Factbox - Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Reuters
·3 min read
People queue in front of a temporarily COVID-19 vaccination center in the Offene St. Jakob Kirche church in Zurich

(Reuters) - The British government will set out measures to boost international travel later on Friday, helping airlines and holiday companies which say they will not survive another winter of onerous rules and red tape.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news

EUROPE

* Travellers entering Switzerland who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from the virus will need to provide a negative test result from Monday, the government said.

* Spain will give a third vaccine dose to nursing home residents and other vulnerable groups, while data showed the infection rate fell to its lowest level since June.

* The Italian government approved some of the strictest anti-COVID measures in the world, making it obligatory for all workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* India will extend until the end of the year a reduction on taxes on drugs used for the treatment of COVID-19 infection, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

* The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will have tight COVID-19 countermeasures in place to ensure the safety of all participants, the International Olympic Committee said.

* Australian officials will trial a home quarantine system for fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in Sydney, as the country moves to reopen its borders despite persistent cases.

AMERICAS

* The debate over whether Americans should receive a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine moved to a panel of independent expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

* Brazil's federal government wants to halt COVID-19 vaccinations for most adolescents, citing a death under investigation and adverse events after some 3.5 million teens have already been immunized, but several state governments vowed to press on.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Iran's new government has approved the vaccine developed by U.S. firm Johnson & Johnson, a senior official said, as the Islamic Republic faces a fifth wave of infections.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The European Union's drugs regulator could not confirm from available data if women and young adults were at a higher risk of rare blood clots with low platelets after vaccination with AstraZeneca's shot.

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revised its emergency use authorisation for Eli Lilly's COVID-19 antibody cocktail to include for use in patients who have been exposed to the virus and are at high risk for progression to severe disease.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Stock index futures showed Wall Street was set for a weaker open while world shares were heading for a weekly loss on Friday on China jitters and global growth concerns, though strong U.S. retail sales data boosted the dollar.[MKTS/GLOB]

* Manufacturing activity in New Zealand contracted in August on the back of another nationwide lockdown due to a fresh outbreak of the Delta variant, a survey showed.

(Compiled by Federico Maccioni and Anita Kobylinska; Edited by Angus MacSwan and Marguerita Choy)