Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Syringes with the Pfizer vaccine are prepared for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine clinic aimed at youths ages 12 or older at La Colaborativa in Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S., June 11, 2021. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Nov 19 (Reuters) – Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full COVID-19 lockdown, it said on Friday as neighbouring Germany warned it may follow suit, sending shivers through financial markets worried about the economic fallout. read more

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

* Germany’s situation is so grave that a lockdown, including vaccinated people, cannot be ruled out, the health minister said, adding the country was in talks with Pfizer (PFE.N) about possibly buying its experimental antiviral pill. read more

* A third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should be extended to all French people aged over 40, France’s health regulator said.

* Dutch healthcare officials said they have begun delaying operations for some cancer and heart patients to free up space in intensive care units during a record wave of COVID-19 infections. read more

* Russia, which reported a record daily high of deaths in the last 24 hours, said its level of collective immunity against COVID-19 stood at 50.2% as of Nov. 19, up from 49% the previous week. read more

AMERICAS

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines for all adults six months after having been fully vaccinated with the shots from either Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc. read more

* Canada authorized the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, paving the way for the inoculation of elementary school-age children across the country. read more

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan unveiled a record $490 billion spending package to cushion the economic blow from the pandemic, bucking a global trend towards withdrawing crisis-mode stimulus measures and adding strains to its already tattered finances.

* The first known case was a market vendor in China’s Wuhan, not an accountant who appeared to have no link to the market but whose case contributed to speculation the virus could have leaked from a lab, according to a U.S. study. read more

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Nigeria’s economy grew just over 4% in the third quarter, the statistics office said on Thursday, lifted by higher oil prices, as the country targets mass vaccination from this month.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The European Union’s drug regulator has issued advice on using Merck’s COVID-19 pill for adults and began a review of a rival tablet from Pfizer to help member states decide on quick adoption ahead of any formal EU-wide approval.

* Pfizer plans to apply for a European authorisation of its experimental antiviral pill, German weekly Wirtschaftswoche said, citing sources close to the European Medicines Agency and the company. read more

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Resurgent concerns about COVID-19 in the face of looming European lockdowns weighed on a range of sectors Friday, pushing stocks and oil down and boosting the dollar. read more

* Oil prices fell below $80 a barrel as surging COVID-19 cases in Europe threatened to slow the economic recovery while investors also weighed a potential release of crude reserves by major economies to cool prices.

Compiled by Juliette Portala, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Vinay Dwivedi; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta, Andrew Cawthorne and Sriraj Kalluvila

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.