People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street filled with seasonal lighting in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov 12, 2020. (HIRO KOMAE / AP)

JERUSALEM / ULAN BATOR / ANKARA / COLOMBO / MALE / PHNOM PENH / KUALA LUMPUR / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / DUBAI / NEW DELHI / KABUL / HANOI / DHAKA / YANGON – At least 1,634 cases were recorded in Japan on Thursday, according to a tally by national broadcaster NHK, topping the previous high set during a surge in August.

If it continues like this, the medical system could become overstretched. It’s not at the point where we need to call for a state of emergency, but we need to have the strongest sense of caution.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, a Japanese minister overseeing the country’s COVID-19 response

While numbers are low in absolute terms compared to many other countries, a spike in northern Japan is leading to concerns cases could spread as winter sets in.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister overseeing the country’s coronavirus response, said more stringent steps would be needed if infections continued to rise.

“If it continues like this, the medical system could become overstretched,” Nishimura said at a briefing in Tokyo. “It’s not at the point where we need to call for a state of emergency, but we need to have the strongest sense of caution.”

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The government is considering having people working at bars and clubs take PCR tests and asking eateries to shut early in a targeted manner, according to NHK. It’s also planning to analyze social media for early prevention of clusters.

The northern island of Hokkaido and Kanagawa, near Tokyo, were among regions that saw record numbers of new cases. The Hokkaido government has already asked bars and other establishments to close early in the regional capital’s nightlife district. Tokyo saw 393 infections, one of the heaviest days to date.

Meanwhile, Fujitsu Ltd, Mizuho Financial Group Inc, and drugmaker PeptiDream Inc said Thursday they were forming a joint venture to develop treatments for COVID-19.

Myanmar

Myanmar's COVID-19 infection tally has risen to 65,598 as of Thursday after 1,145 new cases were recorded, according to a release from the Health and Sports Ministry.

The death toll has risen to 1,508 after 28 more deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, according to the release .

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported 1,845 new COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths on Thursday, taking the tally to 427,198 and death toll to 6,140, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The total number of recoveries rose by 1,737 to 344,868, said the DGHS.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported one new COVID-19 case on Thursday, bringing its tally to 1,253 with 35 deaths, according to its Ministry of Health.

The new case involves a Hungarian national who recently entered the country from abroad and was quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

Two more patients have recovered, taking the number of recoveries to 1,093, it added.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan has confirmed 186 new COVID-19 positive cases, bringing the infection tally to 42,795, the Public Health Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

According to the statement, 10 more patients have died, raising the death toll to 1,591.

Iran

Iran's death toll from COVID-19 rose by 457 to 40,121 on Thursday, the highest in the Middle East, with the total number of identified cases reaching 726,585, health ministry data showed.

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that Iran had identified 11,517 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. 

There were 5,614 patients in intensive care units, Lari added.

Indians wearing face masks shop for firecrackers ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, in Hyderabad, India, Nov 11, 2020. (MAHESH KUMAR A. / AP)

India

Indian Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman announced announced increased stimulus measures of about 9 trillion rupees (US$120 billion) to rescue companies and save jobs hit by the lockdown in March. The additional stimulus steps take the nation’s total virus relief to almost 30 trillion rupees, or 15 percent of gross domestic product, she said.

The minister also announced a grant of over US$120.6 million for the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines.

The move came as Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, said it has made 40 million doses of AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, and would soon begin making Novavax’s rival shot, as they both seek regulatory approval.

A total of 47,905 new cases were recorded in India Thursday, pushing the tally to 8,683,916 on Thursday. Deaths rose by 550 to 128,121

Serum said it had enrolled 1,600 participants in India for late-stage trials of AstraZeneca's candidate, and also plans to seek regulatory approval to run late-stage trials for the Novavax vaccine.

The announcement came on the same day latest data released by the federal health ministry showed that 47,905 new cases were recorded, pushing the tally to 8,683,916 on Thursday. Deaths rose by 550 to 128,121.

Surendra Singh Jeena, a 50-year-old local lawmaker of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the northern state of Uttarakhand, died Thursday due to COVID-19, officials said.

Meanwhile, ICU facilities in New Delhi are in short supply that some hospitals are squeezing more beds into existing wards ahead of the Diwali weekend. Federal authorities have asked the local government in the capital to prepare resources to handle as many as 15,000 cases a day and test more aggressively.

Over half of the Delhi’s 16,511 COVID hospital beds were occupied as of Wednesday, government data showed, with more than 24,000 other patients isolating at home.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the local government on Thursday postponed the reopening of schools, which was scheduled for Nov 16.

