Iranians walk past shuttered stores at the Tehran Bazar in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Aug 16, 2021, the first day of a five-day extension of restrictions imposed to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
TOKYO / SYDNEY / SUVA / NEW DELHI / JAKARTA / TEHRAN / JERUSALEM / KUWAIT CITY / VIENTIANE / YANGON / WELLINGTON / RAMALLAH / COLOMBO / ANKARA / ULAN BATOR / ISLAMABAD / MANILA / KUALA LUMPUR / BANGKOK / PHNOM PENH / DUBAI / HANOI – Iran on Monday reported a record 655 COVID-19 deaths over the past 24 hours as the government started imposing tougher restrictions to combat a surge in coronavirus infections led by the highly contagious Delta variant, state TV reported.
The health ministry said the total number of cases had reached 4,467,015 with 41,194 new cases in the past 24 hours, while total fatalities had increased to 98,483, state TV reported.
All non-essential businesses and public offices across the Middle East's worst-hit country will be closed until Aug 21, state TV reported.
Authorities have also imposed a travel ban between all Iranian cities from Sunday until Aug 27, except for essential vehicles.
Health authorities have warned that daily deaths might reach 800 in coming weeks if Iranians fail to respect health protocols.
The sharp surge in cases and deaths has forced the clerical establishment to allow imports of vaccines made by US and British companies, which Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had forbidden in January.
A health ministry official, Kianoush Jahanpour, said there was no ban on importing any approved COVID-19 vaccines into Iran "including AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer, other than those produced in the US and the UK", Iranian media reported on Sunday.
Near-empty ferries pass in front of the Opera House in Sydney on Aug 14, 2021, as Australia's biggest city announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions including heavier fines and tighter policing to contain a Delta outbreak. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)
Australia
Australia's biggest city of Sydney recorded its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, while residents in Melbourne face a nightly curfew and a further two weeks of lockdown amid a surge in infections.
Sydney, which is in its eighth week of lockdown, is the epicentre of Australia's third COVID-19 wave that threatens to push the country's A$2 trillion (US$1.5 trillion) economy into its second recession in as many years.
New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said seven people in Sydney had died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the state's previous record daily toll from earlier this month.
Berejiklian said New South Wales has also detected 478 infections, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic begun.
"Our community transmission numbers are disturbingly high," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
"Every death is a person who has loved ones, who has died in tragic circumstances and our heartfelt condolences to all of those loved ones and families."
Authorities also confirmed the death of 15-year-old boy from Sydney, who had pneumococcal meningitis and COVID-19.
The toll was announced as 200 military personnel were deployed across Sydney to set up roadblocks to enforce restrictions of movement. Australia last month deployed 500 troops to help New South Wales.
ALSO READ: Philippines detects 1st COVID-19 Lambda variant case
Cambodia
Cambodia on Monday launched a national campaign against the coronavirus under the theme "Responsible Together to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission".
The campaign aims to remind and encourage people to strictly abide by the preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, according to a health ministry's press statement.
"Although there is a decline in new infections and deaths in some provinces, the risk of a surge in COVID-19 due to the Delta variant is very high," reads the statement.
Cambodia on Monday confirmed a daily record of 593 cases, pushing the national caseload to 86,041, the health ministry said.
The death toll rose by 21 to to 1,704, the ministry said, adding that the number of recoveries increased by 806 to 81,202.
To date, some 8.94 million people, or 55.9 percent of the total population, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, while 7.25 million of them, or 45.3 percent, have completed the two-dose inoculation.
Fiji
Fiji has recorded 3 deaths and 467 new cases of COVID-19, according to health officials on Monday.
A health worker inoculates a woman with a dose of the Covishield vaccine against COVID-19 at an inoculation site in Amritsar, India, on Aug 16, 2021. (NARINDER NANU / AFP)
India
India reported 32,937 fresh infections of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking its total caseload to 32,225,513, as some services resume for people who have been vaccinated.
