Iranian women wear face masks as a COVID-19 pandemic precaution, in Iran's capital Tehran on Oct 19, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
AMMAN / MELBOURNE / DHAKA / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / PHNOM PENH / JAKARTA / TEHRAN / BAGHDAD / BEIRUT / KUALA LUMPUR / YANGON / WELLINGTON / SINGAPORE / SEOUL / ANKARA / HANOI - Iran on Monday reported a record 440 COVID deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll in the Middle East’s worst-hit country to 35,738 as a ban on travel in and out of major cities came into force.
The government has shut schools, mosques, shops and restaurants in most of the country since early October and on Monday imposed a four-day ban on travel in and out of 25 cities, including Tehran, state TV reported.
Iranian state media said that the government will make a decision on a complete, two-week lockdown in the capital. It did not elaborate.
Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 8,289 COVID-19 cases had been registered in the previous 24 hours, taking the national tally to 628,780.
Iran announced its first two deaths from the coronavirus on Feb 19.
The head of Iran’s Medical Council, Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, doubted the official toll on Sunday and warned that Iran had reached a “catastrophic mortality rate”, the Students News Agency ISNA reported.
Pedestrians in face masks walk in Ginza district of Tokyo on Sept 29, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
Japan
Japan’s largest airport opened a novel coronavirus testing facility on Monday as it takes steps to reopen international travel that has been largely grounded for months by the pandemic.
The Narita International Airport PCR Center is aimed at outbound travellers who need proof that they are virus-free when they arrive at their destinations.
Japan on Friday eased travel curbs for nine Asian countries and regions.
Narita is one of two international hubs serving the Greater Tokyo area.
The testing lab, run by the Nippon Medical School Foundation, is the first at an airport in Japan and can deliver results in six hours, though it expects to get that down to two by the end of the month.
The tests are not covered by insurance and can cost as much as 46,500 yen (US$444).
Japan’s travel curbs to battle the pandemic have been stringent, with an effective ban on entry by tourists and visa-holders from more than 150 countries before a phased relaxation of the rules began in September.
Travelers arriving in Japan are required to undergo a coronavirus test, with three international airports having the capacity to carry out about 10,000 a day.
With about 100,000 cases and 1,773 fatalities, Japan has weathered the pandemic better than many major economies.
Australia
Australia remains "on track" to have domestic borders open by Christmas, Health Minister Greg Hunt has revealed.
As of Monday afternoon, there had been 27,602 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in the last 24 hours is eight, according to the latest figures from the Australian government Department of Health.
New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, reported seven new cases, six of which were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. And one was locally acquired and linked to a known cluster.
Victoria, the hardest-hit state by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, recorded no new cases.
Iran reported on Sunday a record of 434 daily deaths related to the COVID-19, bringing the overall death toll from the pandemic in Iran to 35,298
Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 1,568 new COVID-19 cases and 18 new deaths on Sunday, bringing the tally at 409,252 and death toll at 5,941, 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 79.64 percent.
Brunei
Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday with the national tally of cases standing at 148.
It marked the 10th consecutive day without new cases since Oct. 22, when the country recorded an imported case from Kuala Lumpur.
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Cambodia
Cambodia on Monday confirmed one new imported COVID-19 case, raising the total number of infections in the country to 292, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a press statement.
The latest case was detected on a 31-year-old Cambodian woman, who arrived in Cambodia on Oct. 19 from Japan, with a connecting flight in South Korea, the statement said, adding that she was on the same flight with a 47-year-old Polish man who tested positive for the virus upon his arrival.
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip officials at the Hamas-run health ministry on Sunday warned that they might demand the local authorities to impose a full lockdown on the Palestinian enclave because of the rapid increase in the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry recorded 540 new cases infected with COVID-19, 185 of them in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of infections to 65,802.
People exercise on a road in Jakarta on Nov 1, 2020. (GOH CHAI HIN / AFP)
Indonesia
The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 2,696 within one day to 412,784, with the death toll adding by 74 to 13,943, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
Iran
Iran reported on Sunday a record of 434 daily deaths related to the COVID-19, bringing the overall death toll from the pandemic in Iran to 35,298.
