Europe has registered more than six million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus since it first appeared in the region in January, an AFP tally just after 1500 GMT Wednesday showed.
So far the continent has seen 6,000,940 infections and 237,716 deaths, with the most in Russia (1,248,619 infections and 21,865 deaths), Spain (825,410 infections, 32,486 deaths), France (669,235 infections, 32,365 deaths) and Britain (530,113 infection, 42,445 deaths).
The past seven days have brought 543,137 new cases in Europe, a pace that is 26 percent faster than the previous week’s 431,951. Deaths also accelerated by 17 percent over the same period, from 4,765 to 5,562.
Larger numbers of confirmed infections can partly be explained by much more widespread testing taking place in a number of European countries, such as in France where more than one million are carried out each week. Nevertheless, a large share of less serious or asymptomatic cases likely remain undetected.
* Germany reports its biggest daily rise in Covid-19 infections since April with the health minister warning of a "worrying" situation
* Record jumps in cases are seen in Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic
* Italy has made face masks compulsory in outdoor spaces while cafes and bars will remain shut in Brussels for at least a month
* Covid-19 killed three times more people than flu and pneumonia in England and Wales in 2020, the Office for National Statistics says
* Restrictions are to be further tightened in parts of England early next week, with the closure of bars and restaurants a possibility
* In Scotland, leaders of the hospitality industry warn that tighter measures will "sound the death knell" for some businesses
* Nearly 37 million cases have been confirmed globally with more than 1.05 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University
