Coronavirus live updates: Nearly 2 crore people in Karnataka were Covid-19 infected

Pope Francis urged people follow recommendations from governments and health authorities to prevent coronavirus infections as he returned to his private library for his Wednesday general audience amid a surge of infections in Europe.

Russia has recorded 19,768 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, which brings the cumulative total to 1,693,454, the federal response center said on Wednesday. In the same 24 hours, 15,567 people have been discharged and 389 patients with the coronavirus have died. On Tuesday, Russia recorded a daily increase of 18,648 cases.

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday reported 987 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection, bringing the total number in the country to 388,137. The number of daily confirmed cases reported on Wednesday is the lowest recorded since July 14.

New measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus could slow down the economic recovery or even lead to a contraction in Spain and some other European countries in the fourth quarter, European Central Bank policy maker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Wednesday.

Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in Thailand for an official visit, Thai and Hungarian officials said Wednesday. Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Peter Szijjarto and his 12-member delegation were tested after their arrival Tuesday from Cambodia, but only the foreign minister was found to be infected.

Spanish service sector activity shrank again in October as new business and travel restrictions to curb a surge in coronavirus cases weighed on tourism and other services, a survey showed on Wednesday.Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of services companies, which account for around half the country's economic output, fell to 41.4 in October from 42.4 in September. The 50 line separates growth from contraction.

Puducherry reported 108 fresh Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the tally to 35,429. One more person, a 66-year-old man, died of the virus in the last 24 hours ending 10 am on Sunday, taking the toll to 597, the health department said. The Union Territory recorded 108 new cases while 419 people were discharged on recovery, Health and Family Welfare Director S Mohan Kumar said in a release here.

Russia's daily tally of new coronavirus cases surged to a record high of 19,768 on Wednesday, including 5,826 in Moscow, taking the national tally to 1,693,454 since the pandemic began. Authorities also reported 389 deaths in the last 24 hours, a record high that pushed the official death toll to 29,217.

Poland will announce more restrictions on Wednesday to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the prime minister's chief of staff Michal Dworczyk said. Poland has faced a spike in infections, with the latest record in daily cases - 21,897 - reported on Saturday. The country is running out of hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen and medics.

Ladakh has recorded 84 fresh cases of Covid-19, taking the virus caseload in the union territory to 6441, according to an official bulletin. The union territory has recorded a total of 76 deaths, while 5701 patients have been cured of the novel disease so far.

Doorstep lender Provident Financial Plc said on Wednesday collection performance in its home credit business has now aligned with pre-coronavirus levels, with the company on track to meet market expectations for the year. The company, which was pushed to a first-half loss partly due to higher impairment, reported a Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio - a closely watched measure of balance sheet strength - of 36% as at September end. That was slightly higher than the 35.4% it posted in August.

Odisha's Covid-19 caseload mounted to 2,95,889 on Wednesday as 1,474 more people tested positive for the infection, while 12 fresh fatalities pushed the coronavirus death toll to 1,364, a health department official said. As many as 855 new cases were reported in quarantine centres, while 619 infections were detected during contact tracing, he said.

At least 101 more people, including a two-month-old baby, tested positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram on Wednesday, taking the tally in the northeastern state to 2,893, a health department official said.