The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific countries on Thursday:
BANGKOK — Thailand reported a new daily record of 75 deaths from COVID-19, taking the death toll to 2,462 since the pandemic began, with the country mulling new restrictive measures to stem the fast spread of the deadly virus.
The Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), the country’s COVID-19 task force, reported 7,058 new cases, the second highest daily case tally, raising the total number of infections to 308,230.
TOKYO — The Japanese government decided to put capital Tokyo under the fourth state of emergency over COVID-19, covering the duration of the Olympics, in an effort to curb a recent surge in infections.
The emergency state will be effective from Monday to Aug. 22, which may cause the Summer Olympic Games to be held without spectators at venues in the capital.
KABUL — Afghanistan’s Public Health Ministry reported 1,226 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 131,586.
The pandemic has so far claimed 5,561 lives in Afghanistan since February last year, including 84 deaths in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.
CANBERRA/SYDNEY — Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared that Sydney is at a “critical” point in its coronavirus lockdown.
Morrison met with the National Security Committee of Cabinet to discuss the outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW).
The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) urged its residents to reduce unessential activities as the daily increase of COVID-19 cases in the state capital of Sydney rose to a new high despite an obvious drop in test numbers.
NSW Health recorded 38 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
SEOUL — South Korea reported its highest-ever daily COVID-19 cases, leading the health authorities to officially announce that the country entered the fourth wave of the pandemic.
In the latest tally, 1,275 more cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the country for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 164,028, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
MANILA — The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported 5,484 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,455,585.
The death toll climbed to 25,650 after 191 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan on Wednesday reported 1,683 new COVID-19 cases, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said.
The NCOC said the country’s number of overall cases had risen to 967,633, including 910,609 recovered patients.
WELLINGTON — New Zealand reported a new COVID-19 case in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities and no cases of COVID-19 in the community.
NEW DELHI — India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 30,709,557, as 45,892 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, according to the federal health ministry’s latest data.
Besides, 817 deaths due to the pandemic since Wednesday morning took the total death toll to 405,028.