Brunei

Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the 21st consecutive day the country has kept it tally unchanged at 148 with three deaths.

According to the Ministry of Health, there were no active cases being treated at the National Isolation Center. 

Malaysia

Malaysia's health ministry reported 919 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, raising the tally to 43,791 infections.

The Southeast Asian country also recorded one more death, taking its death toll to 303.

Of the remaining 11,419 active cases, 92 are in intensive care and 35 of those require assisted breathing. 

Maldives

 A new testing laboratory has opened in Dharavandhoo in the Baa Atoll of the Maldives, local media reported Thursday.

State-owned PSM News reported that the new facility was inaugurated by Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem on Tuesday and was expected to begin operation on Thursday.

The facility is capable of testing 96 samples per hour and is expected to help ensure the safety of tourists and resort staff on Baa Atoll.

Maldives' COVID-19 infection tally crossed 12,000 this week with the death toll reaching 41. According to data from the Health Protection Agency, there were 812 active cases spread across 11 inhabited islands and 27 resorts.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has called to halt all movement out of the Western Province, which includes the capital Colombo, as the number of COVID-19 patients in the province saw a rise in recent weeks, local media reported Thursday.

Health officials said that in recent weeks, more than 3,000 infections had been reported in Colombo.

Following the president's decision, the Transport Ministry said all passenger buses and trains would be prohibited from leaving the province from Wednesday 10:00 pm until Nov 15. 

As of Thursday morning, Sri Lanka has recorded 15,350 confirmed cases with 46 deaths.

Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Thursday the country will not impose any lockdowns over the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hun Sen's remarks, which he posted on his official Facebook page, came following rumors that the government had planned a lockdown in the capital Phnom Penh and a ban on travel between provinces.

However, the country has closed gyms nationwide to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

Hun Sen said he has ordered the Phnom Penh municipality to distribute two million face masks to poor communities in the capital.

The health ministry reported Thursday zero newly confirmed cases. The tally remains at 301 with no deaths and 288 recoveries.  

People wearing face masks sit at a table with a plastic partition as a measure against the COVID-19 at a restaurant in Jakarta on Nov 11, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Indonesia

Indonesia is pushing for a travel corridor arrangement for Southeast Asian countries to be in place in the first three months of 2021.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said a declaration on the travel corridor will be issued during the ongoing Asean Summit. Indonesia proposed the move in June, when Thailand and Malaysia said they backed the move, while other countries haven’t signaled their support for the arrangement.

Indonesia has signed a A$1.5 billion (US$1.09 billion) loan deal with Australia’s government to be used to help combat the coronavirus pandemic in the Southeast Asian country, Indonesia’s finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Thursday.

“Everybody, all parts of society, are hurt by this COVID-19 (outbreak) and the role of fiscal policy together with other instruments, like monetary policy, is very critical during this difficult time,” Sri Mulyani told a streamed news conference.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 4,173 within one day to 452,291, with the death toll adding by 97 to 14,933, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, 3,102 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the number of recovered patients to 382,084.

Turkey 

Turkey on Wednesday banned smoking in crowded public places to slow a recent surge in symptomatic coronavirus patients, the Interior Minister said, as the government warned citizens to abide by protective measures.

Daily coronavirus cases in Turkey have recently spiked, with 2,693 patients identified on Wednesday. Ankara only reports the number of those who show symptoms, a decision which critics have said hides the true scale of the outbreak in the country.

In a nationwide notice, the Interior Ministry said the smoking ban aimed to ensure citizens comply with rules to wear protective masks properly in public because people were seen to lower them while smoking.

“For this reason, in order to ensure that masks are worn at all times and properly, as of November 12, 2020, a smoking ban will be imposed in areas and regions such as streets and avenues where citizens are or can be crowded together, necessary public squares and public transportation stops,” the ministry said.

Earlier, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged citizens to comply fully with mask wearing and social distancing rules. “I am only asking you to do what you can. Nothing more,” Koca wrote on Twitter.

Earlier this week, a partial lockdown on senior citizens was also imposed in some provinces, including the capital Ankara and its largest city Istanbul, banning citizens over 65 from being outside between 10 am and 4 pm.

People, wearing face masks, walk near the Galata bridge, in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct 25, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Israel

The number of coronavirus cases in Israel reached 321,235 on Wednesday, with 574 new cases, the state's Ministry of Health said.

