Health workers wearing protective clothing arrive to screen people for COVID-19 symptoms at a slum in Mumbai, India, July 10, 2020. (RAFIQ MAQBOOL / AP)

NEW DELHI / UNITED NATIONS / KABUL / SYDNEY / JAKARTA / JERUSALEM /  BAGHDAD / TOKYO / BEIRUT / KUALA LUMPUR / MUSCAT / MANILA / RIYADH / SINGAPORE / SEOUL / COLOMBO / ANKARA / DUBAI / ADEN - The total number of COVID-19 cases crossed the 800,000-mark in India on Saturday, reaching 820,916, as the total number of deaths rose to 22,123, according to data released by the federal health ministry.

Turkey's COVID-19 cases increased by 1,003 on Friday, while the total cases climbed to 210,965

According to the ministry data, 519 new deaths due to COVID-19 and fresh 27,114 positive cases were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 22,123 and total cases to 820,916.

This is said to be the highest single-day spike in terms of new COVID-19 cases in the country so far.

According to ministry officials, 515,386 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement so far.

"The number of active cases in the country right now is 283,407," according to the officials.

The country has entered Unlock 2.0 phase, though restrictions remain in full force inside the COVID-19 containment zones.

People gesture to each other as they walk outside public housing towers that are a hotspot for COVID-19 in Melbourne, July 10, 2020. (DANIEL POCKETT / AAP IMAGE VIA AP)

Afghanistan

Afghanistan on Saturday reported 172 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total to 34,366, the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

Within the past 24 hours, 395 tests were conducted, and 172 were positive COVID-19 cases in seven provinces of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

Up to 994 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in February, an increase of 23 within the past 24 hours.

Out of the total infected people, 21,135 have recovered, including 253 who showed improvement and were discharged from hospitals since early Friday.

Laboratories across Afghanistan have completed 79,354 tests since February. 

Australia

Australia's second most-populous state on Saturday reported one of its highest daily increases in new coronavirus infections and warned the numbers would get worse before they got better as it began its first weekend under a six-week lockdown.

Victoria state recorded 216 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, down from a record 288 cases the previous day but still one of the biggest daily increases of any part of the country since the pandemic arrived.

The state put its capital city, Melbourne, into lockdown this week amid concern that community transmission was causing a second wave of the virus. The authorities had previously attributed most new cases to people returning from overseas.

There were 100 separate outbreaks in Victoria, the state's chief health officer, Brett Sutton, told the news conference.

Australia has avoided the high COVID-19 casualty numbers of other countries after closing its borders and going into nationwide lockdown in March. The country has recorded about 9,200 infections and 107 deaths, including the death of a man in his 90s in Victoria overnight, Andrews said.

Neighbouring New South Wales, the most-populous state, reported just seven new cases as of late Friday, including a man who had visited a Sydney pub that has been linked to two other infections.

Indonesia

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,671 within one day to 74,018, with the death toll adding by 66 to 3,535, Achmad Yurianto, a Health Ministry official, said at a press conference here on Saturday.

According to him, 1,190 more people had been discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 34,719.

Within the past 24 hours, seven provinces recorded high numbers of cases, while no more positive cases were found in six provinces, Yurianto said.

Yurianto called on the public to obey the implemented health protocols  to avoid more COVID-19 infections. 

Palestinian Muslim worshippers walk with their praying mats past members of the Israeli security forces in Jerusalem's Old City amid the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, on July 10, 2020. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

Israel 

The number of coronavirus cases in Israel rose to 36,266 on Friday, with 1,441 new daily cases, the state's Ministry of Health said.

This is the second highest daily figure since the outbreak of the pandemic in Israel in late February.

The number of death cases increased from 348 to 351, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 122 to 130, out of 465 patients currently hospitalized.

The number of recoveries rose to 18,613, with 161 new recoveries, while the number of active cases reached a record high of 17,302.

ALSO READ: Australia restricts number of citizens returning as virus surges

A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle along the Al-Sadriya Market in the Iraqi capital Baghdad amid the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis on July 9, 2020. (SABAH ARAR / AFP)

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday recorded 2,848 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, bringing the total nationwide infections to 72,460.

The ministry in a statement confirmed 78 more deaths, raising the country's death toll from the infectious virus to 2,960.

