Italy registers 753 Covid-related deaths; Pfizer vaccine '95% efficacy' – as it happened

Cases and deaths surge in Italy; new Pfizer vaccine data better than first reported; Swiss intensive care beds at full capacity

• Brutal second wave exposes Italy's shortage of intensive care staff
• 900 employees at top US hospital catch Covid-19 in two weeks
• Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine 95% effective and safe, further tests show
• Covid-19 vaccine: who are countries prioritising for first doses?
• Covid-19 antibodies reduce faster in men than women, study finds

11.38pm GMT

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Related: Coronavirus live news: US hospitals stretched to limits; Pfizer seeks vaccine approval 'in days'

11.06pm GMT

The US has seen more than 250,000 deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic as a new swathe of data was released that pushed the stricken country over the grim landmark on Wednesday.

Latest figures from Johns Hopkins University showed that the number of people killed by Covid-19 is now 250,029.

Related: US passes 250,000 deaths from coronavirus