A health worker (right) walks past people queueing up for coronavirus swab tests outside a gymnasium in Manila on Jan 7, 2022. (STR / AFP)
NEW DELHI / JAKARTA / SINGAPORE / KUWAIT CITY / JERUSALEM / BEIRUT / ANKARA / SUVA / SYDNEY / SEOUL / WELLINGTON / TOKYO / MANILA / COLOMBO – The Philippines will allow entry of fully vaccinated foreigners from countries and regions with visa-free entry to the Philippines starting Feb 10, authorities said on Friday.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said foreigners traveling for business and tourism purposes must present vaccination certificates and passports valid for at least six months at the time of arrival. People aged under 18 are exempted from this measure, he added.
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said the decision to permit "leisure travelers" to visit the country "will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses shut down by the pandemic."
By reopening the country to international tourists, Puyat hoped that the Philippines would keep up with its Southeast Asian neighbors that have already had their borders opened.
"We are also aware that there is no room for complacency given the unpredictability of the virus. We will closely monitor the situation and ensure that health and safety protocols are strictly implemented in all tourism establishments," Puyat said.
Meanwhile, the Philippines will temporarily suspend the COVID-19 risk classification for fully vaccinated travelers starting Feb 1.
All travelers entering the country must present a negative RT-PCR test taken 48 hours before departure. The travelers are no longer required to undergo facility-based quarantine but monitor themselves at home for seven days.
The Philippines' Department of Health reported 18,638 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, raising the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,511,491.
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)
Australia
Australia suffered its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday with nearly 100 deaths, but several large states said they expect hospital admissions to fall amid hopes that the latest wave of infections would begin to subside.
But steady hospitalization rates in recent days have raised hopes that worst could be over.
"Generally the situation is stable … and we're expecting further falls (in hospital cases)," Queensland state Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said during a media briefing, as hospital cases in the state fell for the third straight day to 818.
But he warned the state's 5 million residents that the pandemic was far from over. "So don't go out and celebrate yet but the news at this stage is good," he said.
Hospitalizations have remained steady at around 5,000 for the last few days, peaking at just under 5,400 on Tuesday.
A total of 98 deaths were registered in Australia by late afternoon on Friday, exceeding the previous pandemic high of 87 two days ago. Just over 40,000 new infections were reported, the lowest daily tally in nearly a month.
That takes the 25 million population country's total COVID-19 deaths to 3,500 since the pandemic began, far lower than numbers seen in many comparable countries.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the country's drug regulator, on Friday expanded the eligibility for boosters to 16- and 17-year-olds.
A policeman stands guard at the deserted wholesale Sadar Bazar market during a weekend lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in New Delhi, India on Jan 15, 2022. (ALTAF QADRI / AP)
India
India's capital Delhi lifted a weekend curfew and allowed restaurants and marketplaces to reopen on Friday, following a sharp drop in new infections of COVID-19.
Under new orders, however, the city will remain under night time curfew, and schools will be closed, Delhi's lieutenant governor said. Restaurants, bars and cinemas will be allowed to operate with up to 50% capacity and the number of people at weddings will be restricted to 200.
"In view of the decline in positive cases, it was decided to gradually ease restrictions while ensuring adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour," Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, who represents the federal government, said.
The number of new cases in Delhi fell to 4,291 on Jan 27 from a peak of 28,867 on Jan 13. More than 85 percent of COVID-19 beds across the city's hospitals were unoccupied, government data showed.
"The hospitalization is far, far lower compared to what we saw in the previous wave," said Dr. Desh Deepak, a senior physician with state-run Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi.
Last week, authorities eased some curbs, allowing private offices to be partially staffed but advised people to work from home as much as possible.
India reported 251,209 new COVID-19 infections over the last 24 hours, taking the overall tally to 40.62 million, the health ministry said. Deaths increased by 627 and total fatalities were 492,327.
A health worker takes the body temperature of an elderly man before a booster shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a third dose vaccination campaign at South Tangerang Regional General Hospital in Tangerang, Indonesia on Jan 24, 2022. (TATAN SYUFLANA / AP)
Indonesia
Indonesia on Thursday confirmed 8,077 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise since Sept 2, 2021, amid the spread of the Omicron variant in the country.
With the increase, the country's tally of infections rose to 4,309,270, the country's Health Ministry said.
At a press conference on Thursday, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin reported that the total number of confirmed Omicron cases in the Southeast Asian country has increased to 1,988.
To date, the number of patients who have died due to the coronavirus variant has risen to three, he said.
The death toll from COVID-19 in Indonesia in the past 24 hours rose by seven to 144,261, while 1,643 more people recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 4,129,305.
A man gets a PCR coronavirus test at a private nursing home in Netanya, Israel on Jan 5, 2022. (ARIEL SCHALIT / AP)
Israel
Israeli Minister of Communications Yoaz Hendel announced on Thursday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
He is the seventh Israeli minister infected with the virus after ministers of defense, finance, foreign affairs, public security, culture and sports, and construction and housing.
