Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

(Reuters) – A U.S. CDC advisory panel on Thursday recommended a booster shot of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older and some adults with underlying medical conditions that put them at risk of severe disease.

FILE PHOTO: Dr Michelle Chester from Northwell Health prepares to administer a Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, U.S., December 14, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

EUROPE

* The European Medicines Agency aims to decide in early October whether to endorse a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be given half a year after the initial two-shot course, saying breakthrough infections added some urgency to its review.

* Portugal will lift almost all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, allowing full occupancy in restaurants and cultural venues from Oct. 1, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.

* Sweden is looking into giving a third dose COVID vaccine to a larger part of the population over fears that the protective effect of the two shots most have had could start to wane, the country’s public health agency said.

* Russia on Thursday reported 820 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, matching an all-time high set on Aug. 26, and authorities warned that cases were again rising rapidly.

AMERICAS

* Leaders of the largest United States aerospace and defense companies are united in their effort to comply with the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for U.S. workers and await further government guidance, their industry group said in a statement.

* Panama is weeks away from achieving herd immunity against COVID-19 after vaccinating more than half its population of 4.2 million people, President Laurentino Cortizo said at the United Nations General Assembly.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Police in Australia’s Melbourne prepared for the fourth day of anti-lockdown protests, and a vaccination hub in the city closed after protesters allegedly abused staff.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Yemen received its third batch of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing scheme, the health ministry said.

* The African Union’s (AU) top health official called Britain’s lack of recognition for coronavirus vaccines administered in Africa regrettable, saying it sends a confusing public health message.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Novavax Inc and its partner Serum Institute of India have applied to the World Health Organization for an emergency use listing of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, potentially clearing the way for the shot to ship to many poorer countries, the company said.

* French vaccine maker Valneva is expanding trials of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate called VLA2001, and remains in talks with the European Commission over a potential contract, the company said.

* Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel thinks the pandemic could be over in a year as increased vaccine production ensures global supplies, he told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* World stock markets rallied and the U.S. dollar retreated from one-month highs as worries faded about contagion from China Evergrande and as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s plans for reining in U.S. stimulus.

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