Worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca, on the first day of the al-Adha feast celebrated by Muslims worldwide, on July 20, 2021.
(FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP)
PHNOM PENH / SYDNEY / HANOI / BAGHDAD / SINGAPORE / KUALA LUMPUR / SEOUL / ANKARA / NEW DELHI / BANGKOK / KABUL / MANILA / TOKYO – Saudi Arabia will ease COVID-19 curbs from Oct 17, the interior ministry said on Friday, in response to a sharp drop in daily infections and a considerable development in vaccinations.
The government will lift social distancing measures and will allow full-capacity attendance at the country's two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina for those who have taken the full dose of vaccines, the ministry added.
The authorities also canceled curbs on fully vaccinated people at closed venues, gatherings, transportation, restaurants and cinemas.
Masks are no longer mandatory at public open places while still imposed at closed venues, it added.
In this file photo taken on Sept 7, 2021, people wearing face masks and shields to protect themselves against the COVID-19 coronavirus cross a street in Manila. (TED
ALJIBE / AFP)
Philippines
The Philippines has lifted the quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers arriving from China and over 40 other countries and regions with low number of COVID-19 infections, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.
Roque said the new rule applying to travelers from China and other countries and regions included in a green list will take effect from Saturday until Oct 31.
For fully vaccinated foreign nationals, Roque said a negative RT-PCR swab test will be required to be taken within 72 hours before departure. Upon arrival, the traveler is no longer needed to stay in a quarantine facility, but the passenger is urged to self-monitor for any symptoms until the 14th day, he said.
For unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and individuals whose vaccination status cannot be independently verified, and those vaccinated but failed to comply with the test-before-travel requirements, Roque said they need to be isolated in a quarantine facility until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the 5th day.
Foreign tourists are still barred from entering the Philippines as part of the border measures when the government imposed lockdown restrictions in March 2020. Only those foreigners granted special visas, including diplomats, are allowed to enter.
People wear face masks in Tokyo on July 28, 2021, a day after the city reported a record 2,848 new daily cases of COVID-19 coronavirus. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA / AFP)
Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced an outline of COVID-19 countermeasures at a panel meeting on Friday, and the government would come up with an overall set of measures early next month, local media reported.
Kishida's government said that it would seek to increase the utilization rate of hospital beds secured for COVID-19 patients, in addition to designating more beds at public hospitals for patients of respiratory disease.
The prime minister said that if an outbreak in COVID-19 infections expanded further, the government would ask people to follow tighter restrictions.
Japan experienced a surge in infections this summer covering the period of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, hitting a nationwide daily record of 25,867 in August. Since then, the number of infections has steadily declined across the country with vaccination progress.
However, people were still concerned about another surge. The government said it would prepare the medical infrastructure that could endure another wave of infections worse than the fifth one.
In the outline, the government planned to have about 80 percent of hospital beds allocated for COVID-19 utilization and to require public hospitals to secure more beds under the law.
Meanwhile, the government would probably have to provide sufficient support to medical facilities, as strengthening the health care system would require securing more medical workers and balancing the treatment for COVID-19 patients with those with other diseases.
Australia
Australia's Monash University has confirmed that it will work with biotech company IDT to start clinical trial of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate, which is expected to start by the end of 2021.
The receptor-binding domain mRNA vaccine candidate has been developed by the Monash Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences in conjunction with the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. It is Australia's first locally developed COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate that progresses to clinical trials.
The IDT will provide Good Manufacturing Process sterile contract manufacturing services to produce a drug product for the trial.
Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Margaret Gardner said the vaccine candidate, if successful in the trial, will be Australia's first locally developed mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, which will enable Australia to relieve pressure from oversea vaccine supply chains.
Sydney will end its COVID-19 quarantine for fully vaccinated international travelers from Nov 1, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Friday, foreshadowing the full return of overseas travel after more than 19 months.
Australia closed its international borders in March 2020 in response to the pandemic, allowing entry almost exclusively to only citizens and permanent residents who are required to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense.
ALSO READ: WHO: Virus testing, vaccination declined in Afghanistan
Singapore
Just weeks ago, Singapore seemed like a poster child for pandemic management. With more than 80 percent of its population fully vaccinated and a road map in place for easing its strict COVID-19 rules, the city state seemed ready to live with the virus in a way that few countries were.
Then, infection rates began to soar.
