Workers wearing face masks, as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, wait for transport to their job sites in Singapore on April 15, 2020. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

SEOUL / YANGON / RIYADH / MUSCAT / JERUSALEM / BAGHDAD / SINGAPORE / MALE / DAMASCUS / WELLINGTON / NEW DELHI / BANGKOK - Singapore overtook Indonesia in coronavirus infections and now has the most cases in Southeast Asia after the city-state detected hundreds more victims among low-wage foreign workers.

Authorities said an additional 596 cases were confirmed as of noon Sunday, bringing the total to 6,558 in the country. Of the 596, only 25 are Singaporeans or permanent residents, the health ministry said in a statement.

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Since late March, the Southeast Asian nation has seen a surge in local transmissions that’s largely affected foreign workers housed in tightly packed dormitories, further complicating efforts to curb the spread. The government has tightened entry rules, mandated masks, poured billions of dollars into the economy and imposed a weeks-long partial lockdown to contain the outbreak.

With the new tally, Singapore moved ahead of Indonesia, which now has 6,248 cases, and the Philippines with 6,087 cases. The two countries are expected to release their latest figures later on Sunday.

India

India's federal health ministry said on Sunday morning that the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 507 and the total number of confirmed cases in the country reached 15,712.

This is a jump of 19 deaths and an increase of 920 cases since Saturday evening, when the number of COVID-19 cases was 14,792 and the death toll 488.

According to ministry officials, 2,231 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

"The number of active cases in the country right now is 12,974," read the information.

Israel

The number of death cases in Israel from coronavirus rose to 164 after 13 patients died on Saturday, the state's Ministry of Health said.

This is the highest number of daily deaths from coronavirus in Israel so far, together with April 9 and April 13, when 13 daily deaths were also recorded.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Israel has reached 13,265, with 283 new patients tested positive on Saturday.

The number of serious condition patients decreased from 168 to 164, while the number of ventilated patients decreased from 122 to 113.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry on Saturday said that a total of 1,513 COVID-19 cases were confirmed and 82 deaths were recorded in the country.

Of the 31 new cases confirmed during the past 24 hours, seven were detected in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 15 in Basra, seven in Najaf, and one in each of Diwaniyah and Wasit, the ministry said in a statement.

So far, 82 have died from the disease while 953 recovered, according to the statement.

Maldives

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maldives rose to 34 on Saturday as health authorities reported six new cases in the densely populated capital Male, local media reported

According to the Ministry of Health, six new COVID-19 cases were detected in capital Male on Saturday, bringing the city's total number of cases up to 14.

"We urge the public to stay vigilant," the country's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said in a tweet.

Myanmar

The total number of COVID-19 infections has risen to 107 in Myanmar, with 9 more confirmed cases reported on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Of the newly confirmed cases, all patients are from Yangon region with no travel history in the past 14 days but were in close contact with previously confirmed patients.

Myanmar has reported five deaths of COVID-19 as of Saturday since the highly infectious disease was first detected in the country on March 23.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported nine new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday as the government is considering whether to lift the lockdown next week.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Ashley Bloomfield, director-general of Health from New Zealand Ministry of Health, updated the numbers on Sunday afternoon, with four new confirmed and five new probable cases of COVID-19 overnight.

The total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 1,431. Eighteen people are currently being treated in hospitals, including three people in ICU.

Oman

The Omani Ministry of Health announced on Saturday 111 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,180.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, out of the 111 new cases, there are 33 Omanis and 78 non-Omanis, and all the new cases are related to community contact.

The statement reported that the total number of the recoveries in the country are 176, and the total number of deaths are six.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia registered on Saturday 1,132 new coronavirus cases, and 79 percent of them are expatriates, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Health Mohammed Al-Abdulali told the daily press brief that Mecca tops the affected cities with 315 cases, followed by Jeddah, 236, Riyadh, 225, Madinah, 186, and Dammam, 88.

The total infections in the country is 8,274 with 6,853 active cases undergoing medical treatment. There are 78 cases in critical conditions and the others are stable.

South Korea

People wearing protective masks walk through the Garosu-gil neighborhood of the Gangnam district in Seoul on April 18, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

South Korea posted the fewest number of new coronavirus cases since an outbreak at a religious sect in late February spiked daily infections to nearly 1,000 and set off a massive testing and tracing regime credited with curbing the virus’s spread.

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it confirmed eight new cases in a 24 hour period, the lowest since Feb 20 when the number of infections began rising exponentially after a parishioner of the 212,000-member Shincheongji church was confirmed with the virus. Prior to what has been labeled “patient no. 31,” South Korea had been averaging about three new cases a day.

CDC reported two more deaths in the recent 24 hour period, raising the total to 234. The number of confirmed cases rose to 10,661 while 8,042 virus patients have been discharged.

Syria

As many as 2,115 Syrians have attended medical isolation for suspected COVID-19 cases since February, the health ministry said in a statement Saturday.

A total of 1,898 of them were released after their tests came negative, while 217 are still being checked in isolation centers in the country, according to the statement.

The ministry said that up till Saturday, 38 people tested positive for COVID-19, five of whom had recovered while two had died.

Thailand

Thailand on Sunday reported 32 new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 2,765, a senior official said.

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Of the new cases, 28 were in the capital, Bangkok, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.

No new fatalities were reported. Thailand has had 47 deaths from the coronavirus.