COVID-19 hospitalizations hit new high in Australia’s capital

Staff check a client at a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Jan 8, 2022. (MARK BAKER / AP)

SEOUL / SINGAPORE / HANOI / SUVA / WELLINGTON / KUALA LUMPUR / CANBERRA / NEW DELHI – The number of people being treated for COVID-19 in Australia's capital has hit a record high.

According to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Health Department there were 93 Canberrans with COVID-19 in hospital on Tuesday, including four in intensive care.

It was the highest figure since the start of the pandemic, surpassing the previous record set on May 22, said the Canberra Times.

It comes ahead of an expected spike in cases and deaths across the country through winter, which starts on Wednesday.

There were more than 30,000 new infections reported across Australia on Tuesday and more than 50 deaths – 20 in Victoria, 19 in New South Wales, 11 in Queensland, four in Western Australia and one each in the ACT and Tasmania.

Data published by the federal Health Department revealed there had been 8,469 total COVID-19 deaths in Australia as of Monday, an increase of 359 from 8,110 a week earlier.

It takes the death toll this year to 6,230, almost three times higher than the 2,239 COVID-19 deaths in 2020 and 2021 combined.

In this photo provided by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea government, a worker in protective gear stands on an empty sidewalk in Pyongyang, the DPRK, on May 17, 2022. (KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY / KOREA NEWS SERVICE VIA AP)

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea reported 96,020 more people showing fever symptoms and no additional deaths amid the country's first confirmed coronavirus outbreak, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

The DPRK has lifted movement restrictions imposed in the capital Pyongyang after its first admission of COVID-19 outbreak weeks ago, media reported, as the country says the virus situation is now under control.

As of Sunday, the restrictions had been lifted, Japan's Kyodo news agency said, citing an unnamed source in Beijing.

The Kyodo report came shortly after the DPRK's leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting to discuss revising anti-epidemic restrictions, assessing the situation over the country's first COVID-19 outbreak was "improving."

"The Political Bureau examined the issue of effectively and quickly coordinating and enforcing the anti-epidemic regulations and guidelines given the current stable anti-epidemic situation," KCNA said on Sunday.

The DPRK reported 100,710 more people showing fever symptoms and one additional death as of Sunday evening, compared with some 390,000 two weeks ago, KCNA said. The death toll rose to 70.

Fiji

Fiji has reported 66 new COVID-19 cases over the past few days.

According to the Fijivillage news website on Tuesday, Fiji's Ministry of Health confirmed that of the 66 cases recorded since last Friday.

The ministry said over the recent six weeks, Fiji has had 461 positive cases, of which 175 were local cases and not related to travel.

Among these local cases, 42 percent, or 74 cases were unvaccinated and none had received a booster dose.

India

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 43,158,087 on Tuesday, as 2,338 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.

Besides, 19 deaths from the pandemic were reported across the country since Monday morning, taking the total death toll to 524,630.

There are still 17,883 active COVID-19 cases in the country with an increase of 185 active cases during the past 24 hours.

A man wearing a face mask walk in front of a closed store front with advertisements for property rentals in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Oct 18, 2021. (VINCENT THIAN / AP)

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 1,325 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Monday, bringing the national total to 4,505,059, according to the health ministry.

There are two new imported cases, with 1,323 being local transmissions, data released by the ministry showed.

Four more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 35,669.

New Zealand

New Zealand recorded 8,436 new community cases of COVID-19 and 18 more deaths from the pandemic, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.

Among the new community infections, 2,746 were reported in the largest city Auckland, the ministry said.

In addition, 79 new cases of COVID-19 were detected at the New Zealand border.

Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea reported 17,191 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Monday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 18,103,638, the health authorities said Tuesday.

The daily caseload was up from 6,139 the previous day, but it was lower than 26,341 tallied a week ago, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The health authorities believed that the daily caseload has been on the decline following the Omicron variant-driven resurgence, which may have peaked in the middle of March.

A total of nine more deaths were confirmed, leaving the death toll at 24,176. The total fatality rate was 0.13 percent.

A notice warning people not to gather in groups larger than five persons as part of restrictions to hald the spread of the coronavirus is displayed at Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on Jan 4, 2022. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore reported 2,389 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total tally to 1,298,309.

Of the new cases, 208 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 2,181 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

Three deaths were reported from COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 1,386, the ministry said.  

Passengers wait for transportation outside the arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on March 15, 2022, as Vietnam announced the return of a visa exemption policy for 13 countries in an effort to kickstart its tourism sector. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded 1,118 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, up by 228 from Sunday, according to its Ministry of Health.

All the new infections were domestically transmitted in 45 provinces and cities.

The northern Bac Ninh province led the country with 265 new cases recorded on Monday, followed by the capital Hanoi with 261 cases and the northern Yen Bai province with 62 cases.

The infections brought the total tally to 10,718,369 with 43,078 deaths.