Deaths rose overnight by 417, with the country's COVID-19 death toll now standing at 431,642, data from the federal health ministry showed on Monday.
Mumbai restarted commuter train services for fully vaccinated residents from Sunday, a move that could tackle traffic jams that are popping up as COVID-19 cases drop off but also one that risks transmitting the virus across India’s financial hub.
Authorities had feared contagion because Mumbai’s three railway lines on a typical day ferry more than 8 million people, with coaches so crowded that latecomers hang out of doorways.
Meanwhile, parks, seafronts and playgrounds were also allowed to stay open for all until 10 pm local time (1630 GMT), from the previous closing hours of 4 pm, the city's civic body said.
Indonesia
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday in his annual state of the nation speech that there was a need to strike a balance between health and economic interests amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia's biggest country.
"The pandemic has indeed significantly slowed down our economic growth, but it must not hinder the process of structural reforms of our economy," the president said in the annual speech to parliament.
“Self-sufficiency in our pharmaceutical, vaccine, and medical equipment industries remains a major drawback that we must address,” Jokowi, as the president is known, said. The pandemic is an opportunity to accelerate development of the domestic pharmaceutical industry, especially for COVID-19 vaccines and medical oxygen, he said.
Meanwhile,Indonesia on Monday extended its COVID-19 curbs though relaxed some measures in eight unspecified areas on the most populous islands of Java and Bali, as fewer infections have been reported in cities.
The easing of certain measures included allowing restaurant dine-in at 25 percentof capacity and increasing the number of shoppers allowed in malls, for regions where the strictest level of curbs are in place.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 17,384 within one day to 3,871,738, the health ministry said Monday, the lowest daily increase since Jun 23.
The death toll went up by 1,245 to 118,833, the ministry said.
To date, at least 28.52 million people in the country have received two COVID-19 shots, the ministry said, adding that 54.38 first doses have been administered.
Israel
Israel on Monday lifted the ban on travel to eight countries, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health.
The eight countries include Uzbekistan, Argentina, Belarus, South Africa, the UK, Kyrgyzstan, Cyprus and Russia.
An existing ban on Israelis flying to Brazil, Georgia, Mexico, Spain and Turkey will remain, while Bulgaria was added to the ban list due to the recent morbidity rise in the country.
Israeli citizens and permanent residents who want to travel to the six countries must apply to an exceptions committee.
Also starting Monday, all arrivals to Israel from most countries of the world are required to enter a 7-day home quarantine, including vaccinated and recovered travelers.
The list does not include China, Austria, Australia, Hungary, Moldova, New Zealand, Singapore and the Czech Republic, where morbidity are significantly low.
Israel's Ministry of Health reported 3,783 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 938,679.
The death toll from the coronavirus in Israel rose by 46 to 6,668, the ministry said.
A woman visits the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine in Dazaifu city of Fukuoka on Aug 16, 2021. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)
Japan
The Japanese government is set to extend its state of emergency soft lockdown measures in Tokyo and other regions to Sept 12 and expand the curbs to seven more prefectures, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.
The current state of emergency is due to expire on Aug 31, but a continuing surge in coronavirus cases has spurred calls to extend it. Tokyo announced 2,962 new daily cases on Monday, after a record 5,773 on Friday.
The government will expand the state of emergency curbs to the prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka, the public broadcaster reported.
It will also expand less strict "quasi-emergency" measures to four additional prefectures – Miyagi, Yamanashi, Toyama and Gifu – to cover more regions of the country, Jiji news agency reported.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters earlier on Monday that the government will seek the view of experts on emergency and less strict "quasi-emergency" curbs for all regions on Tuesday, without giving more details.
Meanwhile, the four parties concerned with running the Tokyo Paralympics agreed on the same day that the Games will be held generally without spectators, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters.
Koike also said that municipalities and schools will still be able to have schoolchildren attend events as long as proper COVID-19 safety measures are implemented. The Paralympics are due to run from Aug 24 to Sept 5.
