FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

U.S. President Joe Biden continues to feel "very well" while still testing positive for COVID-19 nL1N2ZH1KT, the White House physician said. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Eikon users, click on COVID-19: MacroVitals for a case tracker and summary of news. cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098 ASIA-PACIFIC

* North Korea said all of its fever patients have recovered, marking the end of its first wave of the pandemic, but analysts said challenges linger with economic hardships deepening and an unvaccinated population exposed to future resurgences. * Macau's government said it would resume ferry services with the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Aug. 8, as authorities try to unwind stringent COVID restrictions in the world's biggest gambling hub.

* Australia's COVID winter outbreak fuelled by the new Omicron sub-variants BA.4/5 may have peaked early, Health Minister Mark Butler said on Thursday, as hospitals reported a steady fall in admissions over the past week. * Prada became the first major luxury house to host a show in China this year, navigating strict COVID curbs to send models down a catwalk in a historic Beijing mansion hotel, a move aimed at underscoring its commitment to the market.

EUROPE * Germany wants European Union rules on member states' debt to be enforced more rigorously, government sources said. The goal is to reduce the deficits that rose sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, while also building buffers to protect against future crises, the source added.

* Russia has registered a total of 820,307 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic in the country in April 2020, the state statistics service Rosstat said. * The European Medicines Agency is recommending Novavax's COVID vaccine carry a warning of the possibility of two types of heart inflammation, an added burden for a shot that has so far failed to win wide uptake.

AMERICAS * A federal judge sentenced a West Virginia man to three years in prison for sending intimidating emails to Anthony Fauci, including threats to kill the top U.S. infectious disease official over his handling of the pandemic.

* Canada has experienced a sharp rise in hate crimes targeting religion, sexual orientation and race since the start of the COVID pandemic, official data showed this week. * Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week's U.S. Open tune-up event in Canada as he cannot enter the country without being fully vaccinated against COVID, tournament organisers said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * South Africa's health regulator reported on Thursday a causal link between the death of an individual and Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccine, the first time such a direct link has been made in the country.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * The Omicron variant may be more efficient at infecting children through the nose than previous versions of the coronavirus, a small study suggests.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Japan's households increased spending for the first time in four months in June, as demand for travel services rose in a positive sign for broader recovery prospects. The rise however was unlikely to dispel worries that Japan's recovery will lag those seen in other major economies such as the United States, especially after COVID infections saw a record surge in recent weeks.

* Sanya, a top tropical holiday destination on China's southern Hainan island, began closing its duty-free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak. * Chile's Easter Island received its first group of tourists on Thursday after closing its borders for more than two years due to the pandemic.

(Compiled by Olivier Sorgho and Rashmi Aich; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Marguerita Choy)

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