FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

BioNTech is testing the effectiveness of the vaccine it developed with Pfizer against a highly infectious new strain of the coronavirus as it prepares to send 12.5 mln doses to European Union countries by the end of year.

DEATHS 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 * The United Kingdom was stuck in COVID-19 isolation on Tuesday after much of the world cut off travel ties in response to a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, halting one of Europe's most important trade routes days before the Brexit cliff edge.

* The second wave of the pandemic appears to have peaked in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas said. * Bulgaria will allow medics, diplomats and seasonal workers coming from the UK to enter Bulgaria after closing its borders to travellers from the country, officials said.

* Ireland is in the grip of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rapid acceleration in the growth of cases is of very grave concern, senior health officials said. * Sweden will stop allowing in foreign travellers from Britain for one month.

AMERICAS * U.S. companies and industry groups trying to move their workers to the front of the queue for a COVID-19 vaccine remain confused about conflicting state and local guidelines on how shots will be administered and to which workers.

* Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said it had certified the production standards of CoronaVac, China's Sinovac-produced coronavirus vaccine candidate. * Guatemala and Panama will restrict entry to travellers who have recently visited Britain or South Africa.

* British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic said they will allow only passengers who test negative for the coronavirus to fly to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. * Ontario, Canada's most populous province, announced a partial shutdown of some businesses starting Dec. 26 and banned most indoor gatherings as it struggles to control a second wave of COVID-19.

ASIA-PACIFIC * The maker of one of India's leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates said its recruitment of volunteers for a late-stage trial of the shot was on track, following reports of a shortage of participants.

* Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated there was no need for the country to enter a national state of emergency, even as health groups declared their own state of emergency for the medical system. * Taiwan's government on Tuesday reported its first locally transmitted case of COVID-19 since April 12.

* South Korea moved to shut down all ski resorts and winter tourist spots to curb the third wave of COVID-19 infections in the densely populated region of the capital city. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Sudan will ban travellers from Britain, the Netherlands and South Africa from Dec. 23. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The World Health Organization will convene a meeting of members to discuss strategies to counter a new, more infectious coronavirus strain that emerged in Britain, its European chief said. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* European stocks steadied on Tuesday, after heavy losses a day earlier sparked by fears over a highly infectious new strain of COVID-19, as Washington approved an $892 billion pandemic relief package. * The long-awaited U.S. relief package will help banks by boosting borrowers' finances and easing a small-business lending programme's rules, lobbyists and analysts said.

* Oil dropped towards $50 a barrel on Tuesday, adding to losses from the previous session, as the new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom revived concerns over demand recovery.