It also said that 1,878 people recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 41,380.

The new cases were recorded after 12,054 testing kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, and a total of 661,090 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the ministry's statement.

Japan

The Japanese capital of Tokyo reported 206 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the third straight day that new cases have topped 200, said the Tokyo metropolitan government.

The latest daily figure is slightly down from the record of 243 set a day earlier, when the government relaxed its guidelines for holding large sporting and other events, despite rising concerns over a second wave of infections.

The average daily increase of newly confirmed cases in Tokyo over the past seven days stood at 152.4, according to the metropolitan government. As of Friday, 487 people were hospitalized, including five with severe symptoms.

Since a nationwide state of emergency was completely lifted on May 25, the capital of 14 million people has seen an upward trend in new infections.

The metropolitan government has said that downtown entertainment districts in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro have become hotbeds for the virus' latest resurgence.

Tokyo has now confirmed a cumulative total of 7,721 COVID-19 cases, the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures and accounting for more than one third of the country's total cases. 

Lebanon

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Friday by 71 cases to 2,082 while the death toll remained 36, the National News Agency reported. 

Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan is following up on equipping public hospitals with a fund provided by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Islamic Development Bank. 

The minister said a day earlier that the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections on a daily basis is caused by a lack of proper measures adopted for arrivals to Lebanon from foreign countries.

Malaysia 

Malaysia reported another eight new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national total to 8,704, the Health Ministry said on Saturday,

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement that four of the new infections are imported and the other four are local transmissions.

Another four cases had been released, bringing the total cured and discharged to 8,515 or 97.8 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 68 active cases, three are being held in intensive care and two of those are in need of assisted breathing.

No new deaths had been reported, leaving the total deaths at 121.

Oman

The Omani health ministry announced on Friday 1,889 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 53,614.

The new cases included 1,268 Omanis and 621 non-Omanis, the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, eight new fatalities were reported, bringing the death toll to 244, while the tally of recovered cases rose by 1,204 to 34,225, according to the ministry statement.

With 4,574 tests for COVID-19 carried out in the past 24 hours, the overall number of tests in Oman has increased to 231,211, the statement noted.

Philippines

The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday reported 12 new coronavirus deaths and 1,387 additional infections.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total deaths have increased to 1,372 while confirmed cases have reached 54,222. The Philippines has reported record daily high infection numbers on three of the past eight days.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases rose on Friday to 226,486 with the registration of 3,159 new infections.

Of the total cases, there are 61,309 active cases, including 2,220 individuals who are receiving treatment at the intensive care facilities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The recoveries increased to 163,026 with the registration of 1,930 new recovered cases.

The death toll reached 2,151 with the recording of 51 fatalities.

The kingdom conducted 54,472 coronavirus tests in the last 24 hours, bringing the total tests to 2,179,808.

A presiding officer (left) checks voters' identity cards as they enter a school hall, temporarily used as a polling station, to cast their ballots during the general election in Singapore on July 10, 2020. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore 

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 191 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 45,614.

Of the new cases, one is imported case, 16 are community cases and the rest are linked with the dormitories of foreign workers.

On Friday, 135 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 41,780 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said.

There are currently 203 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and only one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Furthermore, 3,604 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.  

South Korea

South Korea reported 35 more COVID-19 cases as of Saturday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 13,373.

The daily caseload fell below 40 in 15 days, but it grew in double figures amid the continued small cluster infections and imported cases.

Of the new cases, 15 were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 1,806. It continued to increase in double digits for 16 straight days.

Small cluster infections were found linked to religious gatherings and door-to-door sales businesses.

No more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 288. The total fatality rate stood at 2.15 percent.

A total of 79 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 12,144. The total recovery rate was 90.8 percent.

Since Jan 3, the country has tested more than 1.39 million people, among whom 1,360,618 tested negative for the virus and 22,950 are being checked.  

Sri Lanka

The number of COVID-19 patients rose to 2,450 in Sri Lanka on Friday after the country recorded its highest ever count with 296 patients testing positive in a single day, the government information department said.

According to a department's statement, out of the total detected on Friday, 283 patients were detected from a Drug Rehabilitation Center in Kandakadu, north central Sri Lanka, which the Health Ministry said had transformed into a cluster. The remaining patients were those who had been repatriated from overseas recently.

