FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* The British government said huge swathes of England would be placed under its most confining COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country. AMERICAS * Millions of COVID-19 vaccines are sitting unused in U.S. hospitals and elsewhere a week into the massive inoculation campaign, putting the government's target for 20 million vaccinations this month in doubt. * Americans faced the prospect of a government shutdown during a pandemic as outgoing President Donald Trump, angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, demanded dramatic changes to a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus aid package.

At least four drugmakers expect their COVID-19 vaccines to be effective against the new virus variant spreading fast in Britain, while Americans were warned again not to travel for Christmas as the latest surge in cases overwhelmed hospitals.

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 * Spain will receive 350,000 doses per week of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine starting on Saturday, Health Minister Salvador Illa said, as infection rates surge in the country.

* Irish health chiefs believe a new variant of COVID-19 found in neighbouring Britain is present in Ireland, but not solely responsible for a rapid spread of the disease that will require restrictions beyond those announced just 24 hours ago. * British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a new, potentially more infectious variant of coronavirus has been found in Britain in cases linked to South Africa.

* Around 500 relatives of people who died of COVID-19 in Italy said they were initiating legal action against regional and national authorities, seeking 100 million euros ($122 million) in damages. * The British government said huge swathes of England would be placed under its most confining COVID-19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country.

AMERICAS * Millions of COVID-19 vaccines are sitting unused in U.S. hospitals and elsewhere a week into the massive inoculation campaign, putting the government's target for 20 million vaccinations this month in doubt.

* Americans faced the prospect of a government shutdown during a pandemic as outgoing President Donald Trump, angry at his fellow Republicans in Congress, demanded dramatic changes to a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus aid package. * Merck & Co said it would supply about 60,000-100,000 doses of its experimental COVID-19 treatment to the U.S. government for up to about $356 million.

* Canada approved Moderna Inc's coronavirus vaccine, the second country to do so, paving the way for health authorities to step up an inoculation campaign against a worsening second wave. * Mexico said it will begin inoculating health workers against COVID-19 on Thursday with the arrival of the first vaccines, as the government battles a sharp surge in infections that has pushed hospitals to their limits.

* Argentina has granted emergency approval for use of Russia's Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine, the South American country's health ministry said in a statement, becoming the third country after Russia and Belarus to approve the vaccine. * The first batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer will reach Costa Rica on Wednesday night, with inoculations set to begin on Thursday, President Carlos Alvarado told a news conference.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Taiwan's EVA Airways Corp sacked a New Zealand pilot whom the government has blamed for the island's first locally transmitted case of COVID-19 since April 12 because he failed to follow disease prevention rules.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Israel has detected four cases of the new, highly infectious variant that has emerged in Britain.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Brazilian researchers said the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech SVA.O is more than 50% effective based on preliminary data, but withheld full results of their late-stage trial again at Sinovac's request.

* Britain and drugmaker Roche offered reassurances that the accuracy of diagnostic tests used to detect COVID-19 was unlikely to be affected by a fast-spreading mutant variant of the virus. * Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, the developer of the first Russian vaccine against COVID-19, said volunteers in its final-stage trials for the Sputnik V shot will no longer receive placebos.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Stocks rose as investors waved away a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump not to sign a pandemic relief bill, while the British pound soared on rising expectations of a Brexit trade deal.

(Compiled by Bartosz Dabrowski, Aditya Soni and Krishna Chandra Eluri Editing by Mark Heinrich and Maju Samuel)