Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Nov 15 (Reuters) – Britain’s booster vaccine rollout is to be extended to people between 40 and 49 years old, officials said, in a bid to beef up waning immunity in the population ahead of the colder winter months.

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

EUROPE

* International travel to Spain will likely recover some two thirds of its pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter of this year, the tourism minister Reyes Maroto said.

* Austria entered a lockdown for people not vaccinated against the coronavirus, with reinforced police checks to ensure compliance. read more

* Germany’s infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed, as the three parties in talks to form a new government plan an expansion of measures to tackle the pandemic. read more

* Russia reported 1,211 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, close to an all-time high of 1,241 reported last week, as well as 38,420 new coronavirus cases. read more

AMERICAS

* Florida lawmakers will meet in a special legislative session, called by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis with the goal of thwarting coronavirus vaccine mandates. read more

* U.S. President Joe Biden’s vaccine requirements are prompting more Americans to get COVID-19 shots, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan will promote the establishment of production bases for semiconductors, COVID-19 vaccines and drugs as part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s economic stimulus, a draft plan seen by Reuters showed.

* Cambodia became the latest country in Asia to end strict quarantine and travel measures for vaccinated arrivals, giving hope to businesses in the pandemic-hit tourism industry. read more

* A Maori tribe that claims New Zealand’s most famous haka as its heritage told anti-vaccine protesters to stop using the traditional performance to promote their message. read more

* China is battling the spread of its biggest outbreak, according to the latest numbers, with travellers from a city where infections have grown faster than elsewhere in the country subject to tough quarantine rules in nearby areas.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Israel’s economy is expected to grow 7.1% in 2021 and 4.7% in 2022, the Finance Ministry said following a rapid recovery. The country also said on Sunday children aged five to 11 would be eligible for vaccination. read more

* Bahrain has approved the emergency use of AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) anti-COVID drug Evusheld, the state news agency reported on Sunday. read more

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is unlikely to ask its outside vaccine advisers to weigh in on whether the agency should authorise Pfizer (PFE.N) boosters for all adults, CNN reported on Friday, citing a source. read more

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* World stock markets edged back towards recent record highs as upbeat economic data out of China eased concern about a slowdown of its economy, although falling mainland house prices tempered the optimism. read more

* European shares kicked off the week on a tepid note as investors fretted over the possibility of new lockdowns, while miners were hit after a tumble in metal prices.Compiled by Juliette Portala and Sherry Jacob-Phillips ; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta, Robert Birsel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

This article was originally published by Reuters.