Kuwait
Kuwait registered on Sunday 306 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 406,540, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry said.
The ministry also announced three more fatalities, taking the death toll in Kuwait to 2,389, while the tally of recoveries rose by 606 to 397,247.
Laos
The Lao Ministry of Health has issued a notice extending the closure of schools in the Lao capital Vientiane amid fears of community spread of COVID-19.
According to a latest notice issued by the Vientiane capital Education and Sports department under the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports, all public and private educational facilities from preschools through to universities will be closed across Lao capital Vientiane following several new cases reported in the community.
Schools that have opened for enrollment must be well-allocated, maintain social distance, and allow a restricted number of pupils each day. Those that take the competency exam for the secondary levels of grades 1 and 5 must comply with the COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
The Ministry of Education and Sports first issued a notice ordering the closure of schools following an outbreak of COVID-19 in Lao capital Vientiane in late April.
Laos is struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19 due to the influx of workers returning from Thailand, many of whom have brought the virus into Laos.
As of Monday, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Laos stood at 10,141 with nine deaths. A total of 5,953 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the pandemic and been discharged from hospitals.
Malaysia
Malaysia's health ministry on Monday reported 19,740 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the tally to 1,424,639.
Another 274 more deaths were also reported, taking the death toll to 12,784.
Some 17,450 patients have been discharged after recovery, bringing the total number of recovereis to 1,162,578, or 81.6 percent of all cases.
Of the remaining 249,277 active cases, 1,047 were in intensive care and 520 required assisted breathing
Mongolia
Mongolia’s health ministry reported Monday 1,061 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, bringing the tally to 183,652 and the toll to 907.
The Delta variant has accounted for at least 10 percent of all cases of COVID-19 in Mongolia in recent days, said the ministry.
Myanmar
The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar increased to 356,985 on Monday after 2,706 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, according to a release from the Ministry of Health.
A total of 182 additional deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 13,445, according to the release.
A total of 275,516 patients have recovered so far.
This Aug 7, 2021 photo, shows volunteers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) burying a suspected COVID-19 coronavirus victim at a cemetery in Taungoo district in Myanmar's Bago region, some 220km from Yangon. (YE AUNG THU / AFP)
New Zealand
New Zealand reported five new COVID-19 cases in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities and no cases in the community on Monday.
The five newly imported cases came from Fiji, Britain and Russia and have remained in managed isolation and quarantine facilities in Auckland, according to the Ministry of Health.
Pakistan
Pakistan recorded 3,669 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Monday.
The NCOC, a department leading Pakistan's campaign against the pandemic, said the country's overall tally has risen to 1,102,079.
Meanwhile, 72 more deaths were logged during that period, bringing the toll to 24,478, the NCOC said.
The number of recoveries rose by 2,218 to 989,013, it said.
The southern Sindh province is the worst-affected region by the pandemic with 412,165 infections, followed by the eastern Punjab province which has reported 372,750 cases.
As of Sunday night, Pakistan has administered 42,688,545 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and has fully vaccinated 12,104,373 people, the NCOC said.
Palestine
A senior Palestinian official unveiled on Sunday that 70 percent of the active COVID-19 cases in the Palestinian territories are of the Delta variant.
Palestine might have already entered the fourth wave of the disease, as more infections and hospitalizations are being logged every day, Wesam Sbaihat, the official in charge of COVID-19 affairs in the Palestinian Health Ministry, told state radio Voice of Palestine.
There has been a noticeable increase in vaccinations following the Palestinian government's decision to make vaccination compulsory for civil servants and private employees, Sbaihat added.
One fatality, 377 new COVID-19 cases and 126 recoveries was registered in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, said the Palestinian Health Ministry on Sunday.
Philippines
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 14,610 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,755,846.
The death toll climbed to 30,366 after 27 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.
