FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

California surpassed New York on Tuesday as the U.S. state with the most coronavirus deaths, a grim reminder of the pandemic's toll even as the vaccine roll-out and a sharp drop in new cases buoyed hopes of life eventually returning to normal.

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 * Two new COVID-19 variants, one of which has been classified as a "concern", have been identified in England with some similarities to the South African and Brazilian variants.

* Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday announced a full lockdown in the capital Athens and the surrounding region to curb a resurgence in coronavirus cases and ease pressure on badly stretched health services. * Spain on Tuesday passed 3 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic and extended controls along its 1,200-km (750-mile) border with Portugal until March 1.

* The French Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 1.987 million people had received a first injection of the COVID-19 vaccine since the start of the vaccination campaign. The country's hospital numbers went down after a two-day increase. ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the country would begin COVID-19 vaccinations from the middle of next week. * New Zealand will first administer COVID-19 vaccines to quarantine personnel, front line health workers and airline staff, as the government formally approved its use on Wednesday.

* China reported 14 new COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Feb. 9, unchanged from a day earlier, as the latest wave of the disease appears to have subsided ahead of the Lunar New Year break. * Cambodia launched its coronavirus inoculation drive on Wednesday, using 600,000 vaccine doses donated by China, with the sons of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen and government ministers among the first recipients.

AMERICAS * The U.S. government will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines directly to community health centres next week.

* The Biden administration is looking forward to scrutinizing data included in a WHO report released on Tuesday that said the COVID-19 virus did not originate in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. * Canada will step up its fight against COVID-19 by obliging citizens returning home overland from the United States to show they do not have COVID-19.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Ghana's parliament has suspended most of its activities for three weeks after at least 17 MPs and 151 staff members were infected with the coronavirus.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Eli Lilly's combination antibody therapy to fight COVID-19 has been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

* U.S. drugmaker Moderna said it had entered supply agreements for its COVID-19 vaccine with the governments of Taiwan and Colombia for five million doses and 10 million doses, respectively. * Johnson & Johnson Chief Executive Officer Alex Gorsky told CNBC that people may need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 annually over the next several years, like seasonal flu shots.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * China's factory gate prices rose in annual terms in January for the first time in a year, as months of strong manufacturing growth in the world's second-largest economy pushed raw material costs higher.

* White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden was open to limiting coronavirus relief by income, and was disinclined to give aid to people who make more than $250,000. * Asian stocks hit a record high on Wednesday, as upbeat earnings, hopes of a large U.S. fiscal stimulus and progress in vaccinations fanned optimism about a global recovery from the pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)