Iranians wear face masks as a Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic precaution, in Iran's capital Tehran on Oct 19, 2020. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

DUBAI / JERUSALEM / SEOUL / TOKYO / BANGKOK / KABUL / ULAN BATOR / VIENNA / SINGAPORE / DHAKA - Iran’s confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed the 600,000 threshold on Friday with 8,011 infections identified in the past 24 hours, a Health Ministry spokeswoman told state TV, as the country’s death toll rose to 34,478.

Sima Sadat Lari said 365 people had died in the past 24 hours and the total number of infection cases reached 604,952.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan on Friday reported 66 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally in the country to 41,334 cases, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed.

"Within the past 24 hours, 169 suspected coronavirus cases were tested, out of which 66 tested coronavirus positive in northern Balkh and southern Kandahar, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces," the ministry said in a statement.

One COVID-19 patient succumbed to the virus, taking the death toll to 1,533 since the outbreak of the pandemic in February in the country.

The number of people recovered reached 34,285 after 19 more were released from hospital during the period.

The laboratories across Afghanistan have conducted 122,182 tests since February, according to the statistics of the ministry.

Australia

Australian officials said on Friday there just under 200 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, the lowest number in more than four months and well down from a peak of just over 8,000 in mid-August. 

Officials reported just 11 new infections in the past 24 hours, the bulk of which were people already in hotel quarantine after arriving from overseas. 

Australian states and territories have begun further relaxing domestic travel bans, although some restrictions remain. 

In Victoria state, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country's 905 COVID-19 deaths, a weeks-long stringent lockdown in the city of Melbourne was eased earlier this week.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported 1,604 new COVID-19 cases and 19 new deaths on Friday, making the tally at 406,364 and death toll at 5,905, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.45 percent and the current recovery rate is 79.41 percent.

Cambodia

A Cambodian man serving as an operations officer at the UN Mission in South Sudan tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Cambodia, a spokeswoman of the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Friday.

The 51-year-old officer landed in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Wednesday from South Sudan, with connecting flights in Cuba, Ethiopia and South Korea, said MoH secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine.

Fiji

Fiji reported on Friday one more COVID-19 border quarantine case, who is a 57-year-old Fijian man.

Fiji's Ministry of Health said the man, who returned to Fiji on Oct 24, was on a repatriation flight from Nairobi, which made stops in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Auckland en route.

The Fijian man did not display any symptoms since his arrival in Nadi, Fiji's third largest city. The entry test was conducted on day two of quarantine as part of the ministry's standard border process. The man, who is now in stable condition, has since been under the compulsory 14-day quarantine in Lautoka, Fiji's second largest city.

India

India saw a daily spurt of 48,648 coronavirus infections, taking its tally to 8.09 million, health ministry data showed on Friday. India is the world's second worst affected country.

Cases in India have been dipping since a peak hit in September, but experts have warned of a possible spike during the festival season, which runs until mid-November. The death toll rose 563 to stand at 121,090, the ministry added.

Indonesia

Indonesia reported 2,897 new coronavirus infections on Friday, taking the total number to 406,945, data from the country's COVID-19 task force showed. The data also showed 81 additional deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 13,782. 

Indonesia has recorded the most cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Thursday 3,804 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 467,755.

The ministry also confirmed 45 new deaths and 3,376 more recovered cases in Iraq, raising the death toll to 10,815 and the total recoveries to 394,386.

READ MORE: Indonesia's confirmed COVID-19 cases surpass 400,000

Israel

Israel's coronavirus cabinet decided that the second stage of the exit plan from the ongoing full lockdown will begin Sunday, Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Friday.

The new phase will further scale back the lockdown measures the Israeli government imposed last month to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the statement, pupils from grades one to four across the country will be allowed to turn to their schools. The exit plan also eased down some restrictions on service sectors and houses of worship.

In addition, the cabinet said that opening stores on the street will be permitted from Nov 8, while shopping malls and open markets will remain closed.

In the first exit phase, which took effect on Oct 18, beaches, nature reserves and parks in Israel were reopened, as well as businesses without public reception and takeaway services.

Israel on Thursday confirmed 564 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths, taking the tally of infections to 313,114 and the death toll to 2,508. The tally of recoveries surged to 299,439 with the addition of 1,396 new recoveries.

People wearing face masks shop around at a secondhand book store in Tokyo on Oct 29, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

Japan

Japan has eased travel curbs for China, Australia, South Korea  and six other countries and regions, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Friday, as Tokyo steps up efforts to revive its economy while preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

Japan lowered its infection risk advisory level for Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Brunei and Vietnam, besides China, South Korea and Australia, to 2 from 3, telling its citizens to avoid non-urgent, non-essential trips. Under the infection risk advisory level of 3, the public are instructed not to take any trips.

Meanwhile, Hokkaido is set to report more than 60 new coronavirus infections Friday -- a daily record, according to TV Asahi. In recent weeks, many of Japan’s northern prefectures have reported records in infected patients, though most numbered less than 50 per day. Hokkaido raised its alert level earlier this week.

