Ambulance officers transfer a resident from the Epping Gardens aged care facility in the Melbourne suburb of Epping on July 28, 2020 as the city battles fresh outbreaks of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (WILLIAM WEST / AFP)

KARACHI / JERUSALEM / RAMALLAH / DUBAI / HANOI / CANBERRA / KUWAIT CITY - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the spread of coronavirus in Victorian aged care facilities on Tuesday as a "health crisis."

There have been 15,304 cases in Australia, and the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 400

"The situation remains very concerning and particularly in relation to the aged care situation in Victoria," Morrison told reporters.

"We have just over 80 facilities out of just over 430 in Victoria which have been affected."

There were six coronavirus deaths in Australia between Monday and Tuesday, all of which were in Victoria including four linked to aged care facilities. It takes the national death toll to 167.

It comes as confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia surpassed 15,000 on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon there have been 15,304 cases in Australia, and the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 400, according to the latest figures from Department of Health.

Victoria has confirmed 384 new cases of the virus, significantly less than a record-high 532 in the state on Monday.

"Within Victoria, 78 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 306 are under investigation," said a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Tuesday.

The department also said that 4,775 cases are currently active in Victoria, where 769 active cases are related to outbreaks in aged care facilities.

A staff member, right, from Vietnam's Centre of Disease Control assists passengers wearing face masks as they queue up for temperature checks at the departures terminal at Danang's international airport on July 27, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Vietnam 

Vietnam reported seven new cases of COVID-19 infection on Tuesday, all of which are in the community, bringing its total confirmed cases to 438, according to its Ministry of Health.

The seven new cases, aged from 29 to 71, are local residents of central Da Nang city and Quang Nam province, said the ministry.

Meanwhile, four people have been recovered, raising the total cured cases in the country to 369 as of Tuesday, said the ministry.

Vietnam has recorded no deaths of COVID-19 so far while there are over 15,000 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Philippines

Philippine health authorities warned hospitals and infirmaries risk getting overwhelmed as admissions are rising for COVID-19, including other illnesses.

COVID and non-COVID beds are close to 50 percent capacity nationwide, falling in the Health Department’s “warning zone,” Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual briefing on Tuesday. The Philippines added 1,678 new cases, bringing total count to 83,673, the second-highest in Southeast Asia.

“Nationally, our health care system is close to getting overwhelmed. Our doctors, nurses and those who look after us in the hospitals will get tired,” Vergeire said.

While bed occupancy and ventilator usage nationwide are “manageable,” intensive care and ward beds are in the higher “danger zone” category for the capital region and neighboring provinces south of Manila with occupancy above 70%.

Pakistan

Pakistani authorities are encouraging people to buy sacrificial animals online or at least wear masks when visiting cattle markets, fearing preparations for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha could reverse a decline in COVID-19 infection numbers.

Government social-distancing restrictions this year including half-day closing have seen a drop in customers at the normally bustling markets which, like in other Muslim countries, are set up in urban centres ahead of one of Islam’s most important festivals.

The main cattle market of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, was less busy on Sunday than in preceding years with just six days before festivities, Reuters witnesses said. Trader Allah Ditta, who travelled hundreds of miles to sell his stock, told Reuters his customers had almost halved.

Most visitors flouted a requirement to wear masks, and many were accompanied by children who this year are barred.

“I don’t understand this coronavirus. I have not seen anyone dying of it,” said trader Muhammad Akram. “Look around you: No one is wearing a mask.”

Pakistan has reported over 270,000 COVID-19 cases with almost 6,000 deaths. Daily cases of new infection numbered just under 1,200 on Sunday versus a peak last month nearing 7,000 around another festival, Eid al-Fitr.

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Lebanon

Lebanon reimposed severe COVID-19 restrictions on Monday for the next two weeks, shutting places of worship, cinemas, bars, nightclubs, sports events and popular markets, after a sharp rise in infections.

Shops, private companies, banks and educational institutions would be permitted to open, but only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with a near total lockdown in place Thursday through Monday until Aug 10. This week’s lockdown coincides with the Eid al-Adha holiday when Muslims normally hold large gatherings.

Officials said they were alarmed by a spike in cases in recent days, with at least 132 new infections and eight deaths confirmed in the last 24 hours. Lebanon has recorded just 51 deaths from the coronavirus since February.

