FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Joe Biden's vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses, a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of Americans, while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities. ASIA-PACIFIC * China suspended four more incoming U.S. flights, bringing the total cancellation this year to 74, as infections caused by the Omicron variant soared to record highs in the United States. * Hong Kong will suspend for a month transit flights from around 150 countries and territories considered high risk, deepening the global financial hub's isolation.

Unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic asked an Australian court to block his deportation ahead of the Australian Open after the government canceled his visa for the second time over COVID-19 entry regulations. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers gathered on the banks of India's Ganges river for a holy bathe despite a 30-fold rise in coronavirus cases in the past month.

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 the news.

EUROPE * British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's authority took yet another hit after revelations that his staff had partied in Downing Street as Queen Elizabeth mourned her husband, at a time when mixing indoors was banned.

* Italy lifted an entry ban on people who had visited any of eight southern African states which it imposed in November as the Omicron variant began to spread. * Swedish prime minister has tested positive for COVID-19, her spokesperson said, as a growing wave of infections swept the country.

* Norway will offer COVID-19 vaccines to all children aged 5 years and above, the government said, having previously only offered vaccines to children aged 12 and older. AMERICAS

* Brazil is suffering a sharp rise in cases as the Omicron variant spreads through the country, putting pressure on health services and weighing on an already sputtering economy. * The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Joe Biden's vaccination-or-testing mandate for large businesses, a policy the conservative justices deemed an improper imposition on the lives and health of Americans while endorsing a separate federal vaccine requirement for healthcare facilities.

ASIA-PACIFIC * China suspended four more incoming U.S. flights, bringing the total cancellation this year to 74, as infections caused by the Omicron variant soared to record highs in the United States.

* Hong Kong will suspend for a month transit flights from around 150 countries and territories considered high risk, deepening the global financial hub's isolation. * The Philippines will push through with its plan next week to ban from public transportation people who are not vaccinated.

* A South Korean court ruled that large shops and teenagers should be temporarily excluded from vaccine pass mandates in the capital Seoul. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* A Johnson and Johnson vaccine booster shot is 85% effective in protecting against being hospitalized by the Omicron variant for 1-2 months after it is received, the head of South Africa's Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said. * Thailand's health minister said the country planned to develop the anti-viral pill molnupiravir to combat rising infections.

* Unvaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant may be less prone to severe illness and require hospital care or dying than was the case with previous variants, a South African study showed. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* European stocks dropped in early trading after more Fed policymakers signaled they will start to raise U.S. interest rates in March to combat inflation. * China posted a record trade surplus in December and 2021, as exports outperformed expectations during a global pandemic.

* The German economy grew 2.7% in 2021 after plunging 4.6% in the first coronavirus crisis year, data showed, as microchip shortages hurt the car industry and further restrictions slowed down the recovery of Europe's largest economy. * Britain's economy grew strongly in November to finally surpass its size just before the country went into its first lockdown, official data showed.