Data: Australia nears peak of current COVID-19 wave

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)

CANBERRA / NEW DELHI / SEOUL / SINGAPORE / ISLAMABAD – Australia has reported a small uptick in active COVID-19 cases as the country nears the peak of its fourth wave of infections.

According to Department of Health data, there were an average of 11,953 new cases recorded daily in the week to Friday.

It represents an increase of 10 percent from the previous week – a significantly smaller increase than in early and mid-November.

On average there were 2,242 Australians with coronavirus being treated in hospital over the last seven days – up from 1,973 of the previous week – and there were more than 100 deaths.

In South Australia (SA), chief health officer Nicola Spurrier said she believes SA is approaching the peak of the current wave after cases increased by 3 percent in the last week.

"We are getting towards the peak. Until we see those case numbers come down I can't officially tell you we're at the peak, but we're certainly at that top-end plateau," she told reporters.

"We are very hopeful that we will be on the other side of that wave well before Christmas, so we can all enjoy a healthy Christmas."

A health worker speaks to arrivals at a COVID-19 vaccination hub at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane on Aug 17, 2021. (PATRICK HAMILTON / AFP)

Meanwhile, health authorities of the state of Queensland on Friday warned residents against COVID-19 complacency as the transmission rate of the virus is slowing down.

Residents are encouraged to get up to date with their vaccinations, and those at the age of over 70 are encouraged to have a plan to obtain antiviral treatments if they get infected.

Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said current data showed case numbers were no longer rapidly increasing but it was not a reason to become complacent.

"The number of active cases increased 73 percent between Nov 9 and 16 but by only 8 percent the following week, consistent with the national trend," Gerrard said.

According to federal Department of Health data, there were an average of 11,953 new cases recorded daily in the week to Friday.

The chief health officer also encouraged residents to wear a mask in healthcare settings, indoors if they can not socially distance, and on public transport, as suggested by the state's COVID-19 "traffic light system."

India

India's daily COVID-19 caseload recorded on Friday decreased to 347 from 408 on the previous day, officials said.

According to federal health ministry data released on Friday morning, the active caseload currently stands at 5,516 in the South Asian country.

The country also logged three more COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the overall death toll to 530,604 since the beginning of the pandemic, the ministry said.

People walk with their luggage towards Malaysia, as seen from Sungai Kolok district in southern Thailand's Narathiwat province on June 1, 2022, after Malaysia and Thailand re-opened their land borders following the loosening of restrictions related to the coronavirus. (MADAREE TOHLALA / AFP)

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 2,877 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Thursday, bringing the national total to 4,978,350, according to the health ministry.

There are three new imported cases, with 2,874 cases being local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.

Another eight new deaths have been reported, pushing the death toll to 36,636.

Pakistan

Pakistan reported 30 new COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health said on Friday.

The overall tally of infected people climbed to 1,575,039 across the country after adding the fresh cases, according to data released by the ministry.

A total of 30,630 people died of COVID-19 in Pakistan, according to the ministry's statistics.

Singapore

Singapore reported 1,615 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the country's total tally to 2,160,324.

A total of 141 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with nine of them in intensive care units, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

No new death from COVID-19 was reported on Thursday, keeping the total death toll unchanged at 1,701.

People wearing face masks cross a road in the rain near a subway station in Seoul, South Korea on July 13, 2022. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)

South Korea

South Korea recorded 53,698 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 26,837,840, the health authorities said Friday.

The daily caseload was down from 59,089 in the previous day, but it was higher than 49,418 tallied a week earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The latest number of infected people who were in critical condition stood at 453, up 16 from the previous day.

Fifty-five more deaths were confirmed from the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 30,278.