FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised address on Wednesday evening, while BFM TV reported the government has been exploring bringing in a national lockdown from midnight on Thursday. * Italy approved a package of measures to support businesses hit by new restrictions aimed at reining in the coronavirus, hours after daily infections hit a new record high and COVID-19-related deaths jumped.

India's tally of coronavirus cases stood less than 10,000 away from the grim milestone of 8 million, while a Reuters tally showed nearly half a million people have contracted COVID-19 in the United States over the last seven days.

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

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being put under pressure for a new lockdown with the government working on the assumption the second wave of coronavirus will be more deadly than the first, the Telegraph newspaper reported. * President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised address on Wednesday evening, while BFM TV reported the government has been exploring bringing in a national lockdown from midnight on Thursday.

* Italy approved a package of measures to support businesses hit by new restrictions aimed at reining in the coronavirus, hours after daily infections hit a new record high and COVID-19-related deaths jumped. AMERICAS

* Nearly half a million people have contracted COVID-19 in the United States over the last seven days, according to a Reuters tally, as new cases and hospitalizations set records in the Midwest. * The United Nations cancelled all in-person meetings at its New York headquarters after five people in Niger's U.N. mission were infected.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Melbourne's shops, restaurants and hotels opened for business after a four-month coronavirus lockdown.

* Mainland China reported 42 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 27, the highest daily toll in more than two months due to a rise in infections in the northwestern Xinjiang region. * India reported 43,893 new cases in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed.

* Hong Kong will reopen public beaches and relax restrictions on bars and restaurants starting Friday. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Iranians are being too lax in complying with restrictions, the government said, as the hardest-hit Middle Eastern country faced new daily records of infections and deaths. * Dubai airport, the world's busiest for international travel before the crisis, could see passenger traffic fall as much 70% this year, its CEO said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines "is likely to be imperfect" and that they "might not work for everyone", UK Vaccines Taskforce Chair Kate Bingham said on Tuesday.

* The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has submitted applications to the World Health Organization for an Emergency Use Listing and prequalification of its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. * Italy's main medicines regulator gave the go-ahead on Tuesday for human clinical trials on raloxifene, a generic osteoporosis drug that researchers hope may also help reduce COVID-19 symptoms and make patients less infectious.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Global shares slipped on Wednesday as coronavirus infections grew at an alarming pace in the United States and Europe, while uncertainty over next week's U.S. elections added to a "risk off" tone.

* The number of people in Ireland claiming temporary coronavirus-related jobless benefits rose by 21% to 295,860 after the country moved to the highest level of COVID-19 restrictions last week, data showed. * U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that a coronavirus economic relief deal would likely come after the Nov. 3 election, with the White House unable to bridge differences with fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate as well as congressional Democrats.

 

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