”We have to go back a step back and work with determination as though the pandemic has now begun,” Minister of Health Hamad Hassan was quoted in state media as saying. “We have to work more seriously to avoid a medical humanitarian catastrophe.”

Beirut’s airport, land border crossings with Syria and sea ports would be kept open, as well as medical institutions, industrial and agricultural firms and critical government functions.

Those arriving from high risk countries would be held in quarantine for 48 hours until they receive the results of a coronavirus test. Those arriving from other areas would be expected to quarantine at home.

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 2,029 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total infections in the country to 63,985.

This is the third time since the outbreak of the pandemic in Israel in late February that the daily infections exceed 2,000.

The death toll reached 474 with four new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 303 to 311, out of 739 patients currently hospitalized.

The number of recoveries rose to 27,133, with 108 new ones, while the active cases hit a record high of 36,378.

Palestine

Palestine on Monday announced that it would soon implement new precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Palestinian territories as the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha will start on Friday.

"The Palestinian worshippers will serve the prayers in the morning of the first day of Eid al-Adha in public yards and squares for no more than 15 minutes, and they must abide by the protective precautionary measures," said Ibrahim Milhem, spokesman of the Palestinian government, at a news briefing.

The government would impose a full lockdown on all the West Bank districts starting Friday evening until Sunday morning, excluding bakeries and pharmacies, he noted.

The decision to keep mourning houses and wedding halls closed will remain valid all over the Palestinian territories, Milhem added.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced 333 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number in the Palestinian territories to 13,457 cases.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Tuesday reported 770 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 65,149 and the death toll to 442, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 9,026 patients are receiving treatment, including 124 in ICU, the statement added.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 624 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 55,681.

Kuwait will start the third phase plan of restoring normal life on July 28, Tareq Al-Mezrem, government spokesman, said on July 23.

During the third phase, labor capacity will increase to no more than 50 percent and visits to social care homes will be allowed, Al-Mezrem said, adding hotels and resorts will be allowed to reopen.

Taxis will be allowed to operate with only one passenger, he noted.

Turkey

Turkey reported 919 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the total confirmed cases to 227,019, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

Meanwhile, 17 people died in the past 24 hours from the virus, taking the death toll to 5,630, Koca tweeted.

Turkish health professionals conducted 45,283 tests in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall number of tests to 4,617,971, he said.

A total of 982 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 210,469 in Turkey since the outbreak, said Koca, noting 1,263 patients are being treated in the intensive care units and 392 intubated.

Passenger flights between Turkey and Russia will resume as of Aug. 1, the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu announced on Monday.

After negotiations with Russia's Transport Ministry, Moscow decided to resume flights with Turkey from Aug. 1, Karaismailoglu said in a written statement. 

The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced 264 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 59,177.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a statement that the new cases of many nationalities are all in a stable condition and receiving medical treatment.

Meanwhile, 328 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 52,510, according to the ministry.

It also confirmed one more death, pushing up the country's death toll to 345.

Oman

The Omani government on Monday called for avoiding family and social gatherings during the upcoming Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The appeal was made by the Supreme Committee tasked with tackling the COVID-19 pandemic after its meeting chaired by Minister of Interior Hamoud Al Busaidi.

"The committee urges all citizens and residents to be very careful during Eid al-Adha days, and appeals to them to reduce movement during daylight hours and to abide by the decision to lockdown in the evening," the committee said in a statement.

The Supreme Committee decided to close the governorates and all public places and shops from 7 pm. to 6 a.m. local time between July 25 and Aug. 8.

Oman reported 1,053 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the total number in the country to 77,058, according to a statement by the Omani health ministry.

The ministry also reported nine new fatalities from the virus, bringing the death toll to 393, and 1,729 more recoveries, raising the total recoveries to 57,028.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry on Monday announced 292 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the Gulf state to 109,597, official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

Meanwhile, 304 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 106,328, while the death toll remained at 165, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA.

The ministry attributed the increase in coronavirus infections to gatherings and visits as well as ignoring the preventive measures such as staying at home and social distancing.

A total of 477,194 persons in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far, it said.

Iraq

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday warned of an increase in COVID-19 infections during Eid al-Adha holiday in Iraq, while the Health Ministry reported 2,553 new COVID-19 cases in the country.

"Iraq is not yet out of the danger phase, and a wave of high infections is inevitable unless there is a commitment to preventive health measures and social distancing to limit the spread of the virus," Wael Hatahit, head of the WHO's emergency team in Iraq, said in an interview with the official al-Sabah newspaper.

