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Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: COVID-19 vaccination at Newmarket Racecourse

(Reuters) - The Biden administration said most federal employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than Nov. 22 as it drafts rules to require large employers to have their workers inoculated or tested weekly.

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

* The Dutch government on Tuesday announced it is easing COVID-19 restrictions and will introduce a "corona" pass showing proof of vaccination to go to bars, restaurants, clubs or cultural events.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was self-isolating after several members of his entourage fell ill with COVID-19, including someone he worked with in close proximity and had been in close contact with all of the previous day.

* Britain will begin a broad-based vaccine booster programme for older and more vulnerable people soon as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government relies on vaccines rather than further lockdowns to navigate a "bumpy" winter.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan said on Tuesday it will donate an additional 1.3 million AstraZeneca Plc COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan and other Asian neighbours.

* Singapore's health ministry reported 837 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest since August last year.

* New local infections more than doubled in China's southeastern province of Fujian, health authorities said, prompting officials to quickly roll out measures including travel restrictions to halt the spread of the virus.

* Indonesia plans to start opening its borders to foreigners in November once 70% of its target population have received at least one vaccine shot, its health minister said.

AMERICAS

* The White House is advocating for state and local leaders to mandate coronavirus vaccinations, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.

* Mexico will send COVID-19 vaccines to Nicaragua in September, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday, in a rare sign of international engagement with the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

* The governor of Iowa has said she will appeal a temporary order by a federal judge that aims to allow schools to enforce use of protective face masks.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The African Union on Tuesday accused manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines of denying African countries a fair chance to buy them, and urged manufacturing countries - in particular India - to lift export restrictions on vaccines and their components.

* Less than 3.5% of Africans are vaccinated against COVID-19, far short of its official target of 60%, John Nkengasong, director of Africa's Centers for Disease Control, said.

* Efforts to develop an African base for COVID-19 vaccine production will focus on trying to replicate Moderna's shot, but a lack of progress in talks with the U.S. company mean the project will take time, a senior WHO official told Reuters.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* German biotech firm CureVac said on Tuesday it cancelled contract manufacturing deals for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine with two prospective partners, after rivals with approved shots have boosted production.

* Britain cancelled its contract for about 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by France's Valneva in part because it was clear it would not be approved for use in the country, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday.

* Takeda Pharmaceutical Co, which distributes Moderna Inc's COVID-19 shots in Japan, expects vaccines to become a bigger part of its portfolio as shots for dengue fever and COVID-19 near regulatory approval, its chief executive said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Global markets edged lower and the dollar fell on Tuesday after data showed U.S. inflation rose by less than expected, raising renewed questions on when the U.S. central bank will begin tapering its asset purchases.[MKTS/GLOB]

* Oil prices turned negative on Tuesday after new data from the U.S. Labor Department showed inflation cooling and the impact of tropical storm Nicholas on the energy sector began to improve.

(Compiled by Federico Maccioni, Juliette Portala and Shailesh Kuber; Editing by Timothy Heritage, Mark Potter and Anil D'Silva)