FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee did not rule out a last-minute cancellation of the Olympics as more athletes tested positive for COVID-19 and sponsors ditched plans to attend Friday's opening ceremony. However, World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a Tokyo Olympics message that COVID-19 can be defeated if all play their part.

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 * Britain's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said that 60% of people being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, correcting an earlier statement he made on Monday.

* The French government is going ahead with its plan to fight new infections and relieve pressure that could again submerge hospitals with some tweaks such as reduced fines, the government spokesman said. ASIA-PACIFIC

* India's excess deaths during the pandemic could be as high as 4.9 million, a new study shows, providing further evidence that millions more may have died from coronavirus than the official tally. * South Korea's prime minister and defence minister apologised as hundreds of infected sailors were flown to Seoul after a navy destroyer patrolling the waters off Africa was found to be riddled with the coronavirus.

* More than half of Australia's 25 million people were under lockdown after a third state adopted movement curbs to rein in the highly contagious Delta variant. * Myanmar politician Nyan Win, a senior adviser to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, died in hospital after becoming infected with COVID-19 in jail, his party said.

AMERICAS * The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a more severe warning against travel to the United Kingdom, elevating it to "Level Four: COVID-19 Very High", the CDC's highest level.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Iran imposed a one-week lockdown in the capital and a nearby province as daily caseloads hit a record high amid a fifth wave of the pandemic, state television reported.

* Restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 during the Muslim haj in Saudi Arabia have also reduced the risk of the deadly crowd crushes that have marred the pilgrimage's symbolic stoning of the devil in past years, worshippers said. * A Kenyan government programme intended to help the capital's poorest citizens weather the pandemic was crippled by irregularities including cronyism and benefited just a fraction of those in need, Human Rights Watch said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Taiwan's Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp said it will start a late-stage clinical trial this year in Paraguay for its COVID-19 vaccine, part of the island's push to make its own shots against the coronavirus.

* Scientists are working on a benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine efficacy that would allow drugmakers to conduct smaller, speedier human trials to get them to market and address a huge global vaccine shortage. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Global shares staunched a sell-off on Tuesday, but U.S. Treasury and German bond yields slipped to five-month lows as a reminder that investors remained worried the spread of the Delta variant could derail the economic recovery.