* Brazil recorded over 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths for the first time in over three months as its Supreme Court ruled that vaccinations could be required in the South American country.
* India recorded 22,890 new infections, the world's second-highest number behind the United States, taking its overall tally to 20,000 short of the 10-million mark.
* Republic of Korea reported its second-highest ever daily tally of cases, as the government warned businesses it was unacceptable for them to try to dodge shutdown orders by tricking the system.
* The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will "rapidly" work towards granting emergency approval of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said.
* Pfizer Inc said it had applied for approval in Japan for its COVID-19 vaccine, which is already being administered in Britain and the United States.
* Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it had enrolled about 45,000 participants for the first late-stage trial of its single-dose vaccine candidate and that it expects interim data by late-January.
* French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive on Thursday, prompting a track and trace effort across Europe following meetings he had with EU heads of government.
* Christmas travel plans for thousands of Australians were thrown into chaos when states and territories imposed border restrictions after 28 cases were detected in Sydney.
* The first vaccine doses may arrive in Ukraine in February, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said, adding the government was in talks with several suppliers.
* Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset will ask cabinet colleagues on Friday to close restaurants for a month, two newspapers reported.
* An unrelenting coronavirus surge pushed besieged hospitals further to the brink as the United States pressed on with its immunization rollout on Thursday.
* A new potential roadblock to a US$900 billion coronavirus economic relief bill emerged in the US Congress on Thursday as some Senate Republicans insisted on language ensuring that expiring Federal Reserve lending programs cannot be revived.
* France is unlikely to return to normal post-coronavirus life before autumn next year as it could take longer than initially envisioned to role out vaccines, a senior government scientific adviser said.
* Pregnant women with COVID-19 do not get more sick than the wider population, according to a Singapore study, which also found that babies born to infected mothers have antibodies against the virus.
* Denmark lowered its economic growth forecast for next year as new lockdown measures weigh on its economy.
* A second wave of infections is hitting West and Central Africa, and experts say it could be worse than the first.
