FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

* Australia's Victoria state reported a triple-digit rise in new infections for the first time in four days, denting optimism that a second wave of cases has been contained. AMERICAS * The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late-October, documents published by the agency showed. * Brazil's COVID-19 death toll appears to be easing for the first time since May, data shows, a sign the country could be descending from a long infection plateau.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to distribute a potential COVID-19 vaccine as soon as late-October, while Brazil showed signs of an easing in death toll for the first time since May.

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 summary of news.

EUROPE * Turkey is experiencing the second peak of its novel coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

* Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed to carry on with political activities ahead of local elections in September after testing positive for COVID-19. * The first shots of British drug maker AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine could be on the market by the end of 2020, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said.

* European Union states could buy potential COVID-19 vaccines through a procurement scheme co-led by the World Health Organization, the EU Commission said in what appears to be a change in position. * Germany's national institute for infectious diseases on Wednesday added the Canary Islands to its list of risk regions, citing a high rate of new coronavirus infections in the Spanish autonomous region.

* Greece recorded its first coronavirus case in the overcrowded migrant camp of Moria on the island of Lesbos and the facility has been placed under a two-week quarantine. ASIA-PACIFIC

* India reported another record daily jump of 83,883 infections, taking its tally to 3.85 million, just 100,000 behind Brazil, the world's second most affected nation. * Australia's Victoria state reported a triple-digit rise in new infections for the first time in four days, denting optimism that a second wave of cases has been contained.

AMERICAS * The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late-October, documents published by the agency showed.

* Brazil's COVID-19 death toll appears to be easing for the first time since May, data shows, a sign the country could be descending from a long infection plateau. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* South Africa's auditor general said that some of the money in its 500 billion rand ($30 billion) COVID-19 relief package may have been fraudulently paid to improper beneficiaries. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Britain is putting 500 million pounds ($666 million) into trials of rapid COVID-19 tests and into population-testing for the disease, the health ministry said on Thursday. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian equities started strong on Thursday as a sustained recovery in China's services sector and the prospect of additional U.S. stimulus whetted risk appetite, while the dollar pared gains. * India is facing potential delays in the harvest of its massive sugarcane crop, threatening supply worldwide, as millions of migrant workers may be scared to travel due to the novel coronavirus.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska, Vinay Dwivedi and Uttaresh.V; Editing by Maju Samuel and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)