HONG KONG, July 16 (NNN-XINHUA) – COVID-19 infections continued to spread in Asia-Pacific countries, as India reported the highest single-day spike in the number of fresh cases on Wednesday, and Japan’s Tokyo raised its warning level to the highest level of four.
India’s health ministry reported 582 new deaths and 29,429 more COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 24,309 and total cases to 936,181.
It is the highest single-day spike in the number of fresh cases in the country so far.
Japan’s Tokyo metropolitan government raised its warning level from three to the highest level of four, stating, the virus continues to spread.
Tokyo confirmed 165 new cases, remaining below 200 for the third straight day, although the number of daily cases topped 100 since July 2, with the latest daily infection tally marking the seventh straight day of three digit cases.
Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, said the current situation is quite grave.
Tokyo witnessed a rise in group infections at downtown nighttime entertainment establishments, and other clusters of infections at a theatre, welfare centres, as well as, nurseries.
Bangladesh reported over 3,500 new cases, bringing the total in the country to over 193,000.
Senior Health Ministry official, Nasima Sultana, said, “3,533 new COVID-19 positive cases and 33 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.”
“The number of confirmed infections in the country totalled 193,590, while fatalities stood at 2,457,” she said, adding, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.27 percent.
The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,522 within one day to 80,094, with the death toll adding by 87 to 3,797, Achmad Yurianto, a Health Ministry official, said at a press conference.
According to the official, 1,414 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 39,050.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 58,850 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,392 new cases.
The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 20,976 after 517 more patients survived the disease.
The death toll increased to 1,614 after 11 more patients died, the DOH said.
Afghanistan reported 254 new cases within the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 34,994 cases, the country’s Ministry of Public Health confirmed.
A total of 32 patients succumbed to the virus, taking the number of deaths to 1,094, since the outbreak of the pandemic in Feb.
The number of people recovered stands at 22,456, after 1,002 patients recovered during the period.
South Korea reported 39 more cases compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 13,551.
The daily caseload stayed below 40 for two straight days, due to the continued small cluster infections and imported cases.
No more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 289. The total fatality rate stood at 2.13 percent.
A Qatar Airways flight, carrying 107 foreigners and 27 Maldivians arrived at the Velana International Airport in the Maldives, marking the first arrival of tourists since the country closed its borders on Mar 27.
According to a 28-page guideline, published by the Ministry of Tourism, incoming tourists will be allowed to stay at facilities located on uninhabited islands. Facilities on inhabited islands are scheduled to be re-opened on Aug 1.– NNN-XINHUA