Now, the island nation is looking more like a real-time illustration of how challenging the pivot away from a COVID-19 elimination strategy is going to be.
For parts of Singapore’s own population, the shift has become a source of tension, division and fear that’s posing a communications conundrum for policy makers.
While total new COVID-19 cases fell on Thursday, 15 people died, the Ministry of Health said in a statement — the highest daily figure to date. The tally included a 23-year-old and a 34-year-old, both of whom had underlying medical conditions.
Before September, fewer than 70,000 of the country’s 5.45 million residents had contracted COVID-19 — about 1.2 percent of the population. Cases now exceed 3,000 on some days, a genuinely alarming figure for many in a city that saw just 29 deaths in the virus’s first year.
While recent moves to reopen travel with the US and Europe have been cheered by expatriates, businesses and those sick of being confined to the tiny island, others are concerned things are moving too fast. Perceived mixed messaging from the government has only added to the polarization, spurring the prime minister to call for unity in a televised speech.
Frustration has been building for months as stop-start curbs around work and social interactions have been eased and then re-tightened, sometimes within a matter of weeks.
As the government’s message has shifted from a clear and successful policy of keeping the virus out to a halting lurch in the direction of reopening, public sentiment has been divided.
Singapore’s public hospitals are already experiencing the reality of living permanently with the coronavirus. Fear has residents inundating hospitals, even when their symptoms are mild, prompting authorities to expand a program allowing some patients with less severe cases to recover at home. More medical staff are being trained on ventilator procedures and wards have been converted to COVID-19 treatment units.
A sign promoting the uptake of COVID-19 coronavirus vaccines is displayed as students wait to receive doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the Narasikalai school compound in the southern province of Narathiwat, Thailand, on Oct 15, 2021. (MADAREE TOHLALA / AFP)
Thailand
Thailand announced on Thursday a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions nationwide starting from Oct 16, as the country's immunization rates have been increasing recently.
According to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, the night-time curfew will be reduced to four hours from 11 pm to 3 am. Moreover, the number of "dark red" provinces which are under maximum control will be cut down from 29 to 23 provinces.
Meanwhile, the number of "red zone" or areas with maximum control will also reduce from 37 to 30, indicating the country's overall improving and stabilizing control over COVID-19 situation, CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin said.
The CCSA also announced more relaxation on eateries, flea markets, all kinds of sports facilities, shopping centers and movie theaters by permitting their operating hours to be extended to 10 pm.
Trade fairs, convention and exhibition centers and hotels are permitted to organize meetings up to 500 people per event, according to the CCSA.
WTO
A new coronavirus testing lab has been established in Afghanistan's eastern Parwan province, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
The WHO established the new COVID-19 lab to accelerate testing and surveillance of the coronavirus in Parwan this week, it said on social media platform.
"Now, up to 34 COVID-19 laboratories are available under our support in Afghanistan with a testing capacity of 9,200 tests every day," the agency noted.
Earlier in the week, the WHO warned about the decline in COVID-19 testing and vaccination after the Taliban's takeover of the country in mid-August.
The organization said that some 1.6 million doses of vaccine would expire if not used quickly.
More than 155,000 Afghans have been infected with COVID-19 with over 7,200 losing their lives due to the viral disease since February 2020 when the first case was detected in the Central Asian country, according to the latest WHO figures.
ALSO READ: COVID-19: Australian tour battlers desperate to tee off again
In this file photo taken on Aug 1, 2021,
a youth receives the Sinovac Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a clinic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (PRING SAMRANG / AFP)
Cambodia
A new batch of 2 million doses of China-donated Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Cambodia on Thursday as the Southeast Asian nation has planned to reopen its socio-economic activities in all areas by year's end.
"It's a new batch of 2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine, which is donated by the Chinese government to the Cambodian government," Cambodian Ministry of Health secretary of state Yok Sambath told reporters at the Phnom Penh International Airport.
"This donation is a new testament to the unbreakable ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China," she said.
To date, Cambodia has received a total of 37.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three sources through bilateral procurement, the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility, and donations.
A total of 28.5 million doses, or 75.8 percent, were Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines procured from China, and 6.3 million doses, equivalent of 16.7 percent, were donated by China to Cambodia, according to the MoH.
Cambodia launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive in February. As of Oct 13, the country had administered at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines to 13.5 million people, or 84 percent of its 16-million population, the MoH said.
