FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

* Rich countries could be back to close to normal by late 2021 if a COVID-19 vaccine works, is ready soon and distributed properly at scale, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said. EUROPE * European countries face shortages of COVID-19 drug remdesivir, officials said, with cases surging after the United States bought up most of drugmaker Gilead's output. * Finland reported its highest daily number of infections since the pandemic began.

President Donald Trump stirred controversy on Tuesday, his first full day as a COVID-19 outpatient, by pulling out of talks with Democrats on a U.S. economic aid package and drawing rebukes from Facebook and Twitter for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.

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

* The rise in COVID-19 cases among officials in Washington is not disrupting the U.S. government, the White House said, as the nation's top military leaders moved into quarantine and at least two more White House staffers were reported to have been infected. * Rich countries could be back to close to normal by late 2021 if a COVID-19 vaccine works, is ready soon and distributed properly at scale, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said.

EUROPE * European countries face shortages of COVID-19 drug remdesivir, officials said, with cases surging after the United States bought up most of drugmaker Gilead's output.

* Finland reported its highest daily number of infections since the pandemic began. * Poland said it would enforce restrictions more strictly as it reported a daily record of deaths.

* Belgium will tighten restrictions at the end of the week, limiting groups to a maximum of four people. * Northern Ireland can slow a rapidly increasing spread of COVID-19 even if it takes a different approach from that across the border in Ireland, the region's chief scientific officer said.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Malaysia's prime minister said targeted lockdowns would be imposed in areas with high infection rates as the country grapples with a sharp spike.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * The United Arab Emirates surpassed 100,000 recorded cases.

* Iran will require face masks in public in the capital Tehran from Saturday, authorities said, announcing a daily record of 4,151 new cases as hospitals face shortages of beds during a third wave of infections. * Organisers of an annual religious festival in Touba, Senegal expected 3 million to 5 million pilgrims this week, even after the main ceremony was cancelled to mitigate risks.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's safety guidelines will likely push COVID-19 vaccine authorization past the Nov.3 presidential election.

* A COVID-19 vaccine may be ready by year-end, the head of the World Health Organization said. * Canada said that it had signed a deal with Abbott to purchase up to 20.5 million Panbio COVID-19 antigen tests as Health Canada approved the device, the first of its kind in Canada.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Top U.S. and European central bankers called for renewed government spending to support families and businesses as the battle against the coronavirus-triggered recession enters a newly critical phase.

* The European Central Bank must keep its policy sufficiently easy, even after the damage wrought by the pandemic is repaired, to ensure euro zone inflation heads back to its target, chief economist Philip Lane said.