A man walks past a wall mural depicting a health worker as the Hindu Goddess Durga to spread awareness about the COVID-19 coronavirus in Mumbai on Nov 17, 2021. (PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP)
ANKARA / YANGON / NEW DELHI / SYDNEY / MANILA – India's COVID-19 tally rose to 34,510,413 on Sunday as 10,488 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, according to the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 313 deaths due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 465,662.
Besides, 313 deaths due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 465,662
There are still 122,714 active COVID-19 cases in the country with a fall of 2,154 active cases during the past day, the lowest number in 532 days, according to the ministry.
A total of 33,922,037 people have been cured and discharged from hospitals so far, out of which 12,329 were discharged during the past 24 hours.
Australia's Victoria is expected to hit its 90 percent double-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate for population over the age of 12 on Sunday.
In anticipation of the 90-percent mark, Victoria eased all restrictions for fully vaccinated people across the state from midnight Thursday.
Despite its high vaccination coverage, Victoria and its capital city Melbourne have struggled with case numbers hovering around 1,000 since exciting lockdowns late last month
"The milestone we're about to hit is brilliant, allowing Victoria to return to something like the normal life we remember," said Victoria's premier Daniel Andrews in the announcement.Since Friday all caps on gatherings and capacity limits in the state were removed for fully-vaccinated individuals.
Despite its high vaccination coverage, Victoria and its capital city Melbourne have struggled with case numbers hovering around 1,000 since exciting lockdowns late last month.
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Victoria recorded 1,275 new locally acquired cases and four additional deaths in the 24 hours to midnight Saturday.
Encouragingly, as vaccination rates have risen in the state, the number of people with the virus requiring hospitalization has continued to fall.
On Sunday, the state reported 317 people in hospital with the virus and 56 required intensive care.
At the beginning of the month, over 600 people required hospital care, and over 100 were in intensive care.
Meanwhile, the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) recorded 176 new locally acquired cases and two additional deaths in the 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. Saturday night.
In NSW on Sunday, 192 people required hospitalization, and 32 were in intensive care.
As of Friday 91.8 percent of NSW's over-16 population and 75.3 percent of its 12-15 population had been fully vaccinated.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh recorded no daily deaths from COVID-19 for the first time in more than one-and-a-half years Saturday.
Prior to Saturday, there had not been a day without a COVID-19 death since April 3, 2020 in the country.
Bangladesh recorded zero single-day deaths a number of times in March and April last year after reporting the first three fatalities on March 18, 2020.
Both COVID-19 cases and deaths significantly dropped throughout Bangladesh in the recent months as vaccinations have largely increased.
Bangladesh launched the vaccine rollout in January this year. Amid uncertainty about a timely vaccine shipment from India, the Bangladeshi government subsequently halted administering the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the people.
In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the China-donated Sinopharm vaccines.
Since March 8 last year, the virus has spread to nearly every Bangladeshi district and the total number rose to over 1,573,889 with 27,946 deaths so far.
Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services on Saturday reported 178 new COVID-19 infections. A total of 15,107 samples were tested in the last 24 hours as of 8:00 am local time Saturday across the country.
The total number of recovered patients in the country has risen to 1,538,006, including 190 new recoveries on Saturday, said the DGHS.
Currently, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh stands at 1.78 percent and the recovery rate has reached 97.72 percent.
Bangladesh recorded the highest daily new cases of 16,230 on July 28 and the highest number of 264 deaths on Aug 5 and 10 respectively.
Myanmar
Another batch of one million doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine donated by China arrived in Myanmar's Yangon on Saturday, according to a release from the Information Ministry.
The ministry's release said 10.3 million people have been fully vaccinated while over 4.9 million people have received first jabs of COVID-19 vaccines as of Friday.
According to the figures released by the Ministry of Health on Saturday, Myanmar reported 625 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally to 517,395 so far.
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With 11 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the death toll has increased to 19,011 on Saturday.
A total of 490,015 patients have been discharged from hospitals as of Saturday.
Myanmar detected its first two COVID-19 cases on March 23 last year.
The Philippines
The Philippines' Department of Health reported 2,227 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 2,826,410.
The DOH also reported that 175 more people have died from COVID-19 complications in the Southeast Asian country, bringing the coronavirus related death toll to 47,074.
The DOH said the number of active cases has dropped to 21,101.
The Philippines, which has around 110 million population, has tested more than 22 million people for COVID-19 since being hit by the pandemic.
A healthcare worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine to a man at Kizilay Square in Ankara on July 11, 2021. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP)
Turkey
The rate of two-dose COVID-19 vaccination among people aged 18 and older has reached 80.5 percent in Turkey, the Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Saturday.
The number of two-dose vaccinated people exceeded 50 million, or 60 percent of the total population in Turkey, Koca tweeted, but warned that this figure is not enough to cope with the pandemic.
Turkey on Saturday reported 23,347 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 8,550,377, the health ministry said
Turkey on Saturday reported 23,347 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 8,550,377, the health ministry said.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 201 to 74,847, while 29,163 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.
A total of 352,335 tests were conducted over the past day, it said.
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Turkey started mass COVID-19 vaccination on Jan 14 after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.
More than 56 million people have received their first doses of vaccines, and over 50 million had taken their second doses. Turkey has so far administered 119.27 million doses, including the booster jabs.