Of them, 12.1 million, or 75.8 percent, had been fully vaccinated with both required shots, and 1.14 million, or 7.17 percent, had received a third dose or booster dose, it added.
ALSO READ: India builds vaccine stocks to lift shipments globally
A man exercises at a public park in Hanoi on Sept 28, 2021, after city authorities allowed outdoor sport activities following the easing of Covid-19 coronavirus restrictions. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)
Vietnam
Vietnam's Ministry of Health has approved the vaccination against COVID-19 for children between 12 and 17 years old in the country.
According to a circular released by the ministry Thursday, based on the local vaccine supply and COVID-19 situation, local authorities are allowed to start with vaccinating children 16-17 years old before other younger age groups.
The vaccines to be used will be those approved by local health authorities for children's inoculation, the ministry said, without disclosing more information about the vaccines to be involved.
Localities can immediately kick off the vaccination campaign for children if they are well prepared, the circular said.
By Thursday, Vietnam has recorded a total of 853,842 COVID-19 cases, mostly in the ongoing wave of infections which started in late April.
Nearly 57.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including over 16.8 million second doses, have been administered in adults across the country, according to the health ministry.
ALSO READ: Japan PM vows to devote himself to ending COVID-19 crisis
In this file photo taken on Aug 25, 2021, people wait to receive COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine doses at a make-shift vaccination center at a shopping mall in Iraq's capital Baghdad. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Iraq
Iraq on Thursday received the fourth batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government to boost Iraq's efforts to combat the pandemic.
Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Iraq Jian Fangning and Iraqi health officials attended a handover ceremony held at Baghdad International Airport.
New Zealand
New Zealand reported 65 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, with all in locked-down Auckland, as the country readies for a mass immunization drive on Saturday when it hopes to administer a record 100,000 vaccine doses.
Auckland, the country's largest city, entered into a lockdown in mid-August to stamp out an outbreak of the Delta variant, with officials looking to end the strict restrictions when full vaccination rates reach 90 percent.
About 2.6 million New Zealanders have so far been fully vaccinated, or about 62 percent of the eligible population.
New Zealand, which had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until a Delta outbreak in mid-August, is now looking to live with COVID-19 through higher inoculations. It reported 71 cases on Thursday, the biggest rise in six weeks.
ALSO READ: Singapore hits 80% vaccine threshold seen as key to easing
Malaysia
Malaysia recorded 8,084 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours as of midnight Thursday, bringing the total tally to 2,369,613, according to the health ministry.
Of the new cases 21 were imported and 8,063 were locally transmitted, data released on the ministry's website showed.
An additional 88 deaths were reported from the pandemic, bringing the coronavirus-related death toll to 27,681.
About 12,456 recovered patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries from COVID-19 to 2,240,345 in the Southeast Asian country.
Of the currently 101,587 active cases, 702 are being held in intensive care units and 367 of them in need of assisted breathing.
Malaysia reported 206,418 vaccine doses administered on Thursday alone and that some 75.5 percent of the population have received at least one dose and 67.1 percent are fully vaccinated.
In this file photo taken on Aug 20, 2020,
medical workers in a booth take samples from people for COVID-19 tests at a makeshift clinic in Seoul, South Korea. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)
South Korea
South Korea reported 1,684 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours until midnight Thursday, raising the total number of infections to 339,361.
The daily caseload was down from 1,939 in the previous day, while hovering above 1,000 for 101 straight days since July 7. The daily average tally for the past week was 1,628.
The recent resurgence was attributable to cluster infections in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Of the new cases, 680 were Seoul residents. The number of the newly infected people residing in Gyeonggi province and the western port city of Incheon was 606 and 95 respectively.
Turkey
Turkey on Thursday confirmed 30,709 new COVID-19 cases, raising its total tally of infections to 7,570,932, according to its health ministry.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 203 to 67,044, while 26,461 people recovered in the last 24 hours.
A total of 362,217 tests were conducted over the past day, it said.
ALSO READ: India expert panel recommends Covaxin for kids aged 2 & above
India
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 34,037,592 on Friday as 16,862 new confirmed cases were registered in the past 24 hours across the South Asian country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
An additional 379 deaths from the pandemic were recorded, taking the total death toll to 451,814.
There are currently 203,678 active COVID-19 cases in the country after a decline of 2,908 in the number recorded in the past 24 hours.
The total number of recoveries from the coronavirus epidemic in India stands currently at 33,382,100, including 19,391 newly reported.