FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* An experimental treatment from Shionogi & Co has shown rapid clearance of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new data, the Japanese drug maker said on Sunday. ECONOMIC IMPACT * Oil slumped about 4% to its lowest in two weeks on growing worries about the global energy demand outlook due to prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and potential increases in U.S. interest rates. * China stocks plunged in their biggest slump since the pandemic-led panic-selling in February 2020.

A mass COVID-19 testing order in Beijing's biggest district prompted residents in the Chinese capital to stock up on groceries, fearing they could be destined for a lockdown similar to that of Shanghai, which entered a fourth week of bitter isolation. 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. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Operations at a unit of Apple-supplier Foxconn in China's Kunshan city remain suspended because of COVID-19 controls but there is limited impact as it has shifted production elsewhere, it said. * Taiwan will not go into a Shanghai-like lockdown to control a rise in domestic COVID-19 cases as the vast majority of those infected have no symptoms or show only minor symptoms, Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Saturday, pledging to keep opening up.

* The Philippines started giving second COVID-19 booster doses for immunocompromised adults, joining a growing number Asian countries offering a fourth vaccine shot. EUROPE

* Italy reported 56,263 new COVID-19 related cases on Sunday, against 70,520 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily number of deaths fell to 79 from 143. AMERICAS

* Most Americans support a flexible approach to the lingering pandemic, with cities reimposing mask mandates when cases surge, even as a growing number are eager to get on with their lives, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. * COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States for the second year in a row in 2021, with death rates rising for most age groups, a government study showed.

* Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes tested positive for COVID-19 and canceled in-person appointments this week. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The U.S. drug regulator granted the first full approval for treating COVID-19 in children aged 28 days and older to Gilead Sciences Inc's drug remdesivir. * An experimental treatment from Shionogi & Co has shown rapid clearance of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new data, the Japanese drug maker said on Sunday.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Oil slumped about 4% to its lowest in two weeks on growing worries about the global energy demand outlook due to prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and potential increases in U.S. interest rates.

* China stocks plunged in their biggest slump since the pandemic-led panic-selling in February 2020. * China should take steps to soften the economic impact of COVID-19 and boost annual economic growth back above 5%, a top central bank official said on Sunday.

(Compiled by Aditya Soni and Vinay Dwivedi; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Sriraj Kalluvila)

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