People wearing face masks pass by a banner reminding precautions against the coronavirus at a park in Seoul, South Korea on Jan 24, 2022. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)
TOKYO / ANKARA / SUVA / HANOI / JAKARTA / YANGON / PHNOM PENH / MUMBAI / KUALA LUMPUR / SEOUL / NEW DELHI / ISLAMABAD / WELLINGTON / ULAN BATOR / MANILA / CANBERRA – South Korea's daily number of COVID-19 cases hit a new record high amid the spread of the Omicron variant, the health authorities said Wednesday.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country reported 49,567 more cases of COVID-19 for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 1,131,239.
The daily caseload was sharply up from 36,719 in the previous day, surpassing 49,000 for the first time.
The recent resurgence was driven by infections in the Seoul metropolitan area amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which became a dominant strain here.
Of the new cases, 11,630 were Seoul residents. The number of newly infected people living in Gyeonggi province and the western port city of Incheon was 13,641 and 3,912 respectively.
The virus spread also raged in the non-metropolitan region. The number of new infections in the non-capital areas was 20,219, or 40.9 percent of the total local transmission.
Among the new cases, 165 were imported from overseas, lifting the total to 26,761.
Australia
Australia on Wednesday reported more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases before international borders set to reopen to fully vaccinated tourists within weeks after almost two years.
Nationally there were 70 deaths reported on Wednesday, including 24 in Queensland, 21 in Victoria, 20 in New South Wales, two in both Tasmania and South Australia, and one in the Australian Capital Territory, according to figures from states and territories.
According to Department of Health data, there were 3,800 cases being treated in Australian hospitals on Tuesday, including 271 in intensive care units.
The federal government on Monday announced that from Feb 21 international tourists with a valid visa who have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses will be allowed to enter Australia for the first time in nearly two years.
Some state has flagged that a booster shot could be required for tourists to enter hospitality venues in the state.
This handout photo taken and released by the Cambodia National Assembly on Oct 25, 2021 shows Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sits during a parliament session in Phnom Penh. (HANDOUT / CAMBODIA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY / AFP)
Cambodia
Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday called on Cambodians to continue caution and properly follow protective measures to avert a disaster as the daily cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 increased to more than 200 in the country.
"The number of new COVID-19 cases has been increasing every day. Today, the infected cases rose to more than 200 after falling to a single digit (in December 2021) before surging again to two digits and now triple digits," he said in an audio message.
"I would like to appeal to the people to reduce gatherings for drinking and eating, as well as for entertainment purposes in order to maintain physical distancing," he said. "Although Omicron is less severe than Alpha and Delta variants, if the number of infections continues to rise rapidly, it will lead to a disaster."
Hun Sen said most of the cases had been detected in the capital Phnom Penh, urging people to strictly comply with a guideline on three dos and three don'ts, and go for vaccines or booster doses when their turns come.
A civil authority worker sprays disinfectant inside a classroom ahead of the reopening of schools closed as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Mumbai on Jan 22, 2022. (PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP)
India
India's financial capital Mumbai will ease COVID-19 restrictions by the end of this month, the city's mayor said on Tuesday.
"There is good news for Mumbaikars. Mumbai will be unlocked by the end of this month. We have made up our minds," Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar told a news agency.
However, adding a note of caution, she urged people to avoid letting the guard down to prevent another spike in COVID-19 cases.
The city, which has so far vaccinated 96 percent of its 9.2 million eligible adult population with both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, will achieve complete vaccination shortly, a civic official said.
Earlier this month, the city's civic authority Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had eased several restrictions by opening up beaches, gardens and parks while allowing spas and salons to resume operation at 50 percent capacity.
Night curfew was lifted, and restaurants, amusement parks and swimming pools were allowed to operate at half capacity.
A worker walks past a mural as he sprays disinfectant amid fears of another wave of the coronavirus outbreak at a low income neighborhood in Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb 5, 2022. (DITA ALANGKARA / AP)
Indonesia
Indonesia on Tuesday confirmed 37,492 new COVID-19 cases, taking its tally of infections to 4,580,093, the country's health ministry said.
According to the ministry, the death toll from COVID-19 in the country rose by 83 to 144,719.
People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk along a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo on Jan 21, 2022. (EUGENE HOSHIKO / AP)
Japan
Japan's Imperial Household Agency said on Wednesday that 38-year-old Princess Yoko who has tested positive for COVID-19 is suffering from pneumonia.
Princess Yoko, the first member of the imperial family to test positive for the novel coronavirus, was taken to the University of Tokyo Hospital from a hospital within the Imperial Palace's grounds, according to the agency.
Princess Yoko complained of a sore throat and tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, the agency said.
She is the younger daughter of the late Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a cousin of former Emperor Akihito.
Meanwhile, Japan has decided to extend its COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency in Tokyo and 12 prefectures until March 6, public broadcaster NHK said on Wednesday.
The government will add one more prefecture to the list of regions facing quasi-emergency measures including restrictions on the business hours of eateries, according to NHK.
Malaysia
Malaysia reported 13,944 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Tuesday, bringing the national total to 2,939,198, according to the Health Ministry.
There are 153 new imported cases, with 13,791 being local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.
A further 13 deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 32,056.
Mongolia
Mongolia will resume in-person classes for all levels of educational institutions starting from Feb 14, the government's press office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, general educational schools in areas classified as high-risk, especially in the capital Ulan Bator had rotated classroom training and TV or online classes on a weekly basis.