Hatahit highlighted the need to focus on preventing social gatherings during the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, which is expected to start on July 31, according to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported 2,553 COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections in the country to 112,585.

It also reported 96 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 4,458 in the country, while 1,927 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 77,144.

Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 359 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 51,197.

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

Among the cases, 99 percent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

On Tuesday, 201 more people have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 45,893 have fully recovered and been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said.

There are currently 185 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Furthermore, 5,092 people who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

Altogether 27 people have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

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The Republic of Korea

The daily caseload stayed below 30 for two straight days, but it continued to grow in double digits due to imported cases and small cluster infections.

Of the new cases, 23 were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 2,329.

One more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 300. The total fatality rate stood at 2.11 percent.

A total of 102 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 13,007. The total recovery rate was 91.6 percent.

Saudi Arabia

Health Ministry of Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday the registration of 1,968 coronavirus cases, bringing the accumulated infections to 266,941. 

The recoveries rose to 220,323 after the registration of 2,541 new recovered cases. 

The death toll reached 2,733 with 30 new fatalities in the last of 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the ministry announced on Sunday various steps to protect the safety of pilgrims.

The procedures aim to ensure a healthy and safe Hajj season amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

High school teacher checks the temperature of a student on the first day after being reopened following restrictions to halt the spread of the COVID-19 in Kuala Lumpur on June 24, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Malaysia

Malaysia reported the highest daily increase in new coronavirus cases since April 11 just three weeks since it relaxed lockdown measures.

The country confirmed 172 new cases on Monday, of which 112 are from immigration depots, according to the health ministry. That brings the total to 7,417 infections and 115 deaths.The government allowed nearly all sectors to reopen starting on May 4 as each day of the lockdown had cost 2.4 billion ringgit (US$550 million) of losses to the economy, even as it cautioned people to refrain from leaving their homes unless necessary. The health ministry had warned that any rebound in infections from the relaxed restrictions would only be seen about two weeks after.

Papua New Guinea

The capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Port Moresby has been placed in a 14-day lockdown as of Tuesday, with only essential businesses to operate to help stop rapidly rising COVID-19 cases.

On Sunday the country recorded the largest daily increase of 23 new infections, taking the national total to 62.

Prime Minister James Marape announced that the lockdown would also include a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., mandatory wearing of face masks in public places, and limits of 15 people on public gatherings.

Schools will be closed for the 14-day period, and public transport services will stop operating excluding taxis, while nightclubs will remain closed.

Domestic flights out of Port Moresby will also be suspended for 14 days, while international flights will be limited to the Australian cities of Brisbane and Cairns and only operated by local carriers.

Testing will also be scaled up and targeted, which Marape said, based on expert modelling will likely reveal significantly more cases already in the community.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported one new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday, with the number of active cases in the country remaining at 21, all in managed isolation facilities, according to the Ministry of Health.

It has been 88 days since the last case of COVID-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source, according to the ministry.

The new case was a woman in her 20s who arrived in New Zealand on July 14 from Afghanistan via Dubai, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference.

The woman has been staying at a hotel in Hamilton and tested negative around the third day of her stay. She showed a weak positive around the 12nd day of her stay and has since been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, Bloomfield said.

India

India's federal health ministry on Tuesday reported 654 new deaths due to COVID-19 and 47,703 new positive cases, taking the number of deaths to 33,425 and total cases to 1,483,156.

"As on 8:00 am (local time) Tuesday, 33,425 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," read the information released by the ministry.

According to ministry officials, so far 952,743 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement. "The number of active cases in the country right now is 496,988," read the information.

The federal government is presently focusing on ramping up the number of tests carried out every 

As per the figures of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), for the past three days the total number of samples tested is over 500,000 per day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced Monday that this number would be increased to 1 million tests per day in the coming weeks.

In the wake of prevailing COVID-19 conditions, the Indian government has decided to extend the existing restrictions on limited domestic flight operations and caps on air fares till Nov. 24.

Currently, domestic flight operations are allowed to function at 45 percent of their total capacity.

India will get high-quality ventilators as well as COVID-19 test and serological kits from France, an official of Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

France is donating COVID-19 medical equipment to India and sharing technical expertise. A French airforce aircraft is on its way to deliver the package.

The aircraft is expected to land in Delhi on Tuesday.

