A cyclist wearing a mask pauses along the waterfront in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug 19, 2021.
(MICHAEL CRAIG / NEW ZEALAND HERALD VIA AP)
ANKARA/ TEHRAN/SEOUL/NEW DELHI – Japan is preparing to extend its COVID-induced state of emergency by around two weeks for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures, the Mainichi newspaper reported Saturday.
Six other prefectures including industrial centers Osaka and Aichi will also be considered for extensions of the emergency period from the current end date of Sept 12, the paper said. The government will be holding a meeting to make the decision around the middle of next week, the paper said.
Across Japan, 21 prefectures are currently under a state of emergency. While Tokyo cases have seen a declining trend, the Covid-19 case numbers still remain relatively high. The capital reported 2,362 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, while serious cases fell to 267 from 278 the day before.
Prefectures including Ibaraki, Tochigi, Okayama and Hiroshima are considering lifting the state of emergency and potentially moving to less restrictive measures after the Sept 12 end date, the Mainichi added.
Australia
New South Wales reported a record 1,533 new daily coronavirus cases, with the state’s creaking health system braced for a peak in hospitalizations in October.
The number of people being treated for the virus in hospital rose above 1,000 for the first time and is expected to climb in the coming weeks. The state’s Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Friday she would outline a plan next week on how the health system would handle the surge.
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New South Wales’ ambulance service is making contingency plans to draft in police and firefighters to drive ambulances to help deal with increasing patient numbers, Brad Hazzard, the state’s health minister, told reporters Saturday. “I don’t think that’s been finalized yet, but that’s certainly a plan, and I support that plan.” Friday had been the second busiest day for the ambulance service in the state’s history.
Meanwhile, thousands of individuals have signed a petition asking the Australian government to introduce or import COVID-19 vaccines made by China.
The petition, launched last week on the website of the Parliament of Australia, has garnered nearly 8,000 signatures, as of Saturday morning.
New Zealand
New Zealand reported on Saturday the first death from the Delta variant of the new coronavirus and 20 further daily infections, all in Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The woman who died was in her 90s and had a number of underlying health conditions, health officials said in a statement. It is the first coronavirus-related death in the country since mid-February.
"Every death is a reminder of the damage COVID-19 can cause when it gets into our community," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in the statement.
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New Zealand appears to be breaking the chain of transmission of the highly infectious Delta variant, with Saturday's numbers backing a lowering trend seen in recent days.
About 1.7 million people in Auckland, the nation's largest city, have been in strict level 4 lockdown since mid-August. Curbs have been eased in the rest of the countries but schools and offices as well as cafe, restaurants and all public venues remain shut. Most New Zealanders have been asked to stay indoors.
Active cases of the current outbreak stand at 782, with 765 in Auckland and 17 in Wellington, the capital.
India
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 32,945,907 on Saturday as 42,618 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
The pandemic-related toll hit 440,225 after 330 more deaths were reported.
Iran
The Iranian Health Ministry reported on Friday 27,621 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total infections to 5,083,133.
The pandemic has so far claimed 109,549 lives in the country, after 561 new deaths were registered in the past 24 hours.
Philippines
The Philippines will lift the travel ban for all inbound travelers from India and nine other countries starting Sept 6 despite the rising COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Saturday.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation of the inter-agency COVID-19 task force to lift the current travel restrictions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
However, foreign tourists are still banned from entering the country except for holders of special visas such as diplomats and foreign spouses of Filipino citizens.
Turkey
Turkey on Friday confirmed 22,857 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 6,458,630, according to its Health Ministry.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 276 to 57,559.
South Korea
South Korea reported 1,804 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Friday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 258,913.
The daily caseload was up from 1,708 in the prior day, hovering above 1,000 for 60 straight days. The daily average tally for the past week was 1,710.