FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

A World Health Organization committee urged COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to provide it with the data it requires in order to list their shots for emergency use, saying the delays were affecting equitable vaccine access. Vaccine equity is the best way to get out of the current pandemic phase of the coronavirus epidemic, the world's top public health experts said in a panel at Davos.

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 * British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied an accusation by his former adviser that he had lied to parliament about a lockdown party, saying nobody had warned him the "bring your own booze" gathering might contravene COVID-19 rules.

* The mayor of Moscow said he was extending home-working rules and guidance to protect elderly people until April 1 as the city braces for a sharp rise in infections with the Omicron variant. ASIA-PACIFIC

* China is urging people to wear masks and gloves when opening mail after authorities suggested the first case of the Omicron variant found in Beijing could have arrived via a package from Canada. * Hong Kong warned people not to kiss pets and ordered a mass cull of hamsters, to the outrage of animal-lovers, after 11 of the rodents tested positive for COVID-19.

* Nepal recorded 10,258 new cases, government data showed, the highest number reported in a single day. * Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he planned to impose a state of quasi-emergency, meaning stronger curbs on dining and gatherings, on 13 regions including Tokyo from Jan. 21 to Feb. 13.

* Indonesia recorded 1,362 new cases, the biggest single day increase since Oct. 8, official data showed. * Thailand will lower its COVID-19 alert level and is considering easing more restrictions to boost its economy, its health minister said.

AMERICAS * China's aviation regulator suspended another eight incoming U.S. flights by U.S. airlines, bringing the total cancellation this year to 84, based on a Reuters tally.

* Canada on Monday approved Pfizer's oral antiviral treatment for mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in adults, but said global supply shortages meant only a few doses would be ready now. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Namibia's pandemic-ravaged tourism sector launched a campaign to encourage its employees to get inoculated as vaccine hesitancy threatens to derail the sector's revival. * Morocco will provide 2 billion dirhams ($220 million) in aid to help tourism businesses and workers cope with restrictions, the tourism ministry said.

* Israel will continue to offer a fourth vaccine shot despite preliminary findings that it is not enough to prevent Omicron infections, the Health Ministry said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* COVID-19 vaccines made using mRNA technology do not cause pregnancy complications for expectant mothers and their babies, the European Union's drug regulator said. * Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said they had signed an agreement with the United Nations Children's Fund to supply up to 3 million courses of their antiviral pill.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Nasdaq traders were braced for a fresh pounding as a seven-year high for oil prices drove up global borrowing costs to pre-COVID levels, with even sub-zero German Bund yields at the brink of positive territory again.

* Governments worldwide are easing quarantine rules, reviewing curbs and dialling back pandemic-era emergency support as they bid to launch their economies back into some version of normality. * The world tourism industry barely improved last year, with all indicators staying way below pre-pandemic levels and industry professionals not expecting a full recovery before 2024, the World Tourism Organization said.

(Compiled by Juliette Portala and Marta Frackowiak; Edited by Milla Nissi and Alison Williams)

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