FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Governments and officials are voicing hopes that COVID-19 vaccines could bring "herd immunity", but some experts say such expectations are misplaced. ECONOMIC IMPACT * Global shares edged higher and the dollar perked up on Wednesday as further positive COVID-19 vaccine news more than offset concerns around the stubbornly high global infection rate. * Global debt is expected to soar to a record $277 trillion by the end of the year as governments and companies continue to spend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Final results from Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine trial showed its shot had a 95% success rate and two months of safety data, paving the way for the drugmaker to apply for an emergency U.S. authorization within days, it said.

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

* German police unleashed water cannon and pepper spray in an effort to scatter thousands of protesters angry about Chancellor Angela Merkel's plans to set a legal framework for enforcing restrictions. * British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his government's handling of the procurement of protective equipment during the pandemic, after a spending watchdog said suppliers with political links had been fast-tracked.

* Sweden registered 96 new deaths among people diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest for at least three months. * Poland reported a record 603 new coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours.

AMERICAS * U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's top coronavirus advisers warned that President Donald Trump's stalling of the transition could hinder his country's pandemic response.

* The U.S. medical establishment on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to share critical COVID-19 data with President-elect Joe Biden's team to avoid needless, deadly lags in tackling the raging pandemic, while Biden will meet with healthcare workers in a virtual event on Wednesday. * Brazil's Sao Paulo state is set to begin importing the first of 46 million doses of China's Sinovac vaccine this week, while the federal government takes a more cautious approach with a vaccine developed by Pfizer.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Daily coronavirus cases in Tokyo and South Korea hit fresh highs on Wednesday, as pollution-cloaked New Delhi struggled with rising cases and Australia reported a highly contagious virus strain which forced a state-wide lockdown.

* Major food-producing countries are growing increasingly frustrated with China's scrutiny of imported products and are calling on it to stop aggressive testing for the coronavirus. * Taiwan, a poster child for efforts to control the coronavirus, will from next month require almost all visitors to have negative tests before arriving, tightening rules after an uptick in imported cases.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Iran registered 13,421 new infections in the past 24 hours, a new daily record, the health ministry said on Wednesday, bringing the country's overall tally to 801,894.

* Turkey's government urged "tight discipline" as the country prepared for new weekend curfews, online schooling and limits on restaurants and cafes that are to begin Friday evening and last until the end of the year. * Zimbabwean authorities have closed a boarding school in the west of the country after at least 100 students tested positive, a state-owned newspaper reported.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Sinovac Biotech's experimental vaccine triggered a quick immune response but the level of antibodies produced was lower than in people who had recovered from the disease, preliminary trial results showed.

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 self-testing kit for home use that provides results within 30 minutes. * Governments and officials are voicing hopes that COVID-19 vaccines could bring "herd immunity", but some experts say such expectations are misplaced.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Global shares edged higher and the dollar perked up on Wednesday as further positive COVID-19 vaccine news more than offset concerns around the stubbornly high global infection rate.

* Global debt is expected to soar to a record $277 trillion by the end of the year as governments and companies continue to spend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. * The Swiss government proposed expanding its hardship support programme for companies particular badly hit by the pandemic from 400 million Swiss francs ($439 million) to 1 billion francs.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Linda Pasquini; Editing by Gareth Jones and Alex Richardson)