People wearing face masks walk near an electronic tower showing the COVID-19 vaccination rates along a street in Seoul, South Korea on Nov 1, 2021. (LEE JIN-MAN / AP)
SYDNEY / TEHRAN / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / DHAKA / YANGON / SINGAPORE / ANKARA / TOKYO / DUBAI / KUALA LUMPUR / WELLINGTON / SEOUL / NEW DELHI / VIENTIANE / ULAN BATOR / ISLAMABAD / PHNOM PENH – South Korea’s private sector plans to invest 6.3 trillion won ($5.4 billion) in vaccine production and distribution by 2024, as the country seeks to become a global vaccine powerhouse, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Tuesday.
South Korea already has deals to produce three coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca/Oxford University, Novavax, and Russia. It also has a vaccine bottling and packaging agreement with Moderna here .
The investment plan includes 4.24 trillion won spending by Samsung BioLogics and 1.5 trillion won by drugmaker Celltrion, the government data showed.
Kim said the government had selected 14 companies in the vaccine supply chain eligible for 18 billion won of state financial support, as the government develops the industry to become a major pillar.
The selected companies include Hanmi Pharmaceuticals , ST Pharm and Cellid.
The move comes after President Moon Jae-in in May unveiled his plan for a global vaccine production hub here after agreeing with US President Joe Biden on a partnership here that would combine US expertise and South Korean production capacity.
Commuters walk out of an underground train station as people filter into the city after more than 100 days of lockdown to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, Oct 11, 2021. (RICK RYCROFT / AP)
Australia
Australia's biggest city will lift more COVID-19 curbs for vaccinated residents ahead of schedule next week, while delaying freedoms it has promised for unvaccinated Sydneysiders as officials aim to boost inoculations.
Vaccinated people in the harbour city of around 5 million will be allowed unlimited numbers of guests in their homes from Nov 8.
Pubs and clubs will also be able to accommodate more guests and reopen dance floors, in changes that were initially planned to come into force on Dec 1.
In contrast, unvaccinated people, who are currently barred from restaurants, non-critical retail stores, bars, gyms and other recreational facilities, will remain under the tougher restrictions until Dec 15, or when New South Wales state's double vaccination rate reaches 95 percent.
"We have always wanted to open up in a measured way and incentivise vaccination rates," State Premier Dominic Perrottet told reporters in Sydney.
Around 88 percent of the state's population aged 16 and over has been fully vaccinated, but the first dose vaccination rate has been slowing as it nears 94 percent.
Cases continued to fall in the two most-populous states, as the country starts to reopen following more than 19 months of harsh restrictions.
Victoria state on Tuesday reported 989 new cases, the first time below 1,000 since Sept 29. New South Wales state recorded 173 new cases and the lowest seven-day average since Aug 5.
Bahrain
Gulf state Bahrain has approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for children aged between 5 and 11 years, the government media office said on Tuesday.
The decision came after a study involving 3,100 children aged between 5 and 11 who were administered with the vaccine found it to be 90.7 percent effective in that age group, said the statement, citing the National Health Regulatory Authority.
None of the children involved in the study showed severe side effects, it said.
Bahrain will be supplied with doses from the manufacturer for the 5-11 age group from the start of 2022, it said.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh has started administering COVID-19 vaccines to school children aged 12-17 years in capital Dhaka.
The campaign was formally launched on Monday at a vaccination center in Dhaka's leading Ideal School and College in the presence of Education Minister Dipu Moni and Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
The campaign will be expanded to other districts outside Dhaka gradually.
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Brunei
Brunei reported 116 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total tally to 13,246.
According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, all the newly recorded cases were local infections.
While the source of 36 local infections was still under investigation, six new clusters have been detected and six clusters closed with no new cases for 28 days, bringing the total number of active clusters to 170.
Cambodia
Cambodia on Tuesday resumed the operations of city bus and taxi boat services in capital Phnom Penh after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Ean Sokhim, director of the Phnom Penh City Bus Authority.
"All passengers are given free rides for six days from Nov 2 to Nov 7, 2021, and normal fares will be charged from Nov 8, 2021 onwards, except for Buddhist monks, elderly people, small children, students, garment workers, athletes and teachers," he said in a statement.
All passengers must wear a facemask, have their body temperatures checked and hands sanitized, and scan "Stop COVID QR Code" with their smartphones, Sokhim said, adding that for adult passengers, they must show their COVID-19 vaccination cards at the entrance.
Cambodia has seen a dramatic drop in new COVID-19 cases and fatalities.
About 85.92 percent of the country's 16 million population have so far received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, while 81.7 percent has been fully inoculated with both required shots and 11.7 percent has taken a booster dose, the Ministry of Health said.
Fiji
A Fijian health official on Tuesday warned of the possibility of a third wave of COVID-19 in the island nation and urged Fijians to take all measures to protect themselves.
According to Fijivillage news website, Fiji's Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said that Fijians need to understand that the third wave of COVID-19 will come, and to ensure they take all measures to protect themselves and those around them.
He said COVID-19 safe behavior is still required to keep the vulnerable safe in their community.
The vulnerable and anyone eligible need to be fully vaccinated, and people need to continue to follow the COVID-19 safe measures and the most vulnerable need to get booster shots, he said.
He added that the government has plans to ensure booster COVID-19 doses are given to those over 60-years-old, those with comorbidities under 60 years old and the frontliners.
India
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 34,296,237 on Tuesday, as 10,423 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 443 new deaths were reported, taking the country's total death toll to 458,880.
