COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 17 November

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 254.5 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.1 million. More than 7.56 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

Slovakia reported 8,342 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, the highest daily tally to date in the central European country of 5.5 million people, health ministry data showed on Wednesday.

Hungary reported 10,265 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, its highest daily tally since the end of March, the government said on its official coronavirus website.

Poland also reported its highest tally since April, with 24,239 new daily COVID-19 infections, health ministry data showed on Wednesday.

Germany's coronavirus situation is dramatic, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, adding that it was not too late for Germans to decide to get their first vaccination shot. Earlier on Wednesday, the Robert Koch Institute reported that confirmed cases had increased by 52,826.

South Korea plans to cut to four months from six the gap for coronavirus booster doses given to senior citizens, as it looks to dampen a spike in serious cases, authorities said on Wednesday.

The United States has signed contracts worth about $1 billion to secure the antibody-based COVID-19 treatment developed by Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and US-based Vir Biotechnology, the drugmakers said on Wednesday.

Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday it will allow generic manufacturers to supply its experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill to 95 low- and middle-income countries through a licensing agreement with international public health group Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration said it would review "as expeditiously as possible" Pfizer's request to authorize booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine in all adults, with the New York Times reporting the nod could come as soon as Thursday.

The Philippines has approved the emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine by Novavax Inc, its food and drug agency chief said on Wednesday, the ninth vaccine approved in the Southeast Asian country.

Austrian coronavirus infections hit a new daily record on Wednesday, the third day of a lockdown for those not fully vaccinated.

Roughly 65% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against the virus, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. Austria also has one of the highest infection rates on the continent, with a seven-day incidence of 925 per 100,000 people.

Soaring infections across Europe are prompting governments to consider reintroducing unpopular lockdowns. In contrast to the Netherlands, which has ordered a partial lockdown that applies to all, Austria has sought to avoid placing extra restrictions on the fully vaccinated.

Daily infections rose to 14,416 on Wednesday, official data showed, the first time they have passed the 14,000 mark. The peak of the biggest wave of infections before this was 9,586 about a year ago, when the country went into full lockdown.

Having barred the unvaccinated from places including restaurants, hotels, theatres and ski lifts 10 days ago, the government ordered a lockdown under which roughly two million people not fully vaccinated can only leave their homes for a limited number of reasons.

Those include going to work, shopping for essentials and "stretching your legs" with no limit on time or distance.

Russia on Wednesday reported a new record one-day death toll of 1,247 from COVID-19, a little over a week after most of its regions emerged from a week-long workplace shutdown designed to curb the spread of the virus.

The government's coronavirus task force also reported 36,626 new coronavirus cases nationwide in the last 24 hours, including 2,966 in Moscow.

It came as Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has demonstrated 96.3% efficacy against COVID-19 during the vaccination campaign in Belarus, Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Wednesday, down from 97.2% efficacy reported in September.