FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted to urge Congress to pass piecemeal aid packages, a day after halting negotiations, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the tweets were an effort to rebound from "a terrible mistake." 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 tweeted to urge Congress to pass piecemeal aid packages, a day after halting negotiations, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the tweets were an effort to rebound from "a terrible mistake."

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

* President Donald Trump declared that catching the coronavirus was a "blessing from God" that exposed him to experimental treatments he vowed would become free for all Americans, in a video address released on Wednesday. * Top White House officials downplayed the possibility of more coronavirus relief, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disparaged Trump for backing away from talks on a comprehensive deal.

* The Marine Corps said its No. 2 officer tested positive, the second senior military official to do so this week, while Bloomberg News reported a top White House security official, infected with the virus, has been hospitalized since September. * Mexico reported 4,580 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, pushing its national tally to almost 800,000.

EUROPE * Italy made it mandatory to wear face masks outdoors nationwide as new infections jumped to the highest daily tally since April.

* The spread of COVID-19 in Ireland has reached an exponential growth phase and a coming surge in hospitalizations will create a "very significant challenge" for Irish society, a leading public health official said. * British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will order pubs and restaurants to shut across much of northern England, including in Manchester and Liverpool, the Sun reported.

* The Czech Republic reported 5,335 new cases on Wednesday, it's highest one-day tally since the pandemic started. * AstraZeneca could start profiting from its COVID-19 vaccine as soon as July next year, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing a memo showing the British drugmaker can declare when it considers the pandemic to have ended.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the economy was starting to pick up and was likely to continue recovering thanks in part to the boost from fiscal and monetary stimulus measures.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Tunisia was expected to announce a curfew in the capital after the governors of four provinces that make up greater Tunis called for action to halt a surge in infections.

* Official data has put Syria's death toll at 209, but a busy Damascus cemetery points to higher numbers, with burial notices, posted almost daily throughout the summer. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* India's drug regulator has knocked back a proposal from Dr. Reddy's Laboratories to conduct a large study in the country to evaluate Russia's Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccine and has asked it to first test the vaccine in a smaller trial. * Eli Lilly and Co said it applied for U.S. emergency use authorization for its experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * A gauge of Asian shares climbed to a one-month high on Thursday, as renewed hopes for more U.S. stimulus helped restore investor confidence with markets now pricing in a Democratic victory during elections in November.

* The Group of 20 nations must offer poorer countries a longer freeze in debt payments and other help to protect the global economy, leading business and labor groups said. * The World Bank said the pandemic could push as many as 150 million people into extreme poverty by the end of 2021, wiping out more than three years of progress in poverty reduction.

 

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