FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

China's "zero-COVID" stance has put it at odds with the rest of the world and is exacting a mounting economic toll, but an exit strategy remains elusive as authorities worry about the ability of the healthcare system to adapt to new strains. 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

* The EU's drug regulator gave the green light to Pfizer Inc's antiviral COVID-19 pill for treating adults at risk of severe illness. * Booster shots could reduce future hospitalisations in Europe by at least half a million, the EU's public health agency said.

* After a relatively brief return to coronavirus restrictions triggered by the Omicron variant, England is going back to "Plan A" - learning to live with the disease. * Sweden has decided against recommending COVID vaccines for children aged 5-11, the Health Agency said, arguing that the benefits did not outweigh the risks.

* Poland and Russia reported new record daily infections, while the number of new infections in Germany exceeded 200,000 in a day for the first time * Austria's new daily coronavirus infections have surged to a record level, Austrian media reported.

AMERICAS * New COVID-19 cases in the Americas in the past week have been the highest since the pandemic began and the Omicron variant has clearly become the predominant version of the virus, the Pan American Health Organization said.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Hong Kong will shorten its 21-day quarantine requirement to 14 days for incoming travellers starting from Feb. 5, leader Carrie Lam said.

* With just over a week until the Winter Olympic Games begin, teams are trying to ensure that athletes stay virus-free to get past Beijing's strict checks and make it to the start line. * Beijing has limited the movement of people in more parts of the Chinese capital, even as it reported fewer COVID-19 cases, in a bid to lower virus risk ahead of the Games.

* Australia reported fewer COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, a day after recording a pandemic high, while hospital cases remained steady, raising hopes the country's worst outbreak may have peaked. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Protesters against COVID-19 measures who liken themselves to Jews under Nazi persecution are stoking global anti-Semitism, the Israeli government said in a report marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. * Turkey has recorded 82,180 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, its highest daily figure.

* Tennis player Novak Djokovic is set to return to action in Dubai next month for the first time since he was deported from Australia over his vaccination status. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* COVID-19 boosters increase protection against death from the Omicron variant to 95% in people aged 50 or over, the UK Health Security Agency said. * China's Walvax Biotechnology has recruited most of the 28,000 participants needed for a large clinical trial of its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate, a senior company official said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * U.S. stocks painted a mixed picture as investors digested how strong economic news could inform the Federal Reserve's thinking on interest rate hikes, while the dollar hit its highest level in over a year.

* British financial services exports have struggled to recover from the twin hits of COVID-19 and Brexit and are lingering at levels last seen in 2006 when adjusted for inflation, new data showed (Compiled by Valentine Baldassari and Sherry Jacob-Phillips Editing by Frances Kerry)