Factbox - Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

THE state of Western Australia has cancelled plans to reopen its borders on Feb. 5 citing health risks from a surge in Omicron cases elsewhere in the country, as the tally of coronavirus cases in Australia since the pandemic began topped 2 million.

EUROPE

* France will ease work-from-home rules from early February and allow nightclubs to reopen two weeks later as the general COVID-19 situation in the country is starting to improve, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.

* Austria's lower house of parliament passed a bill making COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for adults as of Feb. 1, bringing the country closer to introducing the first such sweeping vaccine mandate in the European Union.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* China reported the lowest daily tally of local confirmed cases in nearly two months, after a national strategy to quickly curb flare-ups forced worst-hit cities to lock down affected communities and cut business activity.

* The Beijing Winter Olympics torch relay will be cordoned off from the public because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, organisers said on Friday.

* Pfizer said it received special approval in Japan for its COVID-19 vaccine to be given to children aged 5-11.

AMERICAS

* The Biden administration is giving U.S. colleges and universities another $198 million to help them curb COVID-19 and address student needs such as housing and food amid the ongoing pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education said.

* The premier of Canada's Alberta province called on the federal government to pause a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers that companies say will disrupt the supply chain and fuel inflation.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

* Israel will ditch mandatory quarantine for children exposed to COVID-19 carriers, the government said, citing a need to relieve parents and schools as case numbers spiral due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* Omicron is not likely to help countries achieve so-called herd immunity against COVID-19, in which enough people become immune to the virus that it can no longer spread, leading disease experts say.

* Brazilian health regulator Anvisa has approved the emergency use of Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Coronavac on those without underlying health risks aged 6 to 17.

* A small preliminary laboratory study has shown that levels of Omicron-neutralising antibodies of people vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine did not decline as much as of those who had Pfizer shots.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Asian share markets tumbled, tracking losses on Wall Street, as lingering concerns over the Federal Reserve's tightening and weaker-than-expected economic and earnings data weighed on sentiment.

* Brazil's central bank chief Roberto Campos Neto said the Omicron variant has not yet had a major impact on the country's economy and was not expected to because the government has not placed restrictions on mobility.