This undated picture released from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on May 20, 2022 shows employees of the Central Ideals Zoo disinfecting the zoo to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Pyongyang. (STR / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)
TOKYO / SINGAPORE / MANILA/ KUALA LUMPUR / SEOUL / NEW DELHI- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's leader Kim Jong-un held a ceremony to thank and praise military medics for spearheading the country's fight against the coronavirus in the capital Pyongyang, state media said on Friday.
Thousands of medics of the Korean People's Army, who had been dispatched to the "emergency anti-epidemic front", were discharged after Kim declared victory over COVID-19 and eased restrictions last week.
Kim held the event at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on Thursday to celebrate the medics' "heroic feats" on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle in the country's most populated city.
"Noting that the army medics took the greatest trouble to defuse the anti-epidemic crisis in the capital city, he gave warm thanks … to them who displayed the indefatigable spirit and the invincible combat strength of our army," the official KCNA news agency said. "He specially called and congratulated medics who performed distinguished feats in the capital's anti-epidemic struggle."
KCNA said this week that the medics had returned to their units on Sunday without a sending-off ceremony, but Kim said he had felt "empty and sorry" that he had not done enough to publicly recognise their sacrifice, the report said.
A health worker inoculates a teenage boy with a dose of the Covaxin vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus at a vaccination center in Mumbai on June 9, 2022.
(INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)
India
India's daily COVID-19 caseload increased to 15,754 during the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 44,314,618 in the country, the federal health ministry said on Friday.
With the fresh cases, India's active caseload currently stands at 101,830.
The country also logged 47 related deaths during the past 24 hours, pushing the overall death toll to 527,253, the ministry said.
The daily positivity rate stands at 3.47 percent, and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 3.90 percent.
So far, 43,685,535 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals, of whom 15,220 were discharged during the past 24 hours.
People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk near a landmark lion statue of a department store that also wears a mask in the Ginza shipping area of Tokyo on July 28, 2022. (SHUJI KAJIYAMA / AP)
Japan
Japan logged a record daily high of 255,534 new COVID-19 cases Thursday as the country feared a strain on the medical system fueled by the seventh wave of infections.
The daily tally topped the previous record of 250,403 cases registered on Aug 10, with 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures posting record high numbers. A total of 287 deaths were reported nationwide
The daily tally topped the previous record of 250,403 cases registered on Aug 10, with 21 of Japan's 47 prefectures posting record high numbers. A total of 287 deaths were reported nationwide.
The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 27,453 new cases, down 1,963 from Wednesday.
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The number of infected people hospitalized with severe symptoms in the capital fell by two from Wednesday to 33, while the nationwide figure is 610, down 17 from Wednesday.
Japan's health ministry said that the spiraling number of cases have further strained the medical system, noting that the hospital bed occupancy rate is rising, Kyodo News reported.
Malaysia
Malaysia reported 4,071 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Thursday, bringing the national total to 4,749,000, according to the Health Ministry on Friday.
There are two new imported cases, with 4,069 cases being local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.
Seven more deaths have been reported, pushing the death toll to 36,124.
The ministry reported 3,289 new recoveries, bringing the total number of cured and discharged to 4,670,400.
There are 42,476 active cases, with 81 being held in intensive care and 45 of those in need of assisted breathing.
A man wearing a face mask walks on a street during a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Wellington on Aug 18, 2021.(MARTY / MELVILLE / AFP)
New Zealand
New Zealand recorded 3,805 new community cases of COVID-19 and 16 more deaths from the pandemic, the country's Ministry of Health said on Friday.
With the fresh cases, New Zealand has so far reported 1,694,335 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,815 deaths attributable to the disease since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, the health ministry said.
Currently, 466 COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals in the country, including eight in intensive care units or high dependency units, showed official data.
The country is currently under the orange settings of its COVID-19 Protection Framework, where there is no limit for gatherings.
A child receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 as a performer dressed as superhero character Spider-Man looks on at a gym in San Juan City, suburban Manila on Feb 7, 2022. (TED ALJIBE / AFP)
Philippines
The Philippines reported 3,758 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,844,708.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases rose to 36,115, and 48 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 61,221.
Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 1,098 new cases.
The Philippines reported its highest COVID-19 single-day tally of 39,004 new cases on Jan. 15. The country, with a population of around 110 million, has fully vaccinated over 72.1 million people.
ROK
The Republic of Korea reported 138,812 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 22,000,037, the health authorities said Friday.
The daily caseload was down from 178,574 in the previous day, but it was higher than 128,675 tallied a week earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
For the past week, the daily average number of confirmed cases was 126,926.
An elderly resident arrives to get tested at a temporary swab center set up at the void deck area on the ground floor of a public housing block, after a few positive COVID-19 cases were detected in the building, in Singapore on May 21, 2021. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 3,553 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total tally to 1,809,251.
Of the new cases, 432 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 3,121 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 395 were local transmissions and 37 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 2,940 local transmissions and 181 imported cases, respectively.
A total of 479 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 11 cases in intensive care units.
Five deaths were reported from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 1,572, the ministry said.