Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

(Reuters) - The United States set a global record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections reported on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, nearly double the country's peak of 505,109 hit just a week ago as the highly contagious Omicron variant shows no sign of slowing.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals for a case tracker and summary of news

EUROPE

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday said England could withstand a surge in COVID-19 infections without shutting down the economy as Britain reported another record daily high in cases, fuelled by the Omicron variant.

* Spain's Health Ministry reported a record in the national 14-day COVID-19 infection rate on Tuesday, as the figure climbed to 2,433.9 per 100,000 people, from 2,295.8 registered the previous day.

* French health authorities said on Tuesday they registered 271,686 daily COVID-19 infections, the highest recorded tally, confirming France's position as Europe's most-hit country.

* Greece reported a record 50,126 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, breaking a previous high of 40,560 registered on Dec. 31.

* Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have tested positive for COVID-19, the palace said in a statement on Tuesday.

AMERICAS

* U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that COVID-19 cases were rising even at the White House as he urged unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated and others to get booster shots.

* The Biden administration doubled its order for Pfizer Inc's oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, the company and the White House said on Tuesday, providing the government a total of 20 million courses as it fights a record surge in COVID-19 cases.

* Brazil's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that most participants in a public hearing on vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 for COVID-19 disagreed with the need for a doctor's prescription, but it will still recommend it.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Authorities in India's capital Delhi on Tuesday ordered people to stay home over coming weekends, with COVID-19 cases quadrupling in a week.

* Australia's COVID-19 cases touched a fresh pandemic high on Tuesday amid an Omicron surge in its two most populous states, as hospitalisations in New South Wales, home to Sydney, surpassed the record numbers hit during the Delta outbreak.

* The Chinese city of Yuzhou locked down its 1.1 million residents after reports of new infections as officials rushed to contain even small outbreaks just over four weeks before the Winter Olympics begin.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Coronavirus infections are surging across several Gulf Arab states, with the daily number of cases more than doubling in Saudi Arabia over two days to more than 2,500 and crossing the 1,000-level in Qatar and Kuwait.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* It is not sustainable to give COVID-19 booster shots every 3 to 6 months in the long term, Britain's chief scientific adviser said on Tuesday, even though the booster rollout is needed in the short term to combat the Omicron variant.

* U.S. health officials are weighing the role of COVID-19 tests as part of their new guidelines shortening quarantines for people without symptoms, saying more details could come within days.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Wall Street's optimistic start to the New Year pushed some stocks, oil prices and the dollar higher, but investors dialled back risk-taking elsewhere on Tuesday as data showed U.S. manufacturing slowed last month and COVID-19 spread. [MKTS/GLOBAL]

* Oil prices rose on Tuesday as OPEC+ producers agreed to stick with their planned increase for February based on indications that the Omicron variant would have only a mild impact on demand.

(Compiled by Shailesh Kuber, Valentine Baldassari and Uttaresh.V; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta, Milla Nissi and Arun Koyyur)

People walk at a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 4, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
People walk at a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 4, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Signage displayed on the front entrance at E. Rivers Elementary School indicate that students will go remote to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 3, 2022.  REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
Signage displayed on the front entrance at E. Rivers Elementary School indicate that students will go remote to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as cases of the Omicron variant continue to surge in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 3, 2022. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer

FILE PHOTO: Healthcare workers administer tests at a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing clinic as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Sydney, Australia, December 30, 2021. REUTERS/Nikki Short
FILE PHOTO: Healthcare workers administer tests at a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing clinic as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Sydney, Australia, December 30, 2021. REUTERS/Nikki Short

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