FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Pfizer and BioNTech said that they had submitted an application to the U.S. health regulator for the authorisation of a booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years.

The second round of COVID-19 testing in Beijing's largest district began on Wednesday, with this week's campaign to screen most of the Chinese capital's 22 million residents so far detecting less than three dozen new infections a day. 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. ASIA-PACIFIC

* China reported 14,298 new coronavirus cases on April 26, of which 1,824 were symptomatic and 12,474 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said. * Finance sector professionals in Shanghai are preparing to move back to Hong Kong and other offshore centers after spending only a few years in the Chinese city as a harsh COVID-19 lockdown has hurt their business prospects and upended daily lives.

EUROPE * President Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey is ready to lift all measures against the coronavirus, adding that mask-wearing will no longer be obligatory indoors.

AMERICAS * U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 but is not exhibiting symptoms, a spokesperson said, at a time when there has been an increase in cases among White House staffers.

* The Biden administration outlined its plan to tackle border security, pushing back against criticism that it is unprepared for a late-May deadline to lift COVID-19 restrictions that have blocked asylum seekers and other migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border since early 2020. * Following the record surge in COVID-19 cases during the Omicron-driven wave, some 58% of the U.S. population overall and more than 75% of younger children have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to a U.S. nationwide blood survey.

* Mexico will let all children aged over 12 be registered for COVID-19 vaccination from Thursday. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Pfizer and BioNTech said that they had submitted an application to the U.S. health regulator for the authorization of a booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Profits at China's industrial firms grew at a faster pace in March than a year earlier, data showed on Wednesday, despite the negative impact on the economy from COVID-19 outbreaks and the Ukraine war. * China's central bank said it will step up prudent monetary policy support to the real economy, especially to small firms hit by COVID-19, responding to a media question seeking comment on swings in the financial markets.