Indonesia
The Indonesian government has decided to reduce the mandatory quarantine period for international travelers, both Indonesian citizens and foreigners, from five to three days, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Tuesday.
"This rule applies to international travelers who have met the requirements, including being fully vaccinated and negative for COVID-19 based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test results since their departures, after the arrivals in Indonesia, and at the end of the quarantine period," Hartarto explained in a press release.
Meanwhile, domestic travelers who have been fully vaccinated are required to show negative antigen swab test results or PCR tests for those who have received only one shot of vaccines.
Hartarto emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia is primarily under control as the number of cases continues to decline.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is pictured during a meeting with Lebanon's prime minister in Beirut on Oct 7, 2021. (ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has been in quarantine, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday, after local media reported the foreign minister has been infected with the COVID-19 virus.
"His general condition is good and he is doing his daily work in quarantine," the ministry's spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told official IRNA news agency.
Khatibzadeh confirmed the change in the schedule of programs of the foreign minister, saying that "the doctor has required him to remain in quarantine."
Earlier in the day, Iranian media like Tasnim news agency said Amir Abdollahian tested positive for the virus on Monday.
People wearing protective masks walk around the famed Shibuya scramble crossing in a shopping and entertainment district on Oct 25, 2021 in Tokyo. (KIICHIRO SATO / AP)
Japan
Japan on Tuesday confirmed plans to gradually ease COVID-19 border restrictions, but fell short of calls from business lobbies to open up the country in line with its major trading partners.
The government has decided to review border controls in stages, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters, responding to media reports that quarantine for business travellers would be cut from 10 days to 3.
The easing may go into effect from next Monday, while daily border entrants would be raised from 3,500 people to 5,000 later this month, national broadcaster NHK said.
While the shorter quarantine would be welcome, it would only benefit business travellers and Japanese nationals, said Michael Mroczek, president of the European Business Council in Japan. The bigger issue is the remaining hold on long-term visas.
"Not being able to bring essential personnel to Japan is currently the number one issue for European industry," he said.
Japan shortened its quarantine period for vaccinated people to 10 days from 14 last month when it lifted state of emergency measures over much of the country.
COVID-19 cases have fallen dramatically in Japan as the nation's vaccination rate has pushed past 70 percent of the population. New infections in Tokyo fell to 9 on Monday, down from more than 5,000 a day during a wave in August driven by the infectious Delta variant.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, Thailand and Australia on Monday eased international border restrictions significantly for the first time in 18 months.
Laos
The Lao government will continue with a tourism program in 2022 to invite Lao and foreign tourists who have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, especially from China and South Korea, to explore the country.
It is hoped that the program – Lao Thiao Lao, or Lao Visit Laos, will attract at least 1.9 million domestic visitors and more than 1 million foreign visitors in 2022, local daily Vientiane Times on Tuesday quoted Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone as saying at the National Assembly on Monday.
Lao Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported 873 more cases of COVID-19, raising the total number of infections to 41,829
Malaysia
Malaysia reported another 4,626 new COVID-19 infections, as of midnight Monday, bringing the national total to 2,476,268, according to the health ministry.
Some six of the new cases are imported, with 4,620 being local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.
Another 63 more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 28,975.
Mongolia
Mongolia recorded 1,021 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 362,526, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday.
Half of the new cases were detected in the national capital Ulan Bator, which is hardest hit by the pandemic due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, 10 more COVID-19 patients aged over 40 died in the past day, taking the nationwide death toll to 1,682.
A woman receives a shot of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug 29, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Myanmar
Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Monday further extended entry restrictions for travelers until Nov. 30.
The suspension will be applied to the entry of all travelers, the issuance of all types of visas and visa exemptions services until the end of this month.
According to a release by the Ministry of Health on Monday, Myanmar reported 877 new positive cases with 17 more deaths in the past 24 hours.
The number of COVID-19 infections has increased to 500,950 while the death toll reached 18,714 as of Monday.
New Zealand
New Zealand put the north of its Northland region back into lockdown as the source of two new cases in the area remains unknown. The area moves back to Level 3 lockdown at midnight, initially through midnight Nov 8. The rest of Northland stays at Level 2.
Northland’s vaccination rate is lower than the rest of the country at just 79 percent for first doses, increasing the risk for 11,000 unvaccinated Maori in the region, said COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.
New Zealand reported 126 new Delta variant cases of COVID-19 in the community on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country's community outbreak to 3,634.
Pakistan
Pakistan on Monday reported 457 new COVID-19 cases and 10 more deaths, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Tuesday.
The NCOC, a department leading campaign against the pandemic, said that the country has conducted 20,879,087 tests so far confirming overall 1,274,017 cases, including 1,222,987 recoveries.
Singapore
Singapore recorded 2,470 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total tally to 200,844, the Ministry of Health
said in a press release.
Of the new cases, 2,189 were reported in the community and 278 in migrant worker dormitories while three were imported cases.
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A student receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at the Narasikalai school in the southern province of Narathiwat on Oct 15, 2021. (MADAREE TOHLALA / AFP)
Thailand
Thailand reported 7,574 new cases, the lowest single-day tally since July 8, as Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy this week reopened its border to foreign tourists.
Thailand ended quarantine for vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries from Monday to revive its tourism-dependent economy. There were 78 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking cumulative fatalities to 19,338.
Turkey
Turkey on Monday confirmed 28,678 new COVID-19 cases, raising its total tally of infections to 8,061,666, according to its health ministry.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 217 to 70,828, while 29,296 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.