FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Vaccines remain out of reach in the poorest countries, the head of the World Health Organization said in a report, while India's capital recorded the equivalent of one death from COVID-19 every five minutes as oxygen supplies ran short and patients lay dying outside hospitals.

Vaccines remain out of reach in the poorest countries, the head of the World Health Organization said in a report, while India's capital recorded the equivalent of one death from COVID-19 every five minutes as oxygen supplies ran short and patients lay dying outside hospitals. 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

* The European Commission expects to seal the world's biggest vaccine supply deal within days, securing up to 1.8 billion doses of Pfizer's vaccine for the next few years. * Europe's drug regulator reiterated that the benefits of AstraZeneca's vaccine outweigh any risks. Meanwhile, Norway will offer those who received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine an mRNA vaccine as their second dose.

* German lawmakers approved a debt-financed 60 billion euro supplementary budget to boost aid for businesses and healthcare during the pandemic. * Greece will reopen shopping malls on Saturday in a cautious easing of restrictions.

* Austria plans to loosen restrictions on May 19, letting restaurants, hotels and theatres reopen their doors for the first time in more than five months. AMERICAS

* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is probing the death of an Oregon woman and the hospitalization of another in Texas after receiving Johnson & Johnson's vaccine. * A surge in cases means Canada is at a critical juncture, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, while an expert panel said AstraZeneca's vaccine could now be offered to more people.

* Brazil's vaccination program is being put at risk by people failing to show up for their second shot. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan declared "short and powerful" states of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures. * Thailand needs to add more intensive care unit beds at hospitals to tackle an influx of COVID-19 patients, an official said.

* Western Australia's capital of Perth and the neighbouring Peel region will enter a snap three-day lockdown from midnight on Friday. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Israel and Bahrain have agreed to recognise each other's vaccination programmes and let people who have had shots travel without restriction between the countries. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Inovio Pharmaceuticals is considering moving its vaccine trial overseas as the U.S. government pulled funding. * India's Cadila Healthcare has started producing its potential vaccine for which it will seek emergency use authorisation in May or June, its managing director told Reuters.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Stocks rose on Friday as solid economic data reversed a Wall Street decline in the previous session, setting up a global stocks index for a fifth consecutive week of gains.

* British retail sales jumped last month before a partial lifting of restrictions, suggesting an economic rebound is under way. (Compiled by Devika Syamnath and Juliette Portala; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Arun Koyyur)