The Tokyo government is set to boost the daily coronavirus testing capacity to about 60,000 tests from current 10,200 as the flu season begins, NHK reported.

The government will deploy antigen tests in addition to PCR tests to raise the capacity by year end.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 760 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 124,666 and the death toll to 767 in the country.

The Kuwaiti health ministry also announced the recovery of 552 more patients, taking the total recoveries in the country to 115,475.

ALSO READ: Virus: Riyadh to allow Umrah pilgrims from abroad from Nov 1

Lebanon

Lebanon also recorded the highest increase in daily COVID-19 infections with 1,933 new cases, as the tally rose to 77,778. The death toll in Lebanon went up by eight to 610.

Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan urged Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh to secure 200 million U.S. dollars from hospitals' dues for a better fight against COVID-19.

Malaysia

Malaysia's health authorities reported 799 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total to 30,889 infections. 

The Southeast Asian country recorded three new deaths, increasing the total number of fatalities at 249.

Mongolia

Mongolia on Friday launched a project to strengthen its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in cooperation with the European Union (EU) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The project dubbed "Mongolia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic" will last three years, according to the country's health ministry.

Within the framework of the project, the EU will provide Mongolia with 1 million euros (US1.17 million) in financial support to strengthen the health sector and inter-sectoral cooperation, and the WHO will offer financial support of 62,000 euros (over US$72,000) as well as professional and methodological support to the country, the ministry said in a statement.

As of Friday, a total of 340 COVID-19 imported cases have been reported in Mongolia.

Myanmar

Infections in Myanmar topped 50,000, doubling over the past three weeks as the country is seeing more than 1,000 new cases a day, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

The ministry warned people to avoid paying homage to the elderly during the 5-days long Lighting festival holidays. 

New Zealand

New Zealand reported one new case of COVID-19 in managed isolation and no new community cases on Friday. The patient is a member of a Christchurch-based international mariner group, according to the Ministry of Health.

The government is moving to provide further protection against the chance of COVID-19 entering New Zealand through the maritime border.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins said on Friday that mandatory testing would be required for all replacement maritime crew arriving in New Zealand, regardless of the time they spend in transit.

Qatar

Qatar announced 211 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 132,150.

Meanwhile, 240 more patients recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries in Qatar to 129,124, while the death count increased by one to 231, the Qatari Health Ministry said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia reported 435 new coronavirus infections and 15 more deaths from the disease, pushing the kingdom's tally of COVID-19 cases to 346,482 and the death toll to 5,363.

The total number of recoveries in the kingdom climbed by 455 to 333,005, the Saudi Health Ministry said.

Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,003.

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

South Korea

South Korean officials are stepping up efforts to ensure locals stick to social distancing guidelines during Halloween, warning this year’s party “could really turn scary” as it tries to avoid another resurgence in coronavirus infections.

Officials are patrolling nightclubs in the capital Seoul to make sure they adhere to social distancing rules and are advising people to host Halloween parties online, Park Yoo-mi, a general director of the city government told a briefing on Friday.

South Korea reported 114 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, down from 125 a day earlier, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Of the new cases, 93 were locally infected with 47 cases in Seoul and 23 in Gyeonggi province. The nation now has a total of 26,385 confirmed cases, while deaths stand at 463.

This photo taken on Oct 3, 2020 shows a villa that has been converted for use as an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) room for incoming overseas tourists at The Senses Resort on Patong beach in Phuket. (LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Friday said it will revamp and re-adjust COVID-19 preventive measures at more than 100 hotels under the alternative state quarantine program.

The move came after two people, who were quarantined in a same Thai hotel with an infected French woman, tested positive for COVID-19.

In mid October, the ministry's Department of Disease Control said the French woman fell ill after her 14 day-quarantine. She later tested positive for COVID-19. Consequently, two infected male patients tested positive on Oct 15 and Oct 19 respectively.

"The ministry will adjust COVID-19 preventive measures in all quarantine sites to avoid a repeat like that of the three patients who contracted the virus from the quarantine hotel she was staying," said Dr. Tharet Karatnairawiwong, director-general of the ministry's Department of Health Services Support.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, there are 101 hotels, with 13,004 rooms, being used as quarantine facilities.

There are also 21 alternative local quarantine facilities in other provinces such as Buri Ram, Chon Buri, Phuket, Prachin Buri and Surat Thani, which receive direct flights from abroad.

The Philippines

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) Friday reported 2,006 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the country to 378,933.

The DOH said 636 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 330,457. The death toll climbed to 7,185 after 38 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.

The UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 1,312 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, bringing the tally of infections to 130,336 and the death toll to 488. The UAE's tally of recoveries increased by 1,500 to 126,147.

Turkey

Turkey reported 2,319 new COVID-19 cases and 72 more fatalities from the virus, raising the tally of diagnosed patients to 370,832 and the death toll to 10,099, the Turkish Health Ministry said.

In addition, 1,581 patients recovered, raising the total recoveries in Turkey to 320,762 since the outbreak in March.