FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Nearly 30 generic drugmakers in Asia, Africa and the Middle East will make cheap versions of Merck's COVID-19 pill, under a landmark U.N.-backed deal to give poorer nations wider access to a drug seen as a weapon in fighting the pandemic. 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

* Sweden will loosen quarantine rules and make it easier for employees with key jobs in sectors like healthcare and the police to go to work, the health agency said. * Lawmakers who have tested positive for the virus could be allowed to vote for Italy's next president in a parliamentary car park, the lower house speaker's office said.

* France will unveil a timetable for easing restrictions, the government spokesman said, though he cautioned the wave of Omicron infections tearing through the country had not reached its peak. * An investigation by Berlin prosecutors into undeclared COVID-19 bonuses paid to the German Green Party's top leadership will not take long since the money has already been repaid, the economy minister and co-party leader said.

* Austria's government said it was introducing a national lottery to encourage holdouts to get vaccinated, hours before parliament was due to pass a bill introducing a national vaccine mandate. * Moscow reported a record pandemic high of 11,557 new cases in the last 24 hours, authorities said.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Asset management firm CQS Michael Hintze said China's COVID-19 rules were threatening energy transition, the Financial Times reported.

* Unvaccinated Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer said she had to overcome unexpected hurdles to earn a spot at the Beijing winter Olympics next month, but does not feel a mandatory 21-day quarantine is punishment. * India's wealthiest state Maharashtra will reopen schools next week, its education minister said, as new cases of the Omicron variant fell sharply.

* Japan's prefecture of Osaka and two neighbouring regions are expected to join in a widening declaration of COVID-19 prevention measures, Osaka's governor said. * Taiwan's government said it would mandate the use of passes that provide proof of vaccination for entry into entertainment venues.

* Thailand will resume its 'Test & Go' quarantine waiver for vaccinated arrivals from Feb. 1, its coronavirus task force said, in response to slowing infections. AMERICAS

* The Biden administration is giving U.S. colleges and universities another $198 million to help them curb COVID-19 and address student needs such as housing and food amid the ongoing pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education said. * Federal Reserve officials must contend with fresh signs the coronavirus is again slowing the economy as well as markets conspiring to tighten financial conditions faster than U.S. central bank policymakers may have hoped.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST * Africa's top public health bodies called for donated vaccines to come with a shelf life of three to six months so countries could plan their rollouts and avoid a situation where doses expire.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * The Omicron variant is not likely to help countries achieve so-called herd immunity against COVID-19, in which enough people become immune to the virus that it can no longer spread, leading disease experts say.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Wall Street was headed higher, pulling European shares back into the black as investors in Big Tech licked their wounds after the Nasdaq Composite's slide into correction territory.

* The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, likely as a winter wave of infections disrupted business activity. * Britain's economy showed tentative signs of picking up last week as a wave of COVID-19 cases eased, after businesses suffered a widespread fall in turnover during December.

(Compiled by Juliette Portala and Marta Frackowiak ; Edited by Milla Nissi and Paul Simao)