A health worker inoculates a student with a dose of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus at his school in Karachi on Jan 24, 2022. (ASIF HASSAN / AFP)
NEW DELHI / WELLINGTON / SINGAPORE / KUALA LUMPUR / SEOUL / KARACHI – Pakistan’s aviation regulator has made masks mandatory on domestic flights given a gradual rise in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country, it said a statement.
The order comes a day after Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, reported that its COVID-19 positivity ratio, or the rate of positive cases out of all tests conducted, rose to 21 percent compared with a national rate of 2.8 percent.
"With immediate effect, mask wearing will be mandatory onboard domestic flights,” the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said in the statement late on Sunday.
Pakistan has had very few COVID-19 cases over recent months and had done away with almost all precautions.
But over the past 24 hours, the national COVID-19 positivity ratio had risen to 2.85 percent with 382 positive cases and two deaths, according to data released on Monday by the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.
A month ago, the positivity ratio was 0.54 percent with 79 positive cases and no deaths. According to the NIH, 85 percent of eligible Pakistanis have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Pakistan disbanded the National Command and Operations Center, which was overseeing the COVID-19 response, on March 31 as infections fell to the lowest since the outbreak began in 2020.
A health worker inoculates a teenage boy with a dose of the Covaxin vaccine against the COVID-19 coronavirus at a vaccination center in Mumbai on June 9, 2022. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)
India
A total of 17,073 new COVID-19 cases were recorded during the past 24 hours in India, taking the total tally to 43,407,046, data released by the Health Ministry showed on Monday.
The daily positivity rate in India stood at 5.62 percent, while the weekly positivity rate was 3.39 percent, according to India's Health Ministry
Besides, as many as 21 deaths due to COVID-19 pandemic since Sunday morning took the country's total death toll to 525,020.
The daily positivity rate in India stood at 5.62 percent, while the weekly positivity rate was 3.39 percent, according to the ministry.
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Presently, there are still 94,420 active COVID-19 cases in the country with an increase of 1,844 active cases during the past 24 hours.
So far, 42,787,606 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals, of whom 15,208 were discharged during the past 24 hours in India.
Malaysia
Malaysia reported 2,003 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Sunday, bringing the national total to 4,556,664, according to the health ministry.
There are three new imported cases, with 2,000 cases being local transmissions, data released by the ministry showed.
One more death has been reported, taking the death toll to 35,746.
People wait to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Vodafone Events Center, south of Auckland, New Zealand, on July 31, 2021. (ZHAO GANG / XINHUA)
New Zealand
New Zealand reported 5,549 community cases of COVID-19 and 11 more deaths on Monday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Among the new community infections, 1,796 cases were reported in the largest city Auckland, the ministry said.
In addition, 96 new cases of COVID-19 were detected at the New Zealand border.
Currently, 383 COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals, including six in intensive care units or high dependency units.
New Zealand has reported 1,307,044 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020.
Moreover, the government has widened access to free flu vaccines with an extra 800,000 New Zealanders eligible from July 1. Children aged 3-12 years and people with serious mental health or addiction needs are now eligible for free flu dose.
The move aims to prevent increasing numbers to hospital so as to alleviate the pressure of the country's medical system brought by COVID-19 and winter illnesses, according to Health Minister Andrew Little.
From Tuesday the second COVID-19 booster are available for older New Zealanders and other vulnerable groups six months after the first booster, Little said.
A man holds flowers outside a shop selling decorative items ahead of the Lunar New Year in the Chinatown area of Singapore on Jan 25, 2021. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 5,116 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 1,408,358.
Of the new cases, 4,697 were local transmissions and 419 were imported cases. Among the local cases, 457 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 4,240 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
A total of 377 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 11 cases in intensive care units.
No new deaths were reported due to COVID-19, leaving the death toll unchanged at 1,408, the ministry said.
A passenger wearing protective clothing against the COVID-19 coronavirus uses a self check-in machine at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul, March 17, 2020. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP)
South Korea
South Korea reported 3,429 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 18,329,448, the health authorities said Monday.
The daily caseload was down from 6,246 the previous day, hovering below 10,000 for the 18th consecutive day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.