The Health Ministry said that within the past two days 339 patients had tested positive for the COVID-19 from the Kandakadu Drug Rehabilitation Center out of an estimated 600 inmates warded there. More PCR tests will be conducted on Saturday, the ministry said.

According to official figures, out of the 2,450 patients detected in Sri Lanka to date since the first patient was detected in March, 1,980 patients had been successfully treated and discharged. Eleven deaths have been reported from the virus.

Syria

The first COVID-19 has been confirmed in northwest Syria, a UN spokesman said on Friday of the war-weary area crowded with 2.7 million displaced persons.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported the patient was confirmed with the disease on Monday, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The patient, who was not identified, has been in isolation at the Bab al-Hawa hospital in northern Idlib Governorate since showing symptoms on July 5, OCHA said. Contact tracing was activated following test results to find additional possible patients.

"While cases across Syria remain relatively low, the overall risk remains very high especially in areas such as the northwest where there are large displaced populations," Dujarric said.

The OCHA reported last month that of the 4.1 million people in northwest Syria, 2.8 million people were in need of relief and 2.7 million were internally displaced.

A tuk tuk driver (right) and shop owner (left) unload supplies to a market food stall in Bangkok on July 10, 2020. (ROMEO GACAD / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand is ramping up domestic production of COVID-19 test kits to avoid a potential shortage, as it prepares for a possible second wave of infections after most businesses and services reopened.

While no new cases have been detected from local transmission for more than six weeks, some experts have attributed this feat to low testing rates -- only 600,000 samples have been analyzed in a country with 69 million people. Thailand’s official infection count is about 3,200 cases, with 58 virus-related fatalities.

Siam Bioscience Co has distributed 100,000 kits to the local government since early April.

Siam Bioscience is owned by the Crown Property Bureau, a quasi-government investment and asset management agency. The company’s produces “polymerase chain reaction test kits” at a third the cost of imported versions, Songpon said. The kits arebased on a design from the Department of Medical Sciences, which buys the tests.

Thailand’s strategy to ramp up production mirrors its home-grown vaccine-development plan. Both reflect concern that a global tug-of-war over supply of resources would put Thais at risk. India, for example, faces a shortage of testing kits as it mostly relies on imports.

Thai health officials have focused on high-risk groups, noting that current positivity-rates of less than 1 percent, along with sharp drops in cases of influenza and pneumonia, provide evidence that testing has been sufficient and that the outbreak may be under control.

READ MORE: Virus: Thailand expects to delay plans for 'travel bubble'

People, some wearing face masks, pray outside the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul on July 10, 2020. (OZAN KOSE / AFP)

Turkey

Turkey's COVID-19 cases increased by 1,003 on Friday, while the total cases climbed to 210,965, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

"The decrease in the number of newly diagnosed patients has continued since June 25," the minister tweeted.

Meanwhile, 23 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,323, Koca said.

Turkish health professionals conducted 48,787 tests in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall number of tests to 3,881,410, he said.

A total of 1,493 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 191,883 in Turkey since the outbreak, Koca said, noting that 1,182 patients are being treated in the intensive care units and 402 are intubated.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday announced 473 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 54,050.

The UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a statement the new cases, of many nationalities, are in a stable condition and receiving medical treatment.

And 399 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 43,969, according to the ministry.

It also confirmed two more deaths, pushing the country's death toll to 330.

The UAE was the first among the Gulf countries to report COVID-19 cases.

It has been showing solidarity with China in fight against the novel coronavirus. On Feb. 2 and March 12, the iconic landmarks in the UAE, including Burj Khalifa in Dubai, were lit up twice in the colors of China's national flag to show solidarity.

In late April, the Chinese consulate general in Dubai organized an online conference for Chinese doctors and medical experts to share experience in preventing and treating the coronavirus with UAE counterparts.

A Yemeni employee refills a car at a petrol station in the capital Sanaa, on July, 9, 2020 amid fuel shortages. (MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP)

Yemen

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 1,380 on Friday, as 24 new cases were confirmed.

The Yemeni Health Ministry said in a brief press statement that during the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 630 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10.

Also, the government announced that the death toll from the deadly respiratory disease climbed to 364 in different areas under its control, including the southern port city of Aden.