Mongolia reported 1,192 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 452,882, the health ministry said Wednesday.
More than half of the latest confirmed cases were detected in rural areas, the ministry said, adding that daily COVID-19 infections is expected to increase in rural areas due to celebrations of the traditional White Moon festival or the Lunar New Year.
Meanwhile, three more COVID-19 patients died in the past day, bringing the death toll to 2,062, the ministry added.
Myanmar
Myanmar reported 1,145 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the tally of confirmed cases to 539,554, according to a release from the Ministry of Health.
It is the highest daily jump in February, the ministry's data showed.
No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the past 24 hours and the death toll in the country stands at 19,310, the release said.
A convoy of vehicles block a road near New Zealand's Parliament in Wellington on Feb 8, 2022. Hundreds of people protesting vaccine and mask mandates drove in convoy to New Zealand's capital on Tuesday and converged outside Parliament as lawmakers reconvened after a summer break. (MARK MITCHELL / NEW ZEALAND HERALD VIA AP)
New Zealand
Hundreds of people protesting vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions blocked streets outside New Zealand's parliament on Tuesday with trucks and campervans, inspired by similar demonstrations in Canada.
The "convoy for freedom" protesters arrived from all corners of New Zealand and gathered outside the parliament building in the capital Wellington, called the Beehive, ahead of the first speech for the year by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
The protesters were largely unmasked, held placards calling for "freedom" and vowed to camp outside parliament until the COVID-19 curbs are lifted. The protests, which may run for days, is inspired by the ongoing truckers blockade in the Canadian capital Ottawa against strict government measures to fight the pandemic.
Ardern did not meet the protesters, and told reporters later that the protesters did not represent the majority view.
"I think it would be wrong to in any way characterize what we've seen outside as a representation of the majority," Ardern said at a news conference.
"The majority of New Zealanders have done everything they can to keep one another safe."
In her first parliamentary speech for the year earlier in the day, Ardern told lawmakers that the COVID-19 pandemic will not end with the Omicron variant and New Zealand will have to prepare for more variants of the virus this year.
Ardern's government has enforced some of the toughest pandemic restrictions for the last two years as the government tried to keep the coronavirus out.
The policies helped keep infections and deaths low. A country of five million people, New Zealand has had about 18,000 confirmed COVID cases so far and 53 deaths.
Pakistan
Pakistan on Tuesday reported 50 deaths caused by COVID-19 after a period of four months, increasing the country's overall death toll to 29,601, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Wednesday.
Earlier, the country confirmed the death of 54 people in a single day on Oct 4, 2021, before the number of causalities and new cases started dropping.
The NCOC, a department leading the country's campaign against the pandemic, said that 4,253 cases were confirmed on Tuesday, increasing the overall tally to 1,470,161.
The number of active cases had dropped to 86,262 who are under treatment while the count of patients facing critical conditions has risen to 1,731.
Philippines
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,651 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,623,176.
The number of patients ill with the highly contagious disease dropped to 96,326 from Tuesday's 105,550 with three testing laboratories failing to submit data. The country's positivity rate slightly increased to 16.5 from 16.3 percent the previous day.
The DOH said 69 more people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country's death toll to 54,690.
A woman (center) carries a refilled gas container in the center of the capital Nuku'alofa ahead of the country's first lockdown on Feb 2, 2022, after COVID-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from the deadly Jan 15 volcanic eruption and tsunami. (MARY LYN FONUA / MATANGI TONGA / AFP)
Tonga
Tonga reported on Wednesday 20 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of active cases in the South Pacific island nation to 33.
According to Tonga's news website Matangi Tonga Online, Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said the 20 new cases are all close contacts and family members of the previous cases.
The new cases include fully-vaccinated people aged 12 years and above, and some had received their booster shots.
Meanwhile, Siale 'Akau'ola, chief executive of Tonga's Ministry of Health, on Wednesday urged Tongans to get their booster shots to slow down the spread of the virus.
Tonga, an island nation with a population of more than 100,000, has so far vaccinated 98 percent with their first dose and 88 percent of those have received their second dose. Over 2,000 people have had their booster shots.
A man wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 walks along an alley in a commercial area in Istanbul, Turkey on Jan 18, 2022. (FRANCISCO SECO / AP)
Turkey
Turkey has recorded 111,096 new COVID-19 infections in the space of 24 hours, just below the record daily high from the previous week, as well as its highest daily death toll in months, health ministry data showed on Tuesday.
In late December, daily cases stood at about 20,000 but have since surged due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus. On Friday, Turkey reported a record 111,157 infections.
Data on Thursday also showed 241 people died due to COVID-19 in the same 24-hour period, the highest daily toll since Nov 3, while Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged citizens to complete their vaccination and the elderly to exercise more caution.
Vietnam
Vietnam reported 21,909 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up some 5,100 cases from Monday, according to the Ministry of Health.
The infections, logged in 63 localities nationwide, included 21,901 locally transmitted and eight imported.
The Vietnamese capital Hanoi remained the locality with the highest number of infections on Tuesday with 2,903 cases, followed by central Nghe An province with 1,717 cases and northern Hai Duong province with 1,245 cases.
The infections brought the country's total tally to 2,380,695 with 38,521 deaths.