FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Australia recorded another surge of COVID-19 deaths on Monday as an outbreak of the Omicron variant peaked, and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from end-of-year holidays next week. * India reported over 300,000 new COVID-19 infections for the fourth straight day even though the caseload over the last 24 hours was slightly lower than a day before, data released by the government on Sunday showed.

The Omicron-fuelled COVID-19 cases have led wealthy countries to intensify their recruitment of nurses from poorer parts of the world, worsening staffing shortages in overstretched workforces there, the International Council of Nurses said. 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

* Tens of thousands of people protested in Brussels against COVID-19 restrictions, some clashing with police who fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse them near the European Commission's headquarters. * Russia reported on Sunday a record number of COVID-19 infections confirmed in the past 24 hours as the Omicron variant spreads across the country, the government coronavirus task force said.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Beijing Olympics organizers said they had confirmed 72 cases of COVID-19 among 2,586 Games-related personnel entering China from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, with no cases among 171 athletes and team officials arriving in that period.

* Beijing's city government introduced new measures to contain a recent outbreak of COVID-19, as China's capital continued to report new local cases of the virus less than two weeks before it hosts the Winter Olympic Games. * Australia recorded another surge of COVID-19 deaths on Monday as an outbreak of the Omicron variant peaked, and authorities warned numbers could rise further when schools return from end-of-year holidays next week.

* India reported over 300,000 new COVID-19 infections for the fourth straight day even though the caseload over the last 24 hours was slightly lower than a day before, data released by the government on Sunday showed. * New Zealand will impose mask rules and limit gatherings from midnight on Sunday after a cluster of nine cases of the Omicron variant showed community transmission from the North to South islands.

* Hong Kong will take steps from Tuesday to cut the number of civil servants working in their offices, as it battles a spate of COVID-19 infections in the run-up to the busy Lunar New Year holiday. * Hong Kong authorities said one hamster surrendered to authorities by pet-owners had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and that over 2,200 hamsters had been culled.

AMERICAS * Brazil recorded 135,080 new coronavirus cases and 296 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said, as the Omicron variant rampaged across the country.

* Women's ice hockey superpowers Canada and the United States have had similar preparations for the Beijing Olympics but when it comes to COVID-19, they are taking very different approaches. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* The fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine given to people over 60 in Israel made them three times more resistant to serious illness than thrice-vaccinated people in the same age group, Israel's Health Ministry said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said that an annual COVID-19 vaccine would be preferable to more frequent booster shots in fighting the pandemic. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Japan's factory activity grew at the fastest pace in four years in January as output growth picked up, though pressure from a persistent chip shortage, rising input prices, and the pandemic clouded the outlook. * Higher energy prices and a recent surge in COVID-19 infections pose a risk to Italy's economic recovery in the first quarter of this year, business lobby Confindustria said.

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