Meanwhile, Israel's health ministry reported 67,723 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 2,643,026.
Kuwait
Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah has tested positive for COVID-19, Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.
The minister will undergo home isolation in line with relevant health guidelines and continue his official duties remotely, the ministry said in a statement.
Kuwait reported on Thursday 6,515 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of infections to 521,341.
Lebanon
Lebanon on Thursday registered 9,199 new COVID-19 infections, the highest number of daily cases since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Ministry reported.
The total number of infections reached 891,982, while the death toll from the virus went up by 16 to 9,544.
New Zealand
New Zealand reported 105 new COVID-19 cases in the community on Friday, including 15 infections with the Omicron variant of the virus, bringing the total tally in the country's current community outbreak to 11,713.
The newly reported community cases of COVID-19 included confirmed infections with the Omicron variant and those linked to a previously reported Omicron case, according to the Ministry of Health.
Samoa
Samoa downgraded the COVID-19 alert level from Level 3 to Level 2 on Friday as no community transmissions were detected in the Pacific island nation.
According to the Samoa Observer newspaper, Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said the downgrading of COVID-19 alert level was for the next two weeks and this change followed test results for those in managed isolation confirming there was no community transmission in the island nation.
In Samoa, the COVID-19 alert level system has four levels with Level 4 being the highest.
She said the number of infections in Samoa was 27 with those in isolation being asymptomatic. Of the 27 confirmed cases, most were passengers from a recent Australian flight to Samoa.
Last Saturday, the prime minister announced a 48-hour nationwide lockdown in Samoa. The lockdown was extended on Monday and Wednesday to 6 pm local time Friday.
People wearing protective face masks walk along the Orchard Road shopping area in Singapore on Nov 28, 2021. (ANNABELLE LIANG / AP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 5,469 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total tally to 333,071.
Of the new cases, 1,898 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 3,571 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 1,537 were local transmissions and 361 were imported cases.
South Korea
South Korea's daily number of COVID-19 cases hit a fresh record high amid the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus, the health authorities said on Friday.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country reported 16,096 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 793,582.
The daily caseload was up from 14,515 in the previous day, continuing to break previous records for four days in a row.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said on Friday it will kick off a booster-vaccine week across the nation from Saturday to coincide with the completion of the first year of the vaccination drive in the country.
The ministry said the promotional booster vaccination drive will be conducted at all hospitals in the country and the Medical Officer of Health offices for a period of seven days.
Sri Lanka is presently administering the Pfizer vaccine as the booster doses to those above the age of 20 and according to official figures, an estimated 5 million people have been administered the doses so far.
Sri Lanka officially commenced its nationwide vaccination drive on Jan 29, 2021, and more than 51 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been brought into the country, including China's Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V.
Turkey
Turkey's Health Ministry confirmed 82,180 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily figure on record, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 11,250,107.
The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 174 to 86,661, while 83,225 more people recovered in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
Photo taken on Jan 22, 2020 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. (LIU QU/XINHUA)
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization said it is looking into allegations a regional director in Asia bullied staff, used racist language and leaked sensitive vaccine data to Japan, accusations the official denies.
WHO said in a statement to Reuters on Thursday it "is aware of the allegations and is taking all appropriate steps to follow up on the matter," following a report on the complaints by the Associated Press.
In a statement provided by the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, the Manila-based director of the Western Pacific region, acknowledged being "hard on staff" but rejected charges of racism or that he shared confidential information with Japan. He wrote that he was considering how to improve his management style and the work environment.
The AP reported on Thursday the abuse charges were outlined in an internal complaint filed in October and in an email last week, sent by "concerned WHO staff" to its senior leadership.
Kasai's authoritarian style has led to the departure of more than 55 key staff in the past year and a half, and most of them have not been replaced, the report quoted unidentified WHO staff as saying in the email.
World Health Organization Regional Director for Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai addresses the media at the start of the five-day annual session Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in Manila, Philippines. (BULLIT MARQUEZ / FILE / AP)
Kasai, a physician from Japan who has worked for more than 15 years at the WHO, was also accused of sharing confidential data to the Japanese government to help it gain diplomatic favour from COVID-19 vaccine donations to neighbours.
The AP said the complaint and email accused Kasai of making "racist and derogatory remarks to staff of certain nationalities" and creating a "toxic atmosphere" with "a culture of systemic bullying and public ridiculing."
The WHO statement quoted Kasai as saying, "Regarding the accusation of racism towards particular cultures or countries: this I reject.
"It is true that I have been hard on staff, but I reject the suggestion that I have targeted staff of any particular nationality. Racism goes against all of the principles and values I hold dear as a person and an international civil servant, and have throughout my life and career."