FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

U.S. hospitals have seen a 36% rise in coronavirus patients over the past four weeks, while in Australia residents in five suburbs in Melbourne have been put on alert after a new case in a school sparked fears of a fresh outbreak. 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 COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.

U.S. hospitals have seen a 36% rise in coronavirus patients over the past four weeks, while in Australia residents in five suburbs in Melbourne have been put on alert after a new case in a school sparked fears of a fresh outbreak.

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 COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news. EUROPE

* Belgium could order another lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections as early as next week, as the country grapples with a new wave of the virus potentially as serious its first last spring. * Britain's finance minister will announce a fourth support package for firms struggling to handle COVID-19 when he makes a statement to parliament on Thursday, The Guardian reported.

AMERICAS * Six U.S. states reported record day-over-day increases in COVID-19 deaths, according to a Reuters analysis, as infections rose across the Midwest and elsewhere, prompting new clampdowns on residents, schools and businesses.

* High-level negotiations on a new coronavirus aid bill faced a setback when President Donald Trump accused Democrats of being unwilling to craft an acceptable compromise, despite reports of some progress earlier. ASIA-PACIFIC

* China will continue to suspend outbound group tours and ban travel agencies from allowing inbound tours due to the risk of a resurgence in coronavirus cases this winter. * Residents in five suburbs in Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, have been put on alert and people living in a public housing block urged to self-isolate after a new virus case in a school sparked fears of a fresh outbreak.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * South Africa faces a high risk of resurging infections that may lead to a review of lockdowns.

* Turkey is considering reimposing some measures to stem a resurgence of cases, but will avoid throttling the economic recovery, a senior official said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Britain will partner with an Oxford-based firm to provide testing for the T cell response of coronavirus vaccine candidates to try to assess their immune responses. * The United States is likely to have enough safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to inoculate the most vulnerable Americans by the end of 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

* Brazilian health authority Anvisa said a volunteer in a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University had died but added that the trial would continue. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian shares fell on Thursday and U.S. Treasury yields ticked lower as investors fretted over the slow pace of U.S. stimulus talks and a surge in global cases of COVID-19. * Over half the small and medium-sized companies which together provide jobs for two-thirds of European workers fear for their survival in the coming 12 months, according to a survey released by management consultancy McKinsey on Thursday.

* German consumer morale fell heading into November as fears about a second coronavirus wave that is hitting Europe's biggest economy made Germans less willing to open their wallets, a survey showed.

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