FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Health Canada will announce on Thursday that it has approved Moderna's vaccine to fight the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, CBC News reported on Wednesday, citing sources. * Life expectancy fell in the United States in 2021 to its lowest since 1996, the second year of a historic retreat due to COVID-19 deaths, provisional government data showed on Wednesday.

Canada's most populous province, Ontario, said on Wednesday that residents can come out of isolation with a mask as soon as 24 hours after their COVID-19 symptoms dissipate, under a strategy to homogenize guidance for all respiratory illnesses. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

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

* Omicron-adapted vaccines will be delivered to the European Union within days of regulatory approval, European member of parliament Peter Liese said on Wednesday. * Cyprus said it would end all restrictions on gatherings and the mandatory use of face masks in most areas after cases of COVID-19 were declining.

* The number of foreign tourists visiting Portugal slightly surpassed pre-pandemic levels in July for the first time since the end of most COVID-19 restrictions, data from the National Statistics Institute showed. AMERICAS

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the retooled COVID-19 booster shots of both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech that target the currently dominant BA.4/BA.5 Omicron subvariants of the coronavirus. * Health Canada will announce on Thursday that it has approved Moderna's vaccine to fight the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, CBC News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

* Life expectancy fell in the United States in 2021 to its lowest since 1996, the second year of a historic retreat due to COVID-19 deaths, provisional government data showed on Wednesday. ASIA-PACIFIC

* North Korea's coronavirus curbs have aggravated the country's human rights violations, a United Nations report said, citing extra restrictions on access to information, tighter border security and heightened digital surveillance. * China's Guangzhou imposed COVID-19 curbs in parts of the city, joining Shenzhen in battling local flare-ups, deepening uncertainty over commerce and daily life in two of southern China's most economically vibrant metropolises.

* South Korea will from Saturday no longer require travellers to the country to test for COVID-19 before departure, although they will still need to take a PCR test within 24 hours of arrival. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Aspen Pharmacare has signed a deal with the Serum Institute of India to manufacture and sell four Aspen-branded vaccines for Africa, as it seeks to utilise its near-idle COVID-19 vaccine production lines in eastern South Africa. * A new research institution being launched in Australia will aim to develop drugs to treat diseases caused by pathogens with the potential to cause global pandemics more quickly.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * OPEC oil output rose in August to its highest since the early days of the pandemic in 2020 as Libyan facilities recovered from unrest and Gulf members raised output to unwind a production cut deal with allies, a Reuters survey found.

* Shanghai stocks fell as big cities tightened COVID-19 curbs to combat new outbreaks, while sentiment was also dented by data showing factory activity extended declines.