FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The World Health Organization said 106,000 new cases of infections of the novel coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours, the most in a single day since the outbreak began.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * More than 4.94 million people have been reported to have been infected globally and 323,323 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 1533 GMT on Wednesday.

* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser.

EUROPE * Estonia has started to test one of the world's first digital immunity passports, seeking a safer return to workplaces following the coronavirus lockdown.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a programme to test and trace those suspected of having been in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 would be in place by June 1. * Russia recorded its lowest total of new coronavirus cases since May 1 on Wednesday, with more patients discharged from hospital than new cases for the first time, which officials said showed that the outbreak was stabilising at last.

* Turkey does not risk a second wave of infections from the new coronavirus at the moment and it is preparing to start controlled "medical tourism" with 31 countries. * Some parts of Ireland's economy could restart ahead of schedule if the novel coronavirus remains under control, Ireland's Health Minister said, expressing cautious optimism of moving into phase two of a reopening plan on June 8.

AMERICAS * Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to vote again next week on giving small businesses more time to utilize their coronavirus aid under the Paycheck Protection Program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

* U.S. immunotherapy company Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc said its experimental vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection produced protective antibodies and immune system responses in mice and guinea pigs. * There will be no cap on the size of Canada's emergency loans to large companies harmed by the coronavirus pandemic but there will be multiple restrictions, the government said, as it recommended wearing masks in public for the first time.

* Peru's number of confirmed cases surpassed 104,000, as the outbreak puts pressure on the demand for medicines, whose prices have soared in recent days. * Brazil's health ministry issued new guidelines for wider use of anti-malarial drugs in mild coronavirus cases, a treatment touted by President Jair Bolsonaro in defiance of public health experts warning of possible health risks.

* Chile surpassed 53,000 confirmed cases, with the virus registering a rapid advance in recent days after it spread from more affluent areas of the country to crowded, poorer areas. ASIA-PACIFIC

* The novel coronavirus is behaving differently in patients in northeast China who have contracted it recently compared with early cases, indicating it is changing as it spreads, a prominent doctor said. * Thailand expects to have a vaccine ready next year, a senior official said, after finding positive trial results in mice.

* Indonesia reported 693 new infections, its biggest daily rise and taking the total number of cases above 19,000. * Cambodia has lifted a ban on entry of visitors from Iran, Italy, Germany, Spain, France and the United States, the health ministry said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Egypt will deduct 1% from people's salaries for 12 months beginning on July 1 to offset the economic repercussions of the coronavirus, according to a draft law approved by the cabinet.

ECONOMIC FALLOUT * Crude prices rose and a gauge of global equities broke out of a three-week trading range on Wednesday as investors bet on a rapid recovery from the coronavirus-induced recession.

* Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said he was less opposed to negative interest rates than before the coronavirus crisis escalated, but that there were "mixed reviews" about how well they had worked for other central banks. * Greece's economy may shrink 10 to 13% this year following a lockdown, but the government will take steps to mitigate the impact, the country's finance minister said.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Krishna Chandra Eluri; Edited by Tomasz Janowski and Sriraj Kalluvila)