COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 16 October

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now passed 38.9 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed deaths stands at over 1.09 million.

An outbreak of COVID-19 at a hospital in the Chinese city of Qingdao has been traced to two infected dock workers in the coastal city.

Asian shares have fallen, as a resurgence of cases in Europe and the US hurts appetite for risk.

US Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris has paused in-person campaigning through Sunday after a member of her staff tested positive for COVID-19.

A stronger US dollar and rising coronavirus cases in Europe and the US have seen oil prices fall, with concerns about demand being curtailed.

The UK has moved closer to COVID-19 vaccines trials that infect volunteers, after a biotech firm signed a contract with the government.

A World Health Organization (WHO) clinical trial says remdesivir had little or no effect on COVID-19 patients' length of hospital stay or mortality.

Strong international cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines could boost global income by $9 trillion by 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A major global study of human health says we're caught in a perfect storm of rising rates of chronic diseases, persistent infectious diseases and public health failures that has fuelled deaths during the pandemic.

The emergence of COVID-19, overlapping with a global rise in conditions such as obesity and diabetes, plus environmental risks like air pollution, has increased the pandemic's death toll, according to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.

This rise in chronic diseases, along with failures in public health to limit preventable risk factors, has left the global population vulnerable to health emergencies.

“The ‘syndemic’ nature of the threat we face demands that we not only treat each affliction, but also urgently address the underlying social inequalities that shape them,” said Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of the Lancet, the publication that published the GBD study.

Confirmed cases in the US have passed 8 million – rising by more than 1 million in less than a month. Around 60,000 new infections were reported on Wednesday, the highest since August.

Cases are rising in every region, especially the Midwest, reports Reuters. The positive test rate is more than 30% in South Dakota and more than 20% in Idaho and Wisconsin.

Experts are warning that as colder temperatures drive people inside, the spread of the virus could accelerate further.