FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 200 million on Wednesday, while a White House official told Reuters that the Biden administration is developing a plan to require nearly all foreign visitors to be fully vaccinated. 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 European Commission has approved a supply contract with U.S. firm Novavax for the purchase of up to 200 million of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, the Commission said. * Britain will offer all 16- and 17-year-olds their first dose of Pfizer vaccine.

* Britain said fully-vaccinated travellers returning to England from France will no longer have to quarantine. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan warned infections were rising at an unprecedented pace as new cases hit a record high in Tokyo, overshadowing the Olympics and adding to doubts over the government's handling of the pandemic. * China reported on Wednesday the highest number of new locally transmitted cases since January.

* Indonesia recorded a grim milestone of more than 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. * South Korea posted a sharp increase in cases as it struggled to tame its fourth wave of infections.

AMERICAS * The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for a halt on vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.

* The Delta variant is "highly worrisome" as the mutation has spread to nearly two dozen countries across the Americas, officials with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) told reporters. * Brazil's cases crossed 20 million.

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration aims to give full approval for the Pfizer vaccine by early September, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Dubai's state airport operator expects a surge in passenger traffic over the coming weeks and months, after the United Arab Emirates announced an easing of travel restrictions from African and Asian countries. * Israel warned against travel to the United States and other countries and said it would tighten quarantine measures for inbound travellers.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * In vaccinated patients with "breakthrough" COVID-19 infections, the disease may not affect the lungs as much as in unvaccinated patients, new data from India suggests.

* All patients undergoing non-emergency surgeries or medical procedures should get a PCR test for COVID-19 before getting operated, irrespective of their vaccination status, according to guidance from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Stocks, Treasuries and other major markets were mixed on Wednesday, after July data showed that U.S. jobs growth slowed but demand for services increased, all as Federal Reserve officials signaled a likely pullback in market support. * Outbreaks of the Delta variant in Southeast Asia have crippled its factory sector, disrupting global supplies of goods such as rubber gloves, semiconductors and SUVs and threatening the $3 trillion region's recovery.

(Compiled by Devika Syamnath and Anita Kobylinska; Editing by Barbara Lewis and Rashmi Aich)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)