Latest on worldwide spread of coronavirus

China is concerned about another wave of COVID-19 infections after reporting more than 100 new cases for the sixth consecutive day, while Brazil has approved two vaccines for emergency use, paving the way for immunisation across the hard-hit South American country.

EUROPE

* France is considering requiring rapid COVID-19 tests from Irish truck drivers operating on a logistics route that has become key since Britain's exit from the European Union.

* Portugal's public health system is on the verge of collapse as hospitals in the areas worst-affected by a worrying surge in coronavirus cases are quickly running out of intensive care beds.

* Britain's government hopes to ease some lockdown restrictions in March as it presses ahead with Europe's fastest vaccine rollout, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday.

* People who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should be allowed to go to restaurants and cinemas earlier than others, a German minister said, contradicting other cabinet members who have so far opposed special freedoms for those inoculated.

* Austria on Sunday extended its third lockdown into February, hoping to drive down infection rates despite an influx of variants that spread the virus more easily.

* Moderna will deliver 7.5 million doses of vaccine to Switzerland in batches in the months ahead, putting the country among the world leaders in inoculating its population.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* India's vaccination drive was still facing delays on Sunday after it hit a bump on the first day due to glitches in an app used to co-ordinate the campaign, according to officials in some states.

AMERICAS

* President-elect Joe Biden's goal of delivering 100 million vaccine doses within the first 100 days of his presidency "is absolutely a doable thing", Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday.

* Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Sunday approved emergency use of vaccines from China's Sinovac and Britain's AstraZeneca, clearing the way for immunisations.

* Pfizer's reduction of its vaccine shipments will not delay Canada's goal of getting most people inoculated by the end of September, the country's procurement minister said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Ghana's infection rates are surging and include new strains of the virus not before seen in the country, filling treatment centres and threatening to overwhelm the health system, President Nana Akufo-Addo said.

* The United Arab Emirates has lowered the minimum age requirement to receive a COVID-19 vaccination to 16, from 18 previously.

* Oman will close its land borders for one week from Monday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency ONA said.

* Lebanon's caretaker health minister signed a final deal on Sunday to secure 2.1 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine as the country battles a steep rise in infections.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* German pharmaceutical giant Bayer is examining whether it can help CureVac to produce its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Sunday.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian share markets reduced early losses on Monday as data confirmed China's economy had bounced back last quarter as factory output jumped, helping offset recent disappointing news on US consumer spending.