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11.30pm GMT

Colombia's daily confirmed cases of coronavirus reached their highest level since mid-August on Thursday, as the government warned people against large holiday gatherings.

The Andean country, which has had a total of 1,468,795 confirmed cases and 39,787 deaths, recorded 12,196 new cases on Thursday, according to health ministry data.

11.19pm GMT

Morning/afternoon/evening, wherever these words find you. This is Ben Doherty here in Sydney, Australia, taking over our continuing live coverage of the global coronavirus pandemic. My many thanks to my colleagues for their stewardship thus far.

As ever, comments, contributions and correspondence all welcomed at ben.doherty@theguardian.com or by twitter @BenDohertyCorro.