FACTBOX-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Britain became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, while the first known U.S. case of a highly infectious variant was detected in Colorado on Tuesday.

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 * Lockdown measures in England will be extended to counter the rapidly growing number of cases of a new variant of COVID-19, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC television.

* The Czech Republic has allowed the squeezing of an extra dose from vaccine vials supplied by Pfizer and BioNTech , taking advantage of a reserve amount put into the vials by the maker. * The European Union will buy an extra 100 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine, bringing the total from the two companies to 300 million doses, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

* Switzerland has documented five cases of a coronavirus variant from Britain and two cases of a South African variant, a Swiss health ministry official said on Tuesday. AMERICAS

* The first known U.S. case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant was detected in Colorado as President-elect Joe Biden warned it could take years for most Americans to be vaccinated for the virus at current distribution rates. * Panama has signed agreements with four producers of COVID-19 vaccines to acquire a total of 5.5 million doses, enough for 80% of the population.

* Deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean from COVID-19 topped 500,000 on Tuesday and cases soared above 15 million, according to a tally of figures in government reports. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Taiwan has agreed to buy almost 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 10 million from AstraZeneca Plc , the government said, adding that it had confirmed the island's first case of the new British variant of the disease. * A 46-year-old nurse became the first person in Singapore to receive Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine.

* South Korean authorities scrambled to contain a cluster of infections in a Seoul prison as inmates waved signs through barred windows pleading for help. * The coronavirus situation in Tokyo is quite severe and the Japanese capital could potentially face an "explosion" of COVID-19 cases, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said ahead of the New Year's holiday.

* Australian authorities restricted movement and tightened curbs on gatherings in Sydney, hoping to avoid a coronavirus "super spreader" event during the city's New Year's Eve celebrations. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The United Arab Emirates has discovered a "limited number" of cases of people infected with the new coronavirus variant in the country, a government official said, the first confirmed cases of a more contagious COVID-19 mutant in the Gulf region. * Turkey received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac, almost a week after Ankara said the vaccine was safe and effective, based on interim Phase III trial results.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Britain became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as it battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus.

* A vaccine developed by a unit of China National Biotec Group (CNBG) is 79.34% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 and the company has filed an application for regulatory approval in China for its general public use. * A new variant of the novel coronavirus does not appear to cause more severe illness than other variants, according to a matched study by Public Health England.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * World stocks edged closer to recent record highs and Asian shares hit a record peak, as investors bet on a strong economic recovery next year, with the upbeat mood pushing the safe-haven dollar to its lowest since April 2018.