(Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson said it had temporarily paused its COVID-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials due to an unexplained illness in a study participant, delaying one of the high-profile efforts to contain the pandemic.
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/ in an external browser.
* Eikon users, see MacroVitals for a case tracker and summary of news.
AMERICAS
* As President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail for the first time since he announced his COVID-19 diagnosis, the top U.S. infectious disease expert said the country faced a “whole lot of trouble” if it did not encourage universal wearing of face masks and avoid mass gatherings.
* Argentina surpassed 900,000 cases of coronavirus on Monday, with strong growth of infections in large populated centers in the interior of the country.
EUROPE
* The number of people being treated in French intensive care units for COVID-19 exceeded 1,500 on Monday for the first time since May 27, authorities said.
* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a tiered system of further restrictions on parts of England.
* The Czech government ordered bars, restaurants and clubs closed from Wednesday and shifted schools to distance learning.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Australia’s most populous state said on Tuesday it will ease restrictions despite reporting the biggest one-day jump in new COVID-19 cases in six weeks.
* China’s International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the country’s biggest air show, has been postponed because of the pandemic.
* South Korea reported 102 new coronavirus cases as of Monday midnight, marking the first triple-digit increase in six days.
* India’s total coronavirus cases rose by 55,342 in the last 24 hours to 7.18 million on Tuesday morning, the lowest daily rise since mid-August.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Iran registered a daily record 272 deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Monday, taking total fatalities to 28,816 in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The Takeda Pharmaceutical Co-led group that is developing a blood plasma treatment for COVID-19 has started manufacturing while the late-stage trial to determine whether it works is ongoing.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* China’s imports grew at their fastest pace this year in September, while exports extended their strong gains as more trading partners lifted coronavirus restrictions.
* A slow economic recovery from the pandemic threatens to delay a full rebound in world energy demand to 2025, the International Energy Agency said.
* Ireland’s government will offer in its budget for 2021 on Tuesday more support to those most impacted by some of Europe’s toughest COVID-19 restrictions.
* The last pints could be pulled in some pubs across northern England this week as furious bosses warn new restrictions will wipe out their businesses.
(Compiled by Aditya Soni and Devika Syamnath; Editing by Alex Richardson, Anil D’Silva and Arun Koyyur)