Australia

Australian employment fell 1.1 percent between mid-June and mid-July, weekly data showed on Tuesday, with the biggest loss coming from the southeastern state of Victoria, which is grappling with a fresh wave of coronavirus infections.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said total payroll jobs decreased 2.2 percent in Victoria alone as additional COVID-19 restrictions were re-introduced following an “alarming” rise in cases.

The state reported 384 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, on top of a record 532 the previous day.

Tuesday’srelease is the first official data on the hit from the second wave on Australia’s A$2 trillion economy, with economists predicting further job shedding in coming weeks.

The data is “consistent with our expectations of some setback to the labour market recovery and...we fear a return to a negative employment print this month and possibly August as well,” said RBC economist Su-lin Ong. “Our preliminary forecast is -50,000.”

The release, an experimental series, differs from official employment data and is based on wage payment figures from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Myanmar

Myanmar's government has been planning to arrange relief flights and special flights for citizens to go abroad for urgent matters, state-run media quoted Ministry of Foreign Affairs' announcement as saying on Tuesday.

According to the ministry's announcement, the arrangement will be made for citizens with emergency medical treatment or surgical appointments abroad, citizens and seamen required to return to overseas workplaces on time, scholars and students going abroad for studies either on government or personal programmes and other urgent matters.

Mentioning the procedures to be applied by the citizens who want to travel abroad, the announcement said that the eligible citizens who are approved to fly in the scheduled relief or special flights can apply for COVID-19 tests at the National Health Laboratory in Yangon or Public Health Laboratory in Mandalay.

The ministry advised the citizens wishing to travel abroad to carefully read and follow the COVID-19 measures and immigration requirements of the respective countries they are travelling to as most of the foreign countries are still imposing entry restrictions on the basis of COVID-19 protection and containment.

Meanwhile, the government has been making efforts to bring back its citizens stranded in foreign countries due to the suspension of international commercial flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Monday, a total of 8,991 citizens have been brought back home by relief and special flights so far, according to a recent release from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Cambodia 

Cambodia on Tuesday confirmed a new imported COVID-19 case, raising the total number of infections in the country to 226, said a Health Ministry's statement.

The COVID-19 positive case was detected on a 32-year-old Indian man, who arrived in Cambodia on Sunday from India via connecting flights in Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, the statement said.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has voiced hope for mobilizing military doctors and specialists of the country's military medical institutions to treat patients with coronavirus, the presidential press service said Tuesday.

President Mirziyoyev was examining the results of the work to counter the coronavirus pandemic in Tashkent city and efforts to increase the coverage of the population with high-quality and timely medical care, the press service added.

Uzbekistan has earlier extended a second lockdown till Aug. 15 amid a surge of daily confirmed coronavirus infections and has started turning large closed sports arenas into temporary hospitals.

Kazakhstan

Kazakh Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi announced Tuesday that the country is considering easing its quarantine measures in a phased manner in August.

From Aug 3, venues like shopping centers, retail chains, markets, preschool institutions and beauty salons are allowed to reopen with restrictions on opening hours and customer numbers, Tsoi said during an online government meeting.

The health minister said public transport in cities would resume operation with a shorter running period and an occupancy of no more than 50 percent, and passengers and drivers are obliged to wear masks.

Tsoi said that at least 80 percent of employees of government bodies and office workers should work from home, and the public must continue to observe social distancing, wear masks and wash hands.

He added that public events would remain banned, and a ban on the operations of inter-city buses would continue.

DPRK

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) introduced tougher prevention measures against the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, state media reported, after it locked down the border town of Kaesong to tackle what could be its first publicly confirmed case of the respiratory disease.

Strict quarantine measures and the screening of districts were in progress, and test kits, protective clothing, and medical equipment were being rapidly supplied, the DPRK’s KCNA state news agency said.

The measures come after DPRK leader Kim Jong-un declared an emergency on Sunday after a person suspected of being infected with the virus returned from the Republic of Korea (ROK) .

The DPRK had reported testing 1,211 people for the virus as of July 16 with all returning negative results, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday. The report said 696 nationals were under quarantine.

Primers and probes for machines capable of facilitating 1,000 tests have arrived in the DPRK, WHO said. There are 15 laboratories designated to test COVID-19 in the country.

Indonesia

Indonesia reported 1,748 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing its tally to 102,051 confirmed cases overall, Health Ministry data showed.

The number of deaths in the Southeast Asian nation related to COVID-19 rose by 63, bringing the total to 4,901.