FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Medical staff in Poland could start being vaccinated this month, the prime minister's top aide, Michal Dworczyk, said. AMERICAS * U.S. congressional negotiators on Wednesday were "closing in on" a $900 billion COVID-19 aid bill that will include a new round of stimulus talks and extended unemployment benefits, a person familiar with the talks said. * U.S. officials are monitoring the potential impact of a pending snowstorm as shipments of Pfizer Inc's vaccine make their way across the country.

Daily U.S. deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 3,000 for the third time in a week as the country expanded its vaccination program and the U.S. Congress progressed toward approving financial relief for the pandemic-stricken country.

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's government thinks people should make their own personal decision about gathering for Christmas but they should also consider the COVID-19 risks to vulnerable family members. * Germany aims to be able to vaccinate everyone seeking a COVID-19 inoculation by summer, its health minister said, as the number of registered deaths jumped by 952, the highest daily increase yet.

* The number of infections in the Netherlands jumped by more than 11,000 in 24 hours, hitting a new record, official data showed. * Medical staff in Poland could start being vaccinated this month, the prime minister's top aide, Michal Dworczyk, said.

AMERICAS * U.S. congressional negotiators on Wednesday were "closing in on" a $900 billion COVID-19 aid bill that will include a new round of stimulus talks and extended unemployment benefits, a person familiar with the talks said.

* U.S. officials are monitoring the potential impact of a pending snowstorm as shipments of Pfizer Inc's vaccine make their way across the country. * A quarter of Mexico's population, or 31 million people, has been exposed to COVID-19, according to preliminary results of an official survey, with 70% never showing symptoms.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has drawn criticism for joining year-end get-togethers after begging the public to avoid parties as the country grapples with record numbers of cases.

* Indonesia will provide free vaccines to its citizens when it starts its inoculation programme, President Joko Widodo said, adding he would get the first shot to reassure people on safety. * South Korea reported a record daily rise in cases on Wednesday and the prime minister issued an urgent call for more hospital beds.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Saudi Arabia received its first shipment of vaccines on Wednesday and will begin distributing the shots in the next three days, the health minister said.

* Lebanon is expected to sign a deal this week for supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine and is set to receive the first batch eight weeks after that. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* French pharmaceutical firm Valneva will start the first clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate at four sites in England. * A COVID-19 vaccine being developed by British American Tobacco from tobacco leaves has been approved for human trials by the U.S. health regulator.

* Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine appeared set for regulatory authorization this week after U.S. FDA staff endorsed it as safe and effective. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Stocks rose to record highs around the world on Wednesday as drugmakers rolled out COVID-19 vaccines and U.S. congressional leaders expressed optimism about a stimulus deal, with the upbeat mood dragging the safe-haven dollar to 2-1/2 year lows. * U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in November, likely weighed down by raging new COVID-19 infections and decreasing household income.

* The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will offer its first glimpse of how a coronavirus vaccine has changed the U.S. economic outlook, and whether businesses, workers and families need more help from the central bank until inoculations and immunity are widespread. (Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Jagoda Darlak; Editing by Alex Richardson, Editing by William Maclean)