DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
EUROPE
* France's daily COVID-19 infections reached the highest in more than two months on Wednesday.
* Greece has warned of new restrictions if a worrying rise in daily cases doesn't abate.
* Germany has revised its travel guidance for Belgium, warning against all non-essential trips to Antwerp.
* Poland intends fully reopening schools on September 1 despite a recent renewed infection spike.
AMERICAS
* New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on behalf of all US governors, has lobbied Congress for $US500 billion ($A695 billion) in extra COVID-19 relief.
* Friday looms as the deadline for White House talks with congressional Democrats on a new round of coronavirus relief.
* Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has tested positive for COVID-19.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* A new outbreak in Vietnam has spread to two more provinces after the contagion was declared "under control".
* North Korea's test results for its first suspected case were inconclusive, though authorities have quarantined over 3635 primary and secondary contacts, a WHO official says.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Gambia has imposed a three-week curfew after cases surged over 60 per cent in seven days to nearly 800.
* Three South African provincial hotspots have seen new infections recently slow.
* Doctors in Turkey's hotspots say hospitals are filling up with more cases than reflected in the official count.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* The US government will pay J&J over $US1 billion for 100 million doses of its potential vaccine.
* Canada has signed separate deals with Pfizer and Moderna to supply millions of doses.
* CVS Health Corp said it was in talks with the US government to administer coronavirus vaccines at its pharmacies once they become available.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
* A resurgence in cases will continue to weigh on the economy and American life until at least the end of next year, Fed policymakers say.
* US private employers hired far fewer workers than expected in July as companies exhausted wages loans.
Australian Associated Press