Iran's health ministry said that the country registered 7,719 new infections and the overall tally reached 620,491.
The ministry also said 27 out of 31 Iranian provinces are on red alert for a high risk of infection, while four others are on yellow alert.
The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Sunday 2,658 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 475,288.
The ministry also reported 56 new deaths and 3,127 more recovered cases in the country, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 10,966 and the total recoveries to 402,782.
Iraq
The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Monday 3,413 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 478,701.
The ministry reported in a statement 51 new deaths and 2,995 more recovered cases in the country, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 10,017 and the total recoveries to 405,777.
The ministry's figures show a clear decline in new COVID-19 infections in recent days as a result of a drop in the number of tests, nearly half of the routine tests in the previous weeks.
Jordan
In order to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases, Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Sunday announced that a five-day nationwide lockdown would be imposed from Nov 11, a day after the country's parliamentary elections.
Iran reported on Sunday 434 deaths related to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, making the highest daily death toll from coronavirus in the country
According to the Jordanian Health Ministry, Jordan registered 3,259 new cases on Sunday, bringing the overall tally to 75,866. The kingdom also reported 37 new deaths, with the current COVID-19 death toll standing at 866.
Lebanon
Lebanon's Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi issued a statement on Sunday ordering complete lockdown in 115 villages and towns in the country along with a nationwide curfew due to the increase in COVID-19 cases, the National News Agency reported.
The curfew starts from 9 pm to 5 am local time every day.
The minister also prevented public and private gatherings on all Lebanese territories while ordering all pubs and night clubs to remain closed until further notice.
New Zealand
New Zealand reported four new cases of COVID-19 from managed isolation and no new community cases on Monday.
One case is an international mariner staying at the Sudima in Christchurch, detected at day 15 testing as a close contact of a day 6 case. The person is now in quarantine, according to the Ministry of Health.
One case arrived on Oct. 19 from Milan via Singapore and tested positive to routine testing at around day 12. The person is now in the Auckland quarantine facility, said a ministry statement.
One case arrived on Oct. 28 from London via Singapore and tested positive to routine testing at around day 3. The person is now in the Auckland quarantine facility, it said.
One case was detected in managed isolation in Auckland, after being given permission to join a family member recently arrived from overseas. The family member has previously been recorded in the positive case totals. This case will be recorded as an import-related case, the statement said.
The country's total number of active cases is 81. The total number of confirmed cases is now 1,607, according to the ministry.
Singapore
Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported four new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which are all imported cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,019.
People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus visit the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, South Korea, Nov 1, 2020. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)
South Korea
South Korea reported 97 more cases of the COVID-19 as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 26,732.
The daily caseload fell below 100 in six days, but the double-digit growth continued due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.
Of the new cases, 20 were Seoul residents and 40 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.
Eighteen were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 3,796.
Two more deaths were confirmed, leaving the death toll at 468. The total fatality rate stood at 1.75 percent.
Thirteen more US soldiers and five other individuals in South Korea tested positive for COVID-19, the US Forces Korea (USFK) has said.
The USFK said in a statement that 18 USFK-affiliated individuals were confirmed with COVID-19 after arriving in South Korea between Oct 25 and Oct 29.
Nine service members and one dependent arrived at Osan Air Base on US government-chartered flights from the United States on Oct 25, Oc 28 and Oct 29. The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.
Four service members, three dependents, and one contractor arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on international commercial flights on Oct 27 and Oct 28.
The confirmed patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base, both of which are located in Pyeongtaek.
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Turkey
Turkey's daily COVID-19 patients increased by 2,106 on Sunday, raising the total number in the country to 377,473, the Turkish Health Ministry announced.
Meanwhile, 74 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,326.
Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Turkey's largest city Istanbul, was discharged on Monday from hospital after completing his COVID-19 treatment.
Imamoglu announced on Oct 24 that he was hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Vietnam
Vietnam reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Monday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,192 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to the Ministry of Health.
All the new cases are Vietnamese citizens who have recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.
