FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* The Chinese city of Yuzhou locked down its 1.1 million residents after reports of new infections as officials rushed to contain even small outbreaks just over four weeks before the Winter Olympics begin. * Thailand's health ministry called on people to get booster vaccinations after reporting cases of the Omicron variant had more than doubled over the holiday period.

More evidence is emerging https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-sees-more-evidence-that-omicron-affects-upper-respiratory-tract-2022-01-04 that the Omicron coronavirus variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants, a World Health Organization official said, while Britain's vaccine minister said people hospitalised with the virus https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/covid-patients-showing-less-severe-symptoms-uk-vaccine-minister-says-2022-01-04 in the United Kingdom are broadly showing less severe symptoms than before. 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

* French government officials vowed to enact by mid-January a law to block unvaccinated people from hospitality venues, despite the legislation hitting a procedural hitch in parliament overnight. * The number of daily infections more than doubled in Romania following an easing of restrictions during the winter holidays, and officials estimate the fifth wave of the pandemic could see twice as many cases as the previous one.

* Sweden set a new daily record for COVID-19 cases, registering 11,507 cases on Dec. 30 as a fourth wave of the virus swept across the country and put healthcare under renewed pressure. AMERICAS

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorised the use of a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 and narrowed the interval for booster shot eligibility to five months from six. * Thousands of U.S. schools delayed scheduled return to classrooms, while the U.S. Congress experienced an unprecedented jump in infections as seven-day positivity rate at a congressional test site surged to 13% from just 1% in late-November.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Authorities in Delhi ordered people to stay home over coming weekends having seen COVID-19 cases quadruple in a week, with its chief minister saying he had caught the virus just a day after he addressed an election rally without a mask.

* Australia's COVID-19 cases touched a fresh pandemic high on Tuesday amid an Omicron surge in its two most populous states, as hospitalisations in New South Wales, home to Sydney, surpassed the record numbers hit during the Delta outbreak. * The Chinese city of Yuzhou locked down its 1.1 million residents after reports of new infections as officials rushed to contain even small outbreaks just over four weeks before the Winter Olympics begin.

* Thailand's health ministry called on people to get booster vaccinations after reporting cases of the Omicron variant had more than doubled over the holiday period. * Japan will gear up efforts to deal with a possible surge in Omicron cases and aim to deliver oral treatment using Pfizer's drugs nationwide next month.

* Novak Djokovic ended speculation over his Australian Open title defence by announcing he would compete at the season's opening Grand Slam event after receiving a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against COVID-19. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Israel will admit foreigners with presumed COVID-19 immunity from countries deemed medium-risk next week, partially reversing a ban imposed in late-November in response to the fast-spreading Omicron variant. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* A fourth dose of vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered, Israel's prime minister said, citing preliminary findings of an Israeli study. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* World shares extended a bright start to 2022 as markets from Europe to Asia shrugged off worries the Omicron variant could choke the global economic recovery, while the dollar rose after U.S. bond yields jumped. * Oil prices rose as investors expected OPEC+ producers meeting on output to stick with their planned increase for February based on indications Omicron would have only a mild impact on demand.

(Compiled by Valentine Baldassari and Uttaresh.V; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Milla Nissi)

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