(Reuters) - Millions of Americans appeared to be disregarding public health warnings and travelling ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, while German states planned a relaxation of restrictions to allow gatherings of up to 10 people over Christmas and New Year.
* For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19, open here in an external browser.
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals here for a case tracker and summary of news.
EUROPE
* The European Commission has reached a deal with U.S. biotech firm Moderna for the supply of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, an EU official told Reuters.
* The European Medicines Agency could produce a scientific opinion on COVID-19 vaccines seeking regulatory approval by the end of the year in a best case scenario.
* Italian prime minister warned citizens not to go skiing during the holidays.
* England will introduce a new system on Dec. 15 allowing passengers arriving from high-risk countries to take a COVID-19 test after five days of quarantine and to be released from any further self-isolation if they test negative....
AMERICAS
* Mexican church and civic leaders cancelled an annual gathering that attracts massive crowds of Catholic pilgrims to protect people.
* Canada could approve one or more COVID-19 vaccines early in the first quarter of 2021, under a new, accelerated process similar to the U.S. emergency use authorization.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Australia prepared to lift more internal border curbs to boost tourism as it plans to obtain its first vaccines in March.
* Malaysia said it would close some factories of the world’s biggest rubber glove maker as more than 2,000 of its workers had tested positive for COVID-19.
* The Japanese government is preparing to pause its domestic travel campaign in two cities following sharp rises in COVID-19 cases.
* Hong Kong will close bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues for the third time this year.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Iran reported a record high 13,721 new cases and a near-record 483 deaths in the past 24 hours.
* Nigeria will bar passengers who fail to follow the country’s COVID-19 protocol from flying for six months.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine will cost less than $20 per person on international markets and Moscow aims to produce more than a billion doses at home and abroad next year, its backers and developers said.
* AstraZeneca must prove its claim that its potential vaccine has the lowest price of the main candidates so far, non-governmental organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres said.
* Brazil has gathered enough infection data from a late-stage trial of an experimental vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech and expects to have interim results on its efficiency in early December. ...
Also see:Thanksgiving could make or break US coronavirus response
