MILAN/CHICAGO (Reuters) - The United States, Russia, France and many other countries are setting records for coronavirus infections as a tidal wave of cases washes over parts of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing some countries to impose new curbs.ADVERTISEMENT: Your content will begin in 32 seconds The gloom weighed on global financial markets on Monday as surging infections clouded the economic outlook. [MKTS/GLOB] U.S. stocks had their worst day in more than seven weeks over the double whammy of record coronavirus cases and political deadlock in negotiations to provide more economic aid. [.N] Word that a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L produced immune responses in both elderly and young people offered some positive news as autumn turns to winter in northern countries and more people socialise indoors. But British Health Secretary Matt Hancock cautioned that the vaccine would not be widely available until next year and said, “We’re not there yet”. Any vaccine faces both scientific and public relations hurdles. Surveys have shown only about half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccination due to concerns about safety, effectiveness and the approval process. In the United States, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is at a two-month high, straining health care systems in some states. U.S. President Donald Trump, facing a tough re-election battle on Nov. 3, lashed out again at reports that the coronavirus is surging. He repeated his unfounded claim that COVID-19 cases are rising because there is more testing, an assertion not supported by data and one that has been rejected by health experts.