Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's symptoms from COVID-19 symptoms have improved, his doctor said on Friday, one day after Biden tested positive for the virus as a highly contagious subvariant drove a new wave of cases in the United States.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

ASIA-PACIFIC

* New Zealanders are dying from COVID-19 at record rates as the country battles a new wave of the Omicron strain that is particularly affecting the older population.

* Chinese President Xi Jinping wished his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden a speedy recovery from coronavirus in a message, state television said.

* China reported 1,011 new coronavirus cases for July 21, of which 175 were symptomatic and 836 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Friday.

EUROPE

* Spain's Enric Mas has pulled out of the Tour de France after contracting COVID-19, according to his Movistar team.

AMERICAS

* Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States, has tested positive for COVID-19, is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue working but in isolation, the White House said on Thursday.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* An experimental COVID-19 vaccine in the form of an oral tablet has shown promising immune responses in a small preliminary trial designed mainly to evaluate its safety, according to drug manufacturer Vaxart Inc.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* A gauge of global stocks edged higher on Friday, poised for a sixth straight day of gains, while the dollar dipped against a basket of major currencies following soft data on U.S. business activity. [MKTS/GLOB]

* Canadian home prices are dropping fast after surging during the pandemic, but that is offering little relief for consumers who face sky-rocketing rents and fading buying power as interest rates rise.

* China stocks closed almost flat on Friday, as COVID-19 flare-ups and property-sector risks raised worries about growth prospects in the world's second-largest economy.

* China will make great efforts to consolidate its economic recovery, putting a priority on stabilising employment and prices, state media reported.

* The Japanese government is expected to cut its economic growth forecast for fiscal 2022 to about 2%, reflecting weakness in private consumption as a renewed spike in COVID-19 infections clouds the outlook.

* Foreigners turned net sellers of Japanese stocks in the week ended July 15, on worries over rising domestic cases of COVID-19 and on fears about an economic recession.

* Japan's core consumer inflation remained above the central bank's 2% target for a third straight month in June, as the economy faced pressure from high global raw material prices that have pushed up the cost of the country's imports.

(Compiled by Rashmi Aich, Krishna Chandra Eluri and Dina Kartit; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Anil D'Silva)