FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

U.S. President Donald Trump faced a fresh backlash for removing his mask when he returned to the White House and urging Americans not to fear the COVID-19 disease that has killed more than 209,000 people in the country and put him in hospital. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/ in an external browser. * Eikon users, see MacroVitals cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.

U.S. President Donald Trump faced a fresh backlash for removing his mask when he returned to the White House and urging Americans not to fear the COVID-19 disease that has killed more than 209,000 people in the country and put him in hospital.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/ in an external browser.

* Eikon users, see MacroVitals cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news. AMERICAS

* White House officials are blocking new federal guidelines for the emergency release of a vaccine, including one that would likely ensure that no vaccine could be authorized before the Nov. 3 presidential election, the New York Times reported on Monday. * The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said COVID-19 can spread through virus lingering in the air, sometimes for hours.

* Mexico on Monday reported a record jump of 2,789 deaths and 28,115 cases due to what the government said was a change in methodology. * Argentina has the world's highest rate of positive tests, according to Oxford-linked tracker Our World In Data, with nearly six out of 10 yielding an infection.

EUROPE * The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she would leave quarantine after having been in contact with someone positive for COVID-19 a week earlier, despite EU recommendations of 14 days of self-isolation.

* Britain has rationed its supplies of the antiviral drug remdesivir and is prioritizing COVID-19 patients who need it most in the face of rising demand, Britain's health ministry said. * Spain became the first Western European nation to surpass 800,000 total cases.

* Ireland's government is set to reject a surprise recommendation by its health chiefs to go into lockdown and will instead propose a tightening of current restrictions, two government sources said. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Australia will spend A$4 billion over the next year to pay businesses that hire those under the age of 35 as part of an ambitious plan to boost jobs and growth. * Japan plans to conduct stress tests on its five major financial institutions this year that look into how the pandemic could affect their earnings and capital, the central bank said.

* Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved a 10.6 billion baht ($339 million) project to create jobs to support its rural economy and reduce poverty. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Iran's Health Ministry said on Monday nearly the whole country was on a red alert as cases and deaths rose to record levels, with a member of the state task force warning field hospitals might be needed if people flout the rules. * A drastic rise in infections has pushed Lebanon's hospitals to the edge, and experts warn they will soon be unable to cope.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * China is in talks to have its locally-produced COVID-19 vaccines assessed by the World Health Organization, as a step toward making them available for international use, a WHO official said.

* Europe's health regulator said it has started a rolling review of the experimental vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* World stock markets neared a more than two-week high on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House from the hospital, and expectations of a new U.S. stimulus package being agreed rose. * Five hundred of the world's leading charities and social groups have sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund warning that its support programs, which have had to be ramped up to cope with COVID-19, were condemning many countries to years of austerity.

* A second wave of the pandemic risks delaying the euro zone's economic recovery, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said.