The ministry also announced that two more patients have been given all-clear, raising the total cured cases in the country to 1,065 as of Monday.
Meanwhile, nearly 14,800 people are being quarantined and monitored in the country, the ministry said.
Vietnam has gone through 61 straight days without any new COVID-19 cases in the community, according to the ministry.
Mongolia
Mongolia on Monday reported three more COVID-19 cases, pushing the national tally to 349, according to the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD).
"The latest confirmed cases are Mongolian transport drivers who have recently come back from Russia via the Altanbulag border point," Dulmaa Nyamkhuu, head of the NCCD, said during a news conference.
All of the country's 349 confirmed cases were imported, mostly from neighboring Russia, while 313 of them have recovered so far.
The Asian country has not seen a single COVID-related death or local transmission so far.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will release a documentary on Mongolia's fight against COVID-19 on Monday, according to the country's health ministry.
India
India recorded 45,231 new coronavirus infections, taking its total cases to 8.23 million, the health ministry said on Monday.
New daily cases in India have been falling since September, but experts warn that infections could rise again during the festival season.
The country has the world’s second-highest caseload, behind the United States, which has more than 9 million.
There were 496 deaths in the last 24 hours from the coronavirus, taking total deaths to 122,607.
Laos
Laos has extended its COVID-19 prevention measures, allowing entertainment venues to reopen.
According to a notice issued by the Prime Minister's Office, authorities have agreed to allow entertainment venues, such as karaoke bars and nightclubs, to reopen.
The move comes as the government hopes to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19, particularly in regard to business operations.
The Lao government will also discuss policy on travel between Laos-Vietnam and Laos-Japan, as well as other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.
Indonesia
Indonesia reported 2,618 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 415,402, data from the country's COVID-19 task force showed.
This is the lowest daily rise of coronavirus cases since August 26.
It also reported 101 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 14,044. An additional 3,624 people had recovered from the virus, taking the total number of recovered cases to 345,566.
The Philippines
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,298 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection on Monday, bringing the total number to 385,400.
The DOH said 87 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 348,830. The death toll climbed to 7,269 after 32 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.
The Philippines saw a downward trend of COVID-19 cases, a spokesperson for the DOH said at an online media briefing on Monday, adding that the number of COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks was 25 percent less than those recorded three to four weeks ago.
Citing DOH date, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the cases were averaging 2,517 per day three to four weeks ago, while in the past two weeks the average was down to 1,887.
Malaysia
Malaysia reported 834 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Monday, bringing the national total to 33,339.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that three of the new cases were imported and 831 were local transmissions.
Two new deaths had been reported, pushing the death toll to 251.
Another 900 patients had been released after recovery, bringing the total cured and discharged to 23,120, or 69.3 percent of all cases.
Of the remaining 9,968 active cases, 91 are being held in intensive care units and 32 of those are in need of assisted breathing.
Afghanistan
The Afghan public health ministry on Monday reported 132 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of patients to 41,633 since the outbreak of the virus in February in the country.
A statement from the ministry said five more patients had died over the period, pushing the number of COVID-19 related deaths to 1,541.
A total of 16 patients recovered over the past 24 hours, bringing the number of recoveries to 34,342 in the country, the statement added.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 1,736 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 25 new deaths on Moday, bringing its total tally to 410,988 with 5,966 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
The official data showed that 12,891 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.
The total number of recovered patients in the country rose to 327,901 with 1,961 new recoveries on Monday, said the DGHS.
Sri Lanka
The number of COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka rose to 11,224 on Monday after 164 new patients were detected, according to the health ministry.
Out of the total patients, 5,249 had recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 22 deaths have been reported.
Myanmar
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 54,607 as of Monday, the Ministry of Health and Sports said in a release.
A total of 1,202 more confirmed cases were reported in the country.
The death toll reached 1,282 with 24 newly reported deaths on Monday in the country, the release said.
According to the ministry's figures, 37,954 patients have been discharged from the hospitals so far.
A total of 708,493 samples have been tested for COVID-19, the ministry's figures showed.
