Factbox-Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

(Reuters) - Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline delayed the launch of their COVID-19 vaccine, while AstraZeneca said it would investigate combining its experimental COVID-19 vaccine with the Russian shot.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open here in an external browser. * Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals here for a case tracker and summary of news.

EUROPE

* The emergency approval process being used by some countries to speed up the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines is not a legal option in Switzerland.

* Germany will have to shut down more parts of society before Christmas to try and get the coronavirus pandemic under control.

* Greece will allow hair salons and bookstores to re-open during the Christmas season but keep most other retail shops shut.

AMERICAS

* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Congress could work on a COVID-19 relief package until Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, when a range of emergency aid programs are set to expire.

* A top coronavirus adviser to President-elect Joe Biden delivered a stern holiday message to Americans on Thursday - “no Christmas parties”.

* An advisory committee for Mexico’s health regulator will review Pfizer’s vaccine application on Friday, an official said, as the country registered another 11,897 cases and 671 more deaths.

* Bolivia’s cholita wrestlers are returning to the ring after a nine-month hiatus, but face an ongoing challenge with the lucrative tourist crowd still missing from matches.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* The ability of developing countries in Asia to fight the coronavirus pandemic got a boost after the Asian Development Bank said it has launched a $9 billion facility to help nations access and deliver COVID-19 vaccines.

* Japan’s prime minister said he was not thinking at this point of suspending the government travel subsidy programme, as the country urged people to spend a “quiet” year-end amid record daily infections.

* One year on, the Wuhan wet market where the virus was initially detected remains empty and barricaded even as the city around it has come back to life.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Egypt received its first shipment of vaccines developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) late on Thursday and will get more deliveries soon, health officials said.

* Nigeria may be on the verge of a second wave of COVID-19 infections, the health minister warned, as another official said the country expects to roll out a vaccine by April next year.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Any adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccines are for national authorities to review, a WHO spokeswoman said.

* Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said clinical trials of their COVID-19 vaccine showed an insufficient immune response in older people, delaying its launch to late next year.

* AstraZeneca will start clinical trials to test a combination of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine with Russia’s Sputnik V shot.

* Australia cancelled the production of a locally made vaccine after trials showed it could interfere with HIV diagnosis, with the government instead securing additional doses of rival vaccines.

* A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted overwhelmingly to endorse emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* World shares slipped on Friday as tricky Brexit negotiations and uncertainty over U.S. stimulus talks capped riskier bets even though COVID-19 vaccines made progress. [MKTS/GLOB]

* The Bank of Japan is likely to decide next week to extend a range of steps aimed at easing corporate funding strains as a resurgence of coronavirus infections cloud the economic outlook.