FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Multiple Chinese cities are adopting fresh COVID-19 curbs to rein in new infections, with the commercial hub of Shanghai bracing for another mass testing campaign after detecting the BA.5 Omicron subvariant.

Multiple Chinese cities are adopting fresh COVID-19 curbs to rein in new infections, with the commercial hub of Shanghai bracing for another mass testing campaign after detecting the BA.5 Omicron subvariant. 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

* Shanghai has discovered a COVID-19 case involving a new subvariant Omicron BA.5.2.1, an official said, signaling the complications China faces to keep up with new mutations as it pursues its "zero-COVID" policy. * South Korea's president will suspend informal media briefings he has held nearly every day since taking office in May, his office said, citing rising numbers of COVID-19 infections as a survey showed a fall in his approval ratings.

* Macau shut all its casinos for the first time in more than two years, sending shares in gaming firms tumbling as authorities struggle to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak yet in the world's biggest gambling hub. * The government of Shanghai has called on citizens to share "heart-warming" photographs, videos, and stories about a punishing two-month lockdown imposed in April by the authorities to curb China's biggest COVID-19 outbreak.

* Hong Kong will update an app it uses for COVID-19 tracking to bring it more in line with mainland China. EUROPE

* EU health agencies on Monday recommended a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people, amid a new rise in infections and hospitalisations across Europe. * The EU's population shrank for a second year running last year, the bloc's statistics office said on Monday, as the region reels from over two million deaths from the coronavirus.

* The International Cycling Union said that all Tour de France riders had returned negative COVID-19 results from tests conducted on Sunday. AMERICAS

* The U.S. government has secured 3.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, the Department of Health and Human Services and the company said. * U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the most senior Democrat in the chamber, has tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesperson said on Sunday.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST * Flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines reached a collective agreement with its pilots to restore their salaries to pre-COVID pandemic levels and end months of labor action that led to canceled flights.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * With just a very small amount of raw sewage and a new analysis technique, researchers can determine the genetic mixture of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the community and detect new variants up to 14 days before they start showing up on patients' nasal swabs, according to a new report.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * China is recovering from lockdowns and supply chain disruptions that started in April, but headwinds to growth such as the Ukraine war, an uncertain economic outlook, and new flare-ups in domestic COVID outbreaks persist, a Reuters poll showed.

* Oil prices fell in volatile trade, reversing some gains from the previous session as markets braced for new mass COVID testing in China potentially hitting demand, a concern that outweighed ongoing worries about tight supply. * New bank lending in China leapt in June, rising more than expected, while broad credit growth quickened, as the central bank stepped up efforts to revive the pandemic-hit economy.

* The Bank of Japan raised its economic assessment for seven of the country's nine regions on Monday, saying most areas were seeing damage from the COVID-19 pandemic subside.