FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Australian consumer sentiment took a nose dive last week as a shockingly high reading in inflation fuelled concerns about the cost of living and possible rise in interest rates, a survey showed on Tuesday. * The U.S. economy is expected to continue its expansion this year despite a surprise contraction in the first quarter, the U.S. Treasury's chief economist said, adding that inflation may be peaking.

Some of Shanghai's 25 million people came out for brief walks and grocery shopping on Tuesday after enduring more than a month under a COVID lockdown, while Beijing embarked on another round of mass testing to control a nascent outbreak. 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. EUROPE

* Poland has no "coherent rationale" to invoke force majeure in an existing contract to stop paying for more COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, a European Commission official told Reuters. AMERICAS

* A former Amazon.com Inc employee sued the online retailer, saying it wrongly fired her and demanded she repay wages after she contracted "long COVID". * Costa Rica will offer a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to the immunocompromised and those over 50.

* U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has tested negative for COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test and will return to in-person work on Tuesday, her spokesperson said in a statement. ASIA-PACIFIC

** Hong Kong will further ease COVID-19 restrictions, allowing bars to open until 2 a.m. and raising the number of diners permitted at a table to eight from four, as cases in the global financial hub continue to ease, leader Carrie Lam said. AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Africa's first COVID-19 vaccination plant, touted last year as a trailblazer for an under-vaccinated continent frustrated by sluggish Western handouts, risks shutting down after receiving not a single order, a company executive said. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Asthma in children may worsen after infection with the coronavirus, doctors warn. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Australia's central bank on Tuesday raised its main cash rate by a surprisingly large 25 basis points to 0.35%, its first hike in more than a decade, and flagged more to come as it runs down the curtain on pandemic stimulus. * Comments from a clutch of important Taiwanese companies in the industry over the past week offer a snapshot of both the opportunities and problems they face: a strong market for products, especially in automotive and high-end computing, but difficulty in securing inputs, notably from places in China constrained by COVID-19 lockdowns.

* While inflation is putting the heaviest burden on the poorest, the relatively well-off Indians are coming under the sort of pressure to make cuts in household budgets not seen in years. * Australian consumer sentiment took a nosedive last week as a shockingly high reading in inflation fuelled concerns about the cost of living and a possible rise in interest rates, a survey showed on Tuesday.

* The U.S. economy is expected to continue its expansion this year despite a surprise contraction in the first quarter, the U.S. Treasury's chief economist said, adding that inflation may be peaking. 

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