Coronavirus updates: Over 7,000 Americans died in past week

University students in England will be given a seven-day window next month to travel home before Christmas, with school campuses providing mass testing before they leave, according to new guidance published Wednesday by the U.K. government.

After a second nationwide lockdown ends on Dec. 2, students will be allowed to travel home on staggered departure dates set by universities from Dec. 3 to Dec. 9.

"The student travel window will mean students can travel having just completed the four-week period of national restrictions, reducing the risk of transmission to family and friends at home," the U.K. government said in a press release announcing the new guidance.

The government is urging universities to transition to remote learning by Dec. 9 so students can continue their education while also having the option to return home to study from there. The government said it will also work closely with universities to establish mass COVID-19 testing capacity.

"Tests will be offered to as many students as possible before they travel home for Christmas, with universities in areas of high prevalence prioritised," the government said. "If a student tests positive before their departure they will need to remain in self-isolation for the required period of 10 days. Moving all learning online by 9 December gives enough time for students to complete the isolation period and return home for Christmas."

English students at universities in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are instructed to follow the guidance relevant to where they are living before returning home.

The U.K. government's universities minister, Michelle Donelan, acknowledged that the upcoming holidays "will feel different this year" due to the unprecedented situation.

"We have worked really hard to find a way to do this for students, while limiting the risk of transmission," Donelan said in a statement Wednesday. "Now it is vital they follow these measures to protect their families and communities, and for universities to make sure students have all the wellbeing support they need, especially those who stay on campus over the break."

Texas has confirmed its one-millionth case of COVID-19, becoming the first U.S. state to do so.

The Lone Star state confirmed 12,337 new cases in the past day, bringing its cumulative total to 1,010,364 confirmed cases as of early Wednesday. The state also registered an additional 114 fatalities from COVID-19, bringing its death toll to 19,337, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Texas's seven-day moving average of daily positive COVID-19 tests stands at 10%. Current hot spots within the southwestern state include the areas of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Meanwhile, California is on track to become the second U.S. state to surpass 1 million confirmed cases. The Golden State confirmed 8,135 new cases in the past day, bringing its cumulative total to 989,432 confirmed cases as of early Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins data.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Wednesday that they have reached an agreement to supply up to 300 million doses of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine to Europe.

The agreement with the European Commission provides a supply of 200 million doses and an option to request an additional 100 million doses, according to a joint press release from Pfizer and BioNTech.

Doses allocated for European Union member states will be produced in BioNTech's manufacturing sites in Germany as well as at Pfizer's site in Belgium. If the vaccine candidate receives authorization from the European Medicines Agency, then doses will be ordered by the EU member states who have elected to receive the vaccine as part of the agreement.

Deliveries are anticipated to start by the end of 2020, subject to clinical success and regulatory approval, according to the press release.

"Today’s finalized supply agreement with the European Commission represents the largest initial order of vaccine doses for Pfizer and BioNTech to date and a major step toward our shared goal of making a COVID-19 vaccine available to vulnerable populations," Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement Wednesday.

Last month, the European Medicines Agency began a rolling review of data on the efficacy and safety of the vaccine candidate to determine whether the drug should be authorized for use.

Pfizer, a New York-based pharmaceutical giant, and BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, announced Monday that the experimental vaccine appears to be at least 90% effective in an early analysis. The European Medicines Agency said in a statement Monday that it "has not yet had a chance to formally assess these efficacy data."

A small island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean has remained untouched by the coronavirus pandemic -- until now.

Vanuatu confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Vanuatu's Ministry of Health said the case is a 23-year-old man who had returned to the archipelago nation on Nov. 4, after traveling to the United States. He tested positive during a routine screening on the fifth day of quarantine.

The man, who hasn't shown any symptoms, will remain in isolation until health clearance is provided, according to the health ministry.

"Physical distancing and personal protection measures were applied and maintained during the flight, throughout the arrival process, during transport to and during registration at the quarantine facility," the ministry said in a press release. "The person had been identified during pre-travel registration as traveling from a higher-risk location, therefore was seated separately at the back of the plane and was screened and transported separately from other arriving passengers. The case did not share a room with anyone else at the quarantine facility and is reported to have adhered to all appropriate measures throughout the travel and quarantine process."