The department said seven laboratories failed to submit reports. It also cited delays in the submission of COVID-19 deaths from the hospitals and the local government units.
Cynthia Saloma, executive director of the Philippine Genome Center, said the Delta variant "is rapidly overtaking the other variants of concern in the Philippines," adding that the Delta variant accounted for 42 percent of the total sequences in the country.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH expects the COVID-19 cases to continue to rise in the coming days because of the community transmission of the Delta variant and the mobility of people amid the two-week hard lockdown that began on Aug 6.
South Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in predicted 70 percent of the country’s population will be double vaccinated against COVID-19 by October.
He made the remarks during a speech Sunday marking the nation’s Independence Day.
READ MORE: All 16-, 17-year-olds in England to be offered first vaccine dose
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan authorities on Sunday announced that a nationwide curfew would come into effect from Monday night until further notice as the number of COVID-19 cases surpassed the 350,000-mark.
Army Commander and Head of the National Operations Center for the Prevention of COVID-19, General Shavendra Silva said the curfew would be imposed from 10:00 pm till 4:00 am daily to prevent people from leaving their homes.
Thailand
Thailand has extended current partial lockdown measures in 29 most affected provinces till the end of August, the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration said on Monday.
Restrictions will be eased for banks and financial institutions located inside malls, allowing them to reopen from Aug 18, according to the CCSA.
Official data from the CCSA showed that 21,157 new COVID-19 cases were recorded over the past 24 hours, raising the country's caseload to 928,314. The death toll rose by 182 to 7,734.
Thailand, a regional manufacturer of AstraZeneca's coronavirus shots, is seeking to borrow 150,000 doses of the same vaccine from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, an official said on Monday, amid a Thai supply shortage.
In another development, Thailand’s central bank governor called for an additional 1 trillion baht (US$30 billion) in government spending to counter coronavirus, saying the blow to the economy from the pandemic is greater than from the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
The government can fund additional spending by borrowing more, Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said at a briefing in Bangkok.
Thailand is reeling under its worst wave of COVID-19 cases yet, forcing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to impose near-lockdown measures in large swathes of the country and triggering near-daily protests demanding the government’s ouster.
In another development, Thailand’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, which deploys similar technology to that used by Moderna and Pfizer, has yielded “promising” results from its first phase of human trials, according to its head researcher.
The vaccine, called ChulaCOV-19, can induce high levels of both B cell and T cell responses, Kiat Ruxrungtham, head researcher at Chulalongkorn University’s Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development, said at a separate briefing on Monday.
Turkey
Turkey on Sunday registered 18,847 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 6,078,653, according to its health ministry.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 154 to 53,159, while 14,426 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.
Vietnam
Vietnam reported 8,652 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, including 8,644 local infections and eight imported cases, according to the Ministry of Health.
The new infections brought the total tally to 283,696 with 6,141 deaths, the ministry said.
Most of the community cases were detected in southern Vietnam, including 3,341 in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), 2,522 in the nearby Binh Duong province, and 599 in Long An province.
Thousands of jobless workers in Vietnam's biggest city are trying to flee to their hometowns, many on motorcycles piled high with belongings, following an extension of restrictions in the epicenter of the country's worst coronavirus outbreak yet.
But authorities are anxious to prevent them leaving Ho Chi Minh City and potentially spreading the virus to other parts of the country. Waves of motorbikes could be seen being halted at roadblocks around the city since Sunday.
Television footage from nearby industrialised provinces showed factory workers on Monday dressed head-to-toe in protective clothing and rushing to board trains and buses in a similar attempt to flee the most affected areas.
Authorities with loudspeakers appealed to people to maintain social distancing and return to their homes amid a cacophony of horns and shouting as people tried desperately to leave.
Ho Chi Minh City accounts for most of the 6,141 coronavirus deaths and more than 283,000 infections in Vietnam, about a third of which is now under lockdowns. The city of 9 million people is seeing on average 241 deaths every day.