HONG KONG, Aug 20 (NNN-XINHUA) – Amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic in the Asia Pacific, the number of cases in the Philippines surged on Wednesday while the Australian state of Victoria reported fewest cases since July 13.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 173,774 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 4,650 new cases. The death toll also increased to 2,795 after 111 more patients succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH added.
The Philippine Presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, said, Metro Manila mayors will start implementing a “unified” evening curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time, as an added measure to limit the movement of people in the capital, epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Australian state of Victoria, the hardest-hit state by the COVID-19 pandemic, reported 216 new cases, the state’s fewest since July 13.
There had been 23,993 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in the last 24 hours is 228, according to an update from Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Nick Coatsworth.
Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced a deal to guarantee free access to a potential COVID-19 vaccine for all Australians.
India reported the biggest daily jump of 64,531 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 2,767,273, according to the latest data released by the federal health ministry. The death toll in the country also increased to 52,889, with 1,092 new deaths reported during the past 24 hours.
South Korea reported 297 more cases as of 0:00 a.m. Wednesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 16,058. The daily caseload soared in triple figures for six straight days with 103 on Friday, 166 on Saturday, 279 on Sunday, 197 on Monday, and 246 on Tuesday.
The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,902 within one day to 144,945, with the death toll adding by 69 to 6,346, the Health Ministry said.
New Zealand confirmed six new cases, with five of them in the community linked to the recent outbreak in Auckland, the country’s largest city. Among the cases, one is an imported case and the other five are community transmissions linked to the recent outbreak.
The number of confirmed cases in the Maldives crossed 6,000, while the death toll reached 24, local media reported.
Myanmar reported three more local transmission cases, taking the country’s total to 379, according to a release from the Health and Sports Ministry.– NNN-XINHUA
