and Tuscany have been put under the list of “red zones”. They will go into lockdown from Sunday.

Authorities in Campania have warned that the health system is on the verge of a collapse. The country had passed 10 lakh confirmed cases earlier in the week and more than 44,000 people have died.

Portugal, too, has expanded its overnight curfew, putting more than three-fourth of the country under strict restrictions. The curbs have, however, invited demonstrations with hundreds of bar and restaurant staff protesting against the closure of businesses. The country has 2,11,266 Covid-19 cases and 3,305 have died, according to the John Hopkins University data.

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The United Kingdom has reported 462 more fatalities on Saturday, according to Mirror. In the same week, 563 fatalities were reported on Thursday and 595 on Wednesday, the highest daily toll since May.

Meanwhile, France, which is already under a lockdown, is witnessing a drop in new infections and hospital admissions. It reported 36 new coronavirus cases but no deaths, according to the John Hopkins university data. The tally was 19,15,713.

Canada PM Justin Trudeau advises people to follow protocols

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday warned people to follow the Covid-19 protocols as it will determine “what we get to do at Christmas”, ANI reported.

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“Reducing your contacts, reducing your gatherings are going to be most important,” he said at a press conference. “And what we do in the coming days and weeks will determine what we get to do at Christmas”.

During Thanksgiving this year in Canada on October 12, a surge in infections, deaths and hospitalisation, was reported in the country as people came together to celebrate the festival. “An important driver of this increased disease activity continues to be informal social gatherings and activities both inside and outside our homes,” Canada’s chief public health officer Theresa Tam said.

Tam added that daily infections could more than double in a few weeks if people do not take precautions. “In these more relaxed settings such as family gatherings, birthday parties, holiday celebrations and recreational activities, it is natural to relax,” she said. “But this can mean that it’s easy to forget and let our guard down on the necessary precautions.”

Canada has so far reported 2,95,131 cases and 10,947 fatalities, according to the John Hopkins University data.