- US President Donald Trump hails the experimental Covid-19 treatment he has taken as "cure", and says catching the virus was a "blessing from God" in disguise
- Referring to a combination of antibodies still undergoing clinical trials, Trump says he wants all Americans to have access to the drugs he was given
- Vice-presidential candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris clashed fiercely over the government's response to the pandemic in their only debate
- 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
- Italy has made face masks compulsory in outdoor spaces as it fights a spike in cases
- Nearly 37 million cases have been confirmed globally with more than 1.05 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University
Good morning if you are joining us in the UK, and hello to all of you around the world. Welcome to our Iive coverage of all the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic.
We will be talking a lot about the live TV debate between the vice-presidential candidates in the US - Democrat Kamala Harris and Vice-President Mike Pence. Coronavirus, unsurprisingly, was one of their main topics. And there was also a fly. More on that later.
First, here are some other stories we are following:
- President Donald Trump, who spent three days in hospital with Covid-19, has hailed the experimental treatment he was taken, saying he wanted all Americans to have access to the drugs he was given - a combination of antibodies still undergoing clinical trials
- Trump, who has been widely criticised for his handling of the pandemic, has also said his infection was "a blessing from God" in disguise
- In Italy, masks are now mandatory outdoors across the country
- Bars and cafes in Belgium's capital Brussels are shut for one month from Thursday
- Brazil's confirmed infections surpass five million, with more than 148,000 deaths
Stay with us as we bring you analysis and reports from BBC correspondents and experts. In the meantime, our data team has been tracking the global pandemic.
UK round-up
And here's a round-up of the main stories from around the UK:- Bars and restaurants could be closed in parts of England from early next week, sources told the BBC, as the government seeks to tackle rising infections. Overnight stays away from home could be banned and a three-tier system of local restrictions introduced
- As Scotland prepares to see pubs and restaurants close for two weeks in areas where the infection rate is highest, starting on Friday evening, the hospitality industry is warning the move could be the "death knell" for some businesses
- Homeless people face a "double threat" of coronavirus and cold weather this year, charities have warned. They are calling for more emergency accommodation so rough sleepers can be housed with social distancing measures in place
- Increased fines for breaches of coronavirus regualtions are being considered by the Northern Ireland Executive. The proposals could bring Northern Ireland in line with England, where penalties start at £200 rather than £60 at the moment
- Prison officers have called for Covid-19 rules in prisons to become permanent, arguing that separated living groups intended to restrict infection have reduced violence. But HM Prison Service service it was important to allow inmates to mix socially
- The UK government has paid £2m to settle a lawsuit over how it awarded an IT contract for Covid-19 testing at its Lighthouse Labs, established during the pandemic. British company Diagnostics AI claimed the process was "unfair and unlawful"
Trump hails experimental treatment as 'cure'
Donald Trump has claimed his treatment with an experimental drug cocktail last week was a "cure" - rather than just a therapeutic. In video posted on Twitter, the US president said his infection "was a blessing from God" in disguise.Trump, who spent three days in hospital with Covid-19, said he was feeling great, and wanted all Americans to have free access to the treatments he was given, a combination of antibodies still undergoing clinical trials.
He added that hundreds of thousands of doses were nearly ready. The president has been widely criticised for his handling of the pandemic, and critics say he has repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by the virus.
Dexamethasone, remdesivir, Regeneron: Trump's treatment explained
James Gallagher -Health and science correspondentSo, Trump was given a number of different medicines as part of his Covid-19 treatment.
Treatments fall into two camps - those that directly attack the virus and are more likely to be useful in the first phase, where the virus is the problem, and drugs to calm the immune system which are more likely to work in the second, deadly phase, when our immune system goes into overdrive and starts causing massive collateral damage to other organs.
Let's look at the drugs the president was given.
Monoclonal antibody therapy
This is a combination of antibodies, made by the company Regeneron, which mimic our own immune response. The antibodies physically stick to the coronavirus so they cannot get inside the body's cells and they make the virus more "visible" to the rest of the immune system.
The company published results on its website showing the cocktail reduced the amount of virus in the body as well as the time it took patients to recover. However, this was in people who did not need hospital treatment and the data has not been seen by scientists or doctors.
The evidence in patients is still very limited and these monoclonals are still classed as an experimental drug - clinical trials are ongoing. The president is one of only a handful of people outside those trials to undergo the treatment under what is known as "compassionate use".
Remdesivir
This antiviral drug was first developed as a treatment for Ebola. It works by confusing the virus as it looks chemically similar to some of the raw materials the virus needs to replicate. This disrupts the virus's ability to make thousands of copies of itself.
