Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

The United States is reviewing the need for a third COVID-19 booster shot among residents who have already been vaccinated, but needs to see more data to know if additional shots could raise people's risk of serious side effects, a U.S. health official said.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

EUROPE
* Spain surpassed 4 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began after adding 43,960 new cases, as the more contagious Delta variant drives a surge of infections among unvaccinated young people.
* Greece will require customers at indoor restaurants, bars and cafes to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the government said, to combat a surge in infections.
* Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the country was still on track to lift almost all COVID-19 restrictions by Aug. 9, but that face coverings would be required for some time after that.
* All COVID-19 cases in the Lisbon area and the popular southern Algarve region are of the more contagious Delta variant, data showed, as Portuguese authorities scramble to bring under control a worrying surge in infections.
* German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned more people needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before restrictions could be lifted, following news England will scrap nearly all curbs from next week.

ASIA-PACIFIC
* A virologist and advisor to Thailand's government endorsed a plan to mix doses of the coronavirus vaccines of AstraZeneca and Sinovac, amid some public unease about use of the largely untested strategy.
* Malaysia announced new measures to support its ailing public health system as the country saw another record daily rise in COVID-19 cases, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant.
* South Korea's rollout of vaccinations to people aged 55-59 has stuttered to a week-long halt after a spike in new cases sparked a rush for shots, booking up available supplies and crashing the official government reservation website.
* Vietnam will offer the mRNA vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as a second dose option for people first inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, its government said.

AMERICAS
* At the request of the Supreme Court, Brazil's federal police has formally opened a probe into President Jair Bolsonaro related to alleged irregularities in the purchase of an Indian vaccine and could now question him, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Bahrain civil aviation affairs said entry will be banned from 16 new countries including Tunisia, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa and Indonesia over coronavirus concerns, the state news agency reported.
* Zimbabwe is aiming to vaccinate 1 million people against COVID-19 in the next two weeks, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said as he extended tough lockdown measures by another 14 days.
* Nigeria expects to receive nearly 8 million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of August, including those from a U.S. government donation, the head of its primary care agency said.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Italy approved the temporary distribution of a coronavirus antibody treatment by Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and U.S. company Vir Biotechnology, the health ministry said.
* The European Medicines Agency said it was analysing data on rare cases of a nerve disorder reported among recipients of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, after the U.S. added a warning label to the shot.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Bond yields spiked and global share prices slipped after hitting new highs on Tuesday after the biggest jump in U.S. inflation in 13 years scared investors who have seen equity prices double from last year's lows.