FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

A COVID-19 outbreak forced New Zealand's biggest city into a snap lockdown over the weekend, while the head of the U.S. CDC said it was "absolutely" too soon to lift mask mandates as cases remain at more than double the levels seen last summer.

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 * British foreign minister Dominic Raab said he shared concerns about the level of access given to a World Health Organization COVID-19 fact-finding mission to China, echoing criticism from the United States.

* The Czech government reached a last-minute deal with regional governors to call a new state of emergency for 14 days and avert a chaotic end to coronavirus lockdown measures. * A strain of the coronavirus discovered in mink on a farm in northern Poland can be transmitted to humans and vice versa, the agriculture ministry said.

* Italy has postponed the re-opening of its ski resorts to March, due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 variant which was first identified in Britain. AMERICAS

* The White House said it was not planning to require people to take COVID-19 tests before domestic airline flights after the prospect of new rules raised serious concerns among U.S. airlines, unions and some lawmakers. * Brazil has confirmed cases of the UK variant of the novel coronavirus in two states and in the federal district of Brasília.

ASIA-PACIFIC * South Korea eased some of its strictest social distancing rules for businesses, but kept limits on private gatherings as authorities prepared to unveil plans for the roll out of the first coronavirus vaccines later this month.

* Japan has officially approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, the first such approval in the country as it steps up efforts to tame a third wave of infections in the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Saudi Arabia has extended by 20 days restrictions on entertainment activities, gatherings, and dine-in restaurant services, state news agency SPA said, citing an interior ministry statement. * Lebanon started its COVID-19 vaccination drive on Sunday by inoculating the head of critical care at its biggest public hospital.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Israel's largest healthcare provider reported a 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 infections among 600,000 people who received two doses of Pfizer's vaccine in the country's biggest study to date.

* The University of Oxford has launched a study to assess the safety and immune response of the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed with AstraZeneca in children for the first time. ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian shares advanced to record highs on Monday as successful vaccine rollouts globally raise hopes of a rapid economic recovery amid new fiscal aid from Washington. * Japan's economy expanded more than expected in the fourth quarter, extending the recovery from its worst postwar recession thanks to a rebound in overseas demand that boosted exports and capital spending.

(Compiled by Devika Syamnath; Edited by Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

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