FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Brazilian health agency Anvisa warned passengers against boarding cruise ships operating along the Brazilian coast after outbreaks of COVID-19 affecting crew and customers. ASIA-PACIFIC * Australia said the milder impact of the Omicron variant meant the country could push ahead with plans to reopen the economy even as new infections hit a record of more than 37,000 and the number of people hospitalised rose. * Indonesia will begin giving booster shots to the general public from Jan. 12.

Many U.S. schools are delaying their start dates, scrambling to test pupils and teachers and preparing, as a last resort, to return to remote learning as record COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant sweep the country, while India started vaccinating children aged 15 to 18 as it expands its inoculation effort to cover the world's largest adolescent population. 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

* Passengers stuck on a cruise ship moored in Lisbon's port for five days due to a COVID-19 outbreak began disembarking early on Monday, focused on clearing the final hurdle of a negative test before boarding homebound flights. * Britain's education secretary said Omicron is spreading among over-50s, but data do not suggest further restrictions are needed because of the high uptake of booster jabs by older people.

* French lawmakers reported receiving death threats from suspected anti-vaccination protesters, as parliament starts to debate legislation that would require people to show proof of vaccination to go to a restaurant or cinema or take the train. * Belgium agreed to buy 10,000 courses each of the COVID-19 antiviral oral treatments developed by Pfizer and Merck & Co.

* Poland may decide to introduce new restrictions if new infections continue to grow, the Polish health minister told radio station RMF FM. AMERICAS

* Over 4,000 flights were canceled around the world on Sunday, more than half of them U.S. flights, adding to the toll of holiday week travel disruptions due to adverse weather and soaring Omicron-driven cases. * Brazilian health agency Anvisa warned passengers against boarding cruise ships operating along the Brazilian coast after outbreaks of COVID-19 affecting crew and customers.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Australia said the milder impact of the Omicron variant meant the country could push ahead with plans to reopen the economy even as new infections hit a record of more than 37,000 and the number of people hospitalized rose.

* Indonesia will begin giving booster shots to the general public from Jan. 12. * The Omicron variant lurked behind rising infections in Tokyo where new cases rose to 103, the highest since Oct. 8.

* Pakistan reported more than 700 cases in a single day, its highest tally in two months, as authorities warned of a fifth wave of infections and made preparations to try to contain Omicron. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Israel said it will admit foreigners with presumed COVID-19 immunity from countries deemed medium-risk, partially reversing a ban on entry by foreigners imposed in late November. * Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi is in mandatory self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in routine testing.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Sinovac's two-dose vaccine followed by a booster Pfizer-BioNTech shot showed a lower immune response against the Omicron variant compared with other strains, according to a study by researchers.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Oil rose towards $79 a barrel supported by tight supply and hopes of further demand recovery in 2022 spurred in part by a view that Omicron is unlikely to significantly dampen the outlook.

* OPEC+ is expected to stick to its plans for a February output increase when it meets on Tuesday, predicting a mild and short-lived impact on demand from the Omicron variant, three sources from the group of oil producers told Reuters. * France will spend about a hundred million euros to expand financial aid for companies hit by COVID-19, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.