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Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai

(Reuters) - The acting director of Africa's top public health agency said that he hoped vaccine hoarding, as seen by wealthier nations during the COVID-19 pandemic, would not be repeated with the current monkeypox outbreak.

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.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Japan will double the maximum number of people allowed every day to enter at border crossings to 20,000 from June 1 as part of a phased easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday.

* China's central bank said it would promote more credit for smaller firms and boost financial institutions' confidence to lend funds.

* China's finance ministry would offer subsidies to Chinese airlines from May 21 to July 20 to help carriers weather the coronavirus-induced downturn and higher oil prices.

* Pandemic-hit Shanghai, China's financial hub, unveiled more post-lockdown plans as it moves towards a return to normalcy, but a nationwide economic recovery is still a distance away, heightening a sense of urgency for more support.

EUROPE

* Three lawmakers from Britain's governing Conservatives pulled their support for Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a damning report that detailed a series of alcohol-fuelled parties at 10 Downing Street that broke COVID-19 lockdown rules.

* The acting head of London's Metropolitan Police defended his investigation into COVID-19 lockdown-busting parties at the heart of government, responding to earlier criticism from the British capital's Mayor Sadiq Khan.

* Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates has withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia after testing positive for COVID-19, his team announced.

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

* Fears over the possible side effects and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have been the main drivers of hesitancy among thousands of South Africans, a government-backed online survey showed.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Patients who experience recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms after completing treatment with Pfizer's drug Paxlovid should isolate again for five days, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an advisory.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Car sales in China, Europe and the United States remain depressed compared to last year's levels as semiconductor shortages and anti-pandemic measures weigh on global autos markets, data showed.

* Britain's economy regained its pre-COVID size late last year, but in one crucial way it has not recovered: there are 400,000 fewer workers than at the start of the pandemic.

* Two months into harsh COVID-19 lockdowns that have choked global supply chains, China's economy is staggering back to its feet, but businesses from retailers to chipmakers are warning of slow sales as consumers slam the brakes on spending.

(Compiled by Dina Kartit, Rashmi Aich and Amy Caren Daniel; Editing by Bernadette Baum)