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

Italy confirmed 32,961 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing its tally soaring past 1 million.

The latest daily case count is just under the country's all-time high of 39,809 on Nov. 7

Italy also registered an additional 623 fatalities from COVID-19 in the past day, the highest since April but still under the country's record of 919 deaths on March 27.

The nationwide, cumulative total now stands at 1,028,424 confirmed cases with 42,953, according to data published Wednesday by Italy's civil protection agency.

Italy, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, is battling a rising number of COVID-19 infections as a second wave sweeps much of Europe. It's the tenth country in the world to surpass 1 million confirmed cases, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

United Airlines said Wednesday that it is disinfecting lobbies and terminals with electrostatic spraying at 35 of its busiest airports: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Washington Reagan, Denver, Dallas Fort Worth, Newark, Fort Lauderdale, Greensboro, Guam, Honolulu, Washington Dulles, Houston George Bush, Kona, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, LaGuardia, London Heathrow, Orlando, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, Maui, Chicago O'Hare, Portland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, Orange County and Tampa.

Terminals at those airports are disinfected a few times a week, and United said it plans to introduce the electrostatic spray cleaning nightly by early December.

The electrostatic sprayer can "reach and uniformly coat germ-prone surfaces, including areas that conventional trigger sprays may easily miss," according to a press release.

The airline said it hopes to expand to more airports next year.

ABC News' Gio Benitez contributed to this report

Ethiopia has confirmed more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases, becoming one of just a handful of countries across Africa that have surpassed the grim milestone.

Other African countries with over 100,000 confirmed cases as of Wednesday are Egypt with 109,000, Morocco with 265,000 and South Africa with 740,000. Meanwhile, the 54-nation African continent is approaching 2 million confirmed cases, according to the latest data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The development comes as Ethiopia, one of Africa's most populous countries, appears to be on the brink of civil war amid increasingly deadly skirmishes in its northern Tigray region between federal forces and Tigray's ones.

The United Nations and other groups have warned of a brewing humanitarian crisis that could affect up to 9 million people.

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."