However, there is no evidence that lives have been saved with remdesivir. Like monoclonal antibodies, remdesivir is likely to have its biggest impact early on in the course of an infection.
Dexamethasone
This steroid saves lives by calming the immune system, but it needs to be used at the right time. Give it too early and the drug could make things worse by impairing the body's ability to fight off the virus. This is not a drug you would usually give in the "mild" stage of the disease.
What are the new restrictions planned in England?
- England's measures are expected to be announced early next week, and could involve the closure of bars and restaurants in parts of the nation
- A ban on overnight stays away from home in some places is also being considered
- The government is likely to introduce a three-tier scheme of local restrictions, designed to make the current patchwork of regulations easier to follow
- But the precise details of the highest level of restrictions are still under discussion
- In central Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, all bars and restaurants must close for two weeks from Friday until 25 October
- Hospitality venues in the rest of Scotland must close at 18:00 BST each day and can only serve alcohol outdoors
Latest in Europe
Germany has reported 4,058 new infections - its highest daily number since the start of April - and there have been 16 more deaths. But officials point out testing has also risen sharply since the end of September. A number of Germany's 16 states now want visitors from hot-spot areas in Germany itself to provide negative tests before coming.Brussels closed bars, cafes and tea rooms for a month this morning - and it has banned alcohol in public areas too - in an attempt to bring down infection rates in all the Belgian capital's 19 municipal areas. For the first time since May Belgium has more than 1,000 of its 2,000 coronavirus hospital beds filled.
Five French cities will be classified this evening as maximum alert zones, France Inter radio reports: Lille, Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Etienne et Toulouse all have infection rates over 250 per 100,000 people. Last night President Emmanuel Macron said more restrictions were necessary to counter the spread similar to those already imposed in Marseille and Paris, "particularly among the elderly"; 143 people have been admitted to intensive care in the past 24 hours.
In Italy you now have to wear a mask outdoors unless you can guarantee continuous isolation - read more about the new rules here. President Sergio Mattarella has extended Italy's state of emergency until the end of January.
Sweden's seeing more cases in nursing homes - Swedish TV says there have been four outbreaks in the city of Uppsala alone.
Easyjet calls for government support as it faces £800m loss
EasyJet's chief executive has said the government "urgently needs to step up" with support for the aviation industry as the company warns it faces losses of more than £800m this year."Aviation continues to face the most severe threat in its history and the UK government urgently needs to step up with a bespoke package of measures to ensure airlines are able to support economic recovery when it comes," Johan Lundgren said.
The airline said it expects to fly at just 25% of normal capacity into next year and will be unable to report a profit for the first time in its 25-year history.
The carrier has already taken a £600m loan from the government, cut 4,500 jobs, raised £608m from selling aircraft and tapped shareholders for £419m.
Cafes and bars shut in Brussels amid stark situation
Gavin Lee - Europe reporterCafes and bars in the Belgian capital, Brussels, have been ordered to close this morning for at least a month, as authorities try to reduce the sharp rise in covid19 cases.
Belgian officials say Brussels is now in the top three most infected cities, second only to the Spanish capital Madrid.
The coronavirus situation is stark. According to the regional president, one person out of every seven tested, returns a positive result.
There is notable pressure on hospitals in the city, with one hospital transporting patients elsewhere to cope with the demand for ICU beds. Officials say it is because people have become complacent, fatigued by the rules.
Cafes and bars have been described as contamination hotspots. Restaurants are allowed to remain open. Since the announcement, most of the regional government has had to gone into isolation, after one of the ministers tested positive.
Germany warns: Virus could spread 'uncontrollably'
Some strong words coming from Germany, where the leading health official has warned the country could see 10,000 new infections per day unless people stick to hygiene and social distancing rules."The current situation worries me a lot. We don't know how things will develop over the next few weeks," said Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.
"It's possible that we will see more than 10,000 new cases a day. It's possible that the virus spreads uncontrollably."
Germany has reported a spike in daily infections, with confirmed cases rising by almost a third to 4,058.
Although lower than many other European countries, it is the highest number of cases in the past 24 hours since April.
Health Minister Jens Spahn has described the increase as worrying, telling Germans they must not become complacent.
"At the end of the day, it's us, the citizens who - through your prudent actions - have brought Germany through this crisis so far, not least because you've integrated the rules into your day-to-day life," he said.
"We must not gamble away this achievement. The situation in the capital shows how careless, sometimes ignorant actions on the pandemic can quickly lead to other developments."