The United Kingdom has recorded more than 50,000 deaths from Covid-19, with the British government reporting an additional 595 deaths in the past 24 hours.
The official total death toll in the UK now stands at 50,365.
The country reached the grim milestone as England, where most deaths were reported, completed the first of four weeks of a national lockdown, which came into effect last Thursday.
British authorities also reported 22,950 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, which bring the total number of cases in the UK to 1,256,725.
In Italy more than one million Covid-19 cases have now been recorded, with 32,961 new cases reported on Wednesday.
The total number of cases stands at 1,028,424 according to the Italian ministry of health.
The country also recorded its highest daily death toll since April today, saying that 623 people had died.
Health authorities in Portugal marked the worst daily increase in its death toll since the pandemic began, with 82 Covid-19 deaths reported in the past 24 hours,
There have been 3,103 fatalities in the country in total, according to the Portuguese Health Directorate. And the second wave is showing no current signs of slowing down, with 4,935 new cases reported on Wednesday.
Portugal introduced a two-week state of emergency on Monday in 121 municipalities which are mostly concentrated around the country’s two largest cities, Lisbon and Porto.
In those areas, it’s now compulsory to wear a face mask in public, including outside spaces if social distancing is impossible to maintain. A weekday curfew from 11pm and 5am local time is also now in force, with a 1pm-5am curfew in effect on the weekend.
The government said it doesn’t rule out stricter restrictions — such as closing roads and railways — if the situation does not improve.