FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

An unrelenting U.S. coronavirus surge pushed besieged hospitals further to the brink as the country prepared to ship nearly 6 million doses of a new vaccine on the cusp of winning regulatory approval, while a fresh virus cluster in Sydney saw Australian states impose movement curbs.

AND INFECTIONS * Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news.

EUROPE * French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive, prompting a track and trace effort across Europe following meetings he had with EU heads of government in recent days.

* European Union states will start vaccinations in 10 days as Europe tries to catch up with Britain and the United States. * Northern Ireland will enter a six-week lockdown starting Dec. 26 in a bid to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases.

* Ireland, which has the second lowest infection rate in the European Union, looks set for a "serious increase" in cases. * Lockdown restrictions will tighten in parts of western Athens from Friday to contain a resurgence in cases.

* An overnight curfew from 11 p.m. will come into force in Portugal on New Year's Eve. AMERICAS

* Congressional negotiators in Washington were scrambling to agree on details of a $900 billion COVID-19 aid bill as lawmakers from both political parties said failing to agree was not an option. * Members of the Congress will be able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 with the distribution of the first tranche of vaccine doses.

* Brazil recorded over 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths for the first time in over three months as its Supreme Court ruled that vaccinations could be required in the South American country. ASIA-PACIFIC

* South Korea reported its second-highest ever daily tally of coronavirus cases, as the government warned businesses it was unacceptable for them to try to dodge shutdown orders by tricking the system. * China is planning to vaccinate 50 million people in the high-priority group against the coronavirus before the start of the peak Lunar New Year travel season early next year, the South China Morning Post reported.

* The Philippines will be able to secure between four to 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc, the Southeast Asia country's ambassador to Washington said. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* A second wave of infections is hitting West and Central Africa, and experts are warning it could be worse than the first. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will "rapidly" work towards granting emergency approval of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said. * All five babies born to women with COVID-19 infection during a study in Singapore have had antibodies against the virus, although the researchers said it is not yet clear what level of protection this may offer.

* Johnson & Johnson said it has fully enrolled participants for the first late-stage trial of its COVID-19 single-dose vaccine candidate. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian shares slipped from the record they hit a day earlier, but the prospect of more U.S. stimulus left some investors still in the mood to pick up stocks and other risk-exposed assets. * The Bank of Japan unveiled a plan to probe more effective ways to achieve its 2% inflation target, following in the footsteps of its U.S. and European counterparts as a renewed spike in inflections threatened to derail a fragile recovery.