FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Italy is likely to extend a state of emergency for the pandemic beyond its current end date of July 31, the prime minister said. AMERICAS * Florida confirmed its place as an emerging epicenter of the COVID pandemic in the United States by reporting its second sharpest daily rise in cases, while Walt Disney Co prepared to reopen its flagship theme park in Orlando to the chagrin of some employees. * Bolivian President Jeanine Anez and Venezuelan Socialist Party leader Diosdado Cabello have tested positive for COVID-19.

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Friday an analysis showed its antiviral remdesivir helped reduce the risk of death in severely ill COVID-19 patients, but cautioned that rigorous clinical trials were needed to confirm the benefit.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * 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. * Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and a summary of developments.

EUROPE * Britain has turned down the chance to join a 2.4 billion-euro European Union plan to secure advance purchases of promising COVID-19 vaccines, saying the EU would not allow it any role in decision making.

* The Russian government proposed international flights should resume from July 15 after it reopened sports facilities and restaurants, despite recording thousands of new cases, and as it continued trials of drugs to treat COVID-19.. * Italy is likely to extend a state of emergency for the pandemic beyond its current end date of July 31, the prime minister said.

AMERICAS * Florida confirmed its place as an emerging epicenter of the COVID pandemic in the United States by reporting its second sharpest daily rise in cases, while Walt Disney Co prepared to reopen its flagship theme park in Orlando to the chagrin of some employees.

* Bolivian President Jeanine Anez and Venezuelan Socialist Party leader Diosdado Cabello have tested positive for COVID-19. * Colombian capital Bogota will initiate strict, rolling two-week quarantines in certain neighborhoods starting Monday as cases rise and intensive care units fill.

* China's customs authority said it was suspending imports from three shrimp producers in Ecuador after detecting the novel coronavirus in shipments. ASIA-PACIFIC

* India reported a record 26,506 new coronavirus cases on Friday as authorities re-imposed lockdowns in its most populous state and in an industrial hub, home to automakers, drug factories and brewers. * Voting in Singapore's election was extended, after coronavirus infection control measures led to long queues and delays at polling stations.

* Authorities will conduct coronavirus testing in Tokyo's nightlife districts, where infections have surged again, and are urging nightclub hosts and hostesses to follow advice on safely interacting with customers. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The premier of Gauteng, South Africa's most populous province, said he had tested positive for the coronavirus, as new confirmed infections in the country hit a record daily high. * Morocco extended an emergency decree until Aug. 10.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * As scientists question whether the presence, or absence, of antibodies to the coronavirus can reliably determine immunity, some are looking to a different component of the immune system, known as T cells, for their role in protecting people in the pandemic.

* The coronavirus is likely spreading through the air to some degree, the top U.S. infectious disease official said, after the World Health Organization urged further studies on the ways the virus is transmitted. ECONOMIC FALLOUT

* World stocks struggled for direction and bond yields flat-lined on Friday as investors weighed a record number of new coronavirus cases in the United States against improving economic data in Europe. * Insurers are creating products for a world where virus outbreaks could become the new normal after many businesses were left out in the cold during the COVID-19 crisis.

* European Council President Charles Michel sought to bridge gaps between EU countries over their long-term budget and economic stimulus plans before national leaders meet next week to haggle over how to recover from the pandemic. (Compiled by Aditya Soni, Anna Rzhevkina and Anita Kobylinska; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Barbara Lewis and Shounak Dasgupta)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)