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)
SEOUL / JAKARTA / YANGON / SINGAPORE / HANOI / NEW DELHI / WELLINGTON / ISTANBUL / MANILA / SUVA – The World Bank said on Thursday that its board had approved $500 million in additional financing to support Turkey in its efforts to fight against COVID-19.
The funds, which will have a maturity of 10.5 years with a five-year grace period, will be used to ensure access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in Turkey, the bank said.
An additional $250 million will be provided as co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), the bank said, adding that the project aims to help meet the cost vaccine purchases.
"This project will allow the Government to refocus its financial capacities on activities and reforms that may have been adversely affected during the pandemic," Task Leader Nadwa Rafeh said in the press release.
The World Bank had previously approved $100 million in funds for Turkey in April 2020.
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's state media on Friday said about 100,460 more people showed fever symptoms as of 6 pm on Thursday, and reported one new death amid the country's first confirmed coronavirus outbreak.
India
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 43,147,530 on Friday, as 2,710 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 14 deaths from the pandemic registered since Thursday morning took the total death toll to 524,539.
There are still 15,814 active COVID-19 cases in the country with an increase of 400 active cases during the past 24 hours.
Fiji
Fiji has reported 43 more COVID-19 cases in recent days.
Of the 43 new cases reported since Tuesday, 24 were recorded in the last 24 hours, according to reports from the Fijivillage news website on Friday.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Fiji has surpassed 64,000 since March 2020 when the island nation reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case.
Indonesia
Indonesia has reported 246 new COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, health authorities said.
The total number of COVID-19 infections in the country rose to 6.05 million, and 156,556 deaths were reported due to the viral disease. There are 3,011 active cases in the archipelagic country.
The government, which aims to fully vaccinate 208.26 million people in the country, has administered over 412 million doses.
Health workers give a first dose of COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine to a woman, part of the 65 years and older tier, at a school being used as a vaccination site in Yangon on Feb 5, 2021. (STR / AFP)
Myanmar
The total number of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar rose to 613,260 on Thursday after four new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, according to the ministry of health.
The ministry said health authorities tested 6,624 people for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and the daily positivity rate was 0.06 percent.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the country remained unchanged at 19,434 as no new deaths were confirmed in the past 24 hours, the ministry's figures showed.
New Zealand
New Zealanders who are at high risk of getting very sick from a COVID-19 infection will soon be eligible to receive a second booster, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Friday.
A second booster dose may be beneficial for those most at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and with a gap of six months from their previous booster. The vast majority of these people become eligible from July, according to the Ministry of Health.
"A booster is important for our most vulnerable as we move into the winter peak," said a ministry statement, adding that several hundred thousand people will be eligible, which includes the older population, residents of aged care facilities and disability care facilities aged 16 years and over, and severely immunocompromised people.
New Zealand recorded 6,862 new community cases of COVID-19 and 25 more deaths, the ministry said on Friday.
Philippines
The Philippines will no longer require a pre-departure COVID-19 test from May 30 for inbound travelers who have got a booster jab as part of the government's measures to revive the pandemic-hit economy.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the new rule to ease further the travel requirements is to encourage more tourists to visit the country and "make it more convenient for tourists."
"All types of vaccination certificates, regardless of country of origin, will also be accepted," she said.
"The Department of Tourism sees this development as a win for the local tourism industry as welcoming more tourists in the country will yield more revenues for our small businesses and restore more jobs and livelihoods in the sector," she added.
Puyat said travel insurance "is no longer required but still highly encouraged for arriving passengers."
She noted over 500,000 foreign tourists visited the country from Feb 10 when the government allowed foreign travelers to enter. The United States, South Korea and Canada are among the top foreign tourist markets during this period.
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 3,936 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total tally to 1,286,216.
Of the new cases, 295 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 3,641 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the ministry of health.
Two more patients have died from complications due to COVID-19 infection, bringing the death toll to 1,382, 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 1,275 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, down by 69 from Wednesday, according to its Ministry of Health.
All the new infections were domestically transmitted in 47 provinces and cities.
The Vietnamese capital Hanoi was the pandemic hotspot with 309 new cases recorded on Thursday, followed by the northern Vinh Phuc province with 92 and the central Nghe An province with 83.
The infections brought the total tally to 10,714,008 with 43,078 deaths.