FACTBOX-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

* Greece said it would end free testing for unvaccinated people to encourage them to get inoculated and head off any renewed spike in Delta variant infections. ASIA-PACIFIC * Japan will expand its state of emergency to the northern island of Hokkaido and seven other prefectures, public broadcaster NHK reported. * India has approved further clinical trials for its first homegrown mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.

The United States could get COVID-19 under control by early next year if vaccinations ramp up, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, a day after Pfizer won full FDA approval for its shot, with more potential approvals coming in the weeks ahead. 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

* Europe's medicines regulator has approved additional manufacturing sites for mRNA-based coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. * Switzerland is being hit by a fourth wave with a "very worrying" rise in infections, the head of the government's crisis team at the Federal Office for Public Health said.

* Hungary and Russia are in advanced talks on licensing production of the Sputnik V vaccine in Hungary, which could start from the end of 2022. * Greece said it would end free testing for unvaccinated people to encourage them to get inoculated and head off any renewed spike in Delta variant infections.

ASIA-PACIFIC * Japan will expand its state of emergency to the northern island of Hokkaido and seven other prefectures, public broadcaster NHK reported.

* India has approved further clinical trials for its first homegrown mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. * Booster shots should become available in China after the country vaccinates more people to provide broader protection against the disease, a senior executive at a Sinopharm unit responsible for developing COVID-19 vaccines told state media.

AMERICAS * Some 25% of SARS-CoV-2 infections among Los Angeles County residents occurred in fully vaccinated residents from May through July 25, a period that includes the impact of the highly transmissible Delta variant, U.S. officials reported.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Less than a month into a COVID-19 vaccine booster drive, Israel is seeing signs of an impact on the country's high infection and severe illness rates fuelled by the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials and scientists say.

* Iran reported a record daily 709 deaths from COVID-19 as the worst-hit country in the Middle East faced a fifth surge in infections. * Nigeria has recently approved China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * People infected with the more transmissible Delta variant have a viral load 300 times higher than those with the original version of the COVID-19 virus, when symptoms are first observed, a South Korea study found.

ECONOMIC IMPACT * Global equity markets and U.S. Treasury yields rose on Tuesday as positive U.S. vaccination news lifted sentiment, and as investors grew less worried the Federal Reserve was set to announce a timetable for tapering stimulus measures.

* The German economy grew more than expected in the second quarter as the easing of curbs spurred consumers to dip into record savings piled up during the winter lockdown and the state pressed on with a huge debt-financed stimulus push. ($1 = 0.8532 euros)

(Compiled by Devika Syamnath and Veronica Snoj; Edited by Steve Orlofsky and Arun Koyyur)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)