FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The United States and France confirmed coronavirus vaccines would start rolling out in their countries next month, while Germany's capital city is racing to open six mass vaccination centres by mid-December. 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.

The United States and France confirmed coronavirus vaccines would start rolling out in their countries next month, while Germany's capital city is racing to open six mass vaccination centres by mid-December.

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

* The number of COVID-19 infections in Germany surpassed the one million mark and the daily death toll hit a record of 426, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday. * Russia plans to vaccinate more than 400,000 military personnel against COVID-19, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday, as authorities reported a record 27,543 new coronavirus cases.

* Morale amongst Italian businesses and consumers fell sharply in November, data showed on Friday, as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and government-ordered restrictive measures weighed. * More than 20 million people across England will be forced to live under the toughest category of restrictions when a national lockdown ends on Dec. 2, while fans of Premier League clubs in London and Liverpool will be allowed to attend games.

AMERICAS * Americans marked a muted Thanksgiving Day holiday on Thursday, sometimes seeing family only by video after political leaders discouraged travel or large gatherings.

* Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he will not take a vaccine, while the governor of Sao Paulo state floated the idea of rolling out one without approval from the national health regulator. * Argentines in their thousands, wearing soccer jerseys and face masks, packed into the streets of Buenos Aires to pay their last respects to flawed soccer genius Diego Maradona, despite virus concerns.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Indonesia reported a daily record high of 5,828 coronavirus infections and 169 deaths on Friday, data from its COVID-19 task force showed.

* Five patients were killed in India on Friday in a fire that broke out in a COVID-19 ward, the fourth blaze in a coronavirus hospital since the outbreak began, which drew angry questions from the Supreme Court. * The Philippines will get 2.6 million shots of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca under the country's first supply deal for a coronavirus vaccine, senior officials said on Friday.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Kenya's central bank cut its forecast for 2020 economic growth by more than half on Friday, joining the Treasury in realising that the coronavirus had inflicted more damage to the economy than previously thought.

* Mass vaccination against COVID-19 is unlikely to start in Africa until midway through next year and keeping vaccines cold could be a big challenge, the continent's disease control group said on Thursday. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Russia will allow Hungarian doctors and medical experts to observe the manufacturing process for its Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday. * Colchicine, a commonly used anti-inflammatory drug, will be investigated as a possible treatment for COVID-19 in the Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial, the study website posted on Friday.

* AstraZeneca is working with regulators to investigate a lower dosage of its vaccine that performed better than a full dosage, after its chief executive officer was quoted as saying an additional global trial was likely. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* World stocks remained on course for their best month ever on Friday as recent vaccine progress, Joe Biden's U.S. presidential election win, hopes for further stimulus, a commodity surge and a weak dollar all lifted the spirits. * Profits at Chinese industrial firms rose 28.2% year-on-year in October to 642.91 billion yuan ($97.79 billion), official data showed.

 

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