The number of death cases reached 2,699, with 15 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 306 to 305, out of 544 patients currently hospitalized.

The number of recoveries rose to 310,560, with 720 new ones, while the active cases stand at 7,976.

Earlier on Wednesday, health ministries of Israel and the United Arab Emirate held a virtual meeting to plan collaborations.

According to the Israeli ministry, the two sides discussed collaborations in the fields of emergency medicine, digital health, cyber protection, medical technologies and more.

The Israeli army has banned Israelis from entering parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, citing efforts to curb the resurgence of COVID-19 outbreak.

The order, a copy of which was seen by Xinhua, forbids Israeli citizens from entering Area B, an area in the West Bank under joint Israeli-Palestinian control.

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South Korea

South Korea is in final talks with global drugmakers including Pfizer Inc over potential coronavirus vaccines as it seeks to secure supplies to cover 60 percent of its population this year, health authorities said on Thursday.

The government has allotted 172 billion won (US$154 million) to purchase an initial 60 million doses to fend off persistent COVID-19 outbreaks that have pummelled Asia's fourth-largest economy and upended daily life for its 52 million people.

This week, Pfizer said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90 percent effective amid a hastened global race to contain the pandemic which has killed more than 1 million people since it emerged in China late last year.

Health authorities said progress has been made in their negotiations with several drugmakers conducting Phase 3 clinical trials for their vaccines, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Novavax Inc.

South Korea reported 143 more cases of the COVID-19 as of midnight Wednesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 27,942.

The daily caseload hovered above 100 for the fifth consecutive day due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

Of the new cases, 52 were Seoul residents and 34 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Wednesday 3,198 new COVID-19 cases, raising the nationwide infections to 508,508.

The new cases included 1,108 in the capital Baghdad, 415 in Duhok, 280 in Sulaimaniyah, 234 in Salahudin, and 231 in Nineveh, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also reported 50 new deaths and 1,992 more recovered cases, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 11,482 and the total recoveries to 436,657.

A total of 3,055,845 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 17,378 done during the day, according to the statement.

Iraq has taken a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country.

Mongolia

Mongolia's COVID-19 tally rose to 406 on Thursday after 24 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours, according to the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD).

"A total of 644 tests for COVID-19 were conducted across Mongolia yesterday and 24 of them were positive," Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, said at a press conference.

Among the latest new cases, 21 were imported from foreign countries such as Russia, India and South Korea, Ambaselmaa said.

Mongolia will enter a state of public disaster preparedness and impose a nationwide 24-hour lockdown with effect from 6:00 am Thursday local time for five days to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Yangu Sodbaatar said Wednesday night.

The Mongolian government made the decision after the country confirmed its first locally transmitted COVID-19 case earlier Wednesday.

"The government made this decision to prevent the wider spread of COVID-19 or identify all people who had contact with locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases," Sodbaatar said, urging citizens to stay home and maintain good personal hygiene habits.

Within the framework of the decision, certain organizations such as grocery stores, supermarkets, food markets, gas stations, pharmacies, hospitals and power plants are allowed to operate normally.

Singapore

Singapore has named an expert committee to assess COVID-19 vaccine candidates and recommend the appropriate shots when they become available, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. The 14-person committee will make recommendations on the administration of vaccines to various segments of the population and advise on an overall vaccination strategy for Singapore.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 18 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,091.

All of the new cases are imported cases.

On Wednesday, five more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 57,990 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said.

New Zealand

New Zealand health officials are asking people who work in downtown Auckland to stay home Friday while they trace the movements of a person who may have contracted coronavirus from within the community.

New Zealand earlier this year succeeded in eliminating community transmission of the coronavirus by imposing a strict nationwide lockdown.

New Zealand reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including one imported and two community cases.

The first case was detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility. The person, who arrived on Nov. 9 from Los Angeles, returned a positive test around day 3 of the stay in managed isolation, and has been moved to the Auckland quarantine facility, according to the Ministry of Health.

Two new cases were detected in the community. One of them was connected to the November quarantine cluster, with Case A and Case B identified earlier. Case C, which was reported on Thursday, was a close contact of Case B and tested positive on Nov. 11, said a ministry statement.

All identified close contacts of the new case are isolating, it said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia recorded 394 new coronavirus infections and 14 more deaths, taking the tally of cases in the kingdom to 351,849 and the total deaths to 5,590.

The tally of recoveries in Saudi Arabia increased by 421 to 338,702, while 786 patients were treated in the intensive care units.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry announced 224 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 134,887.

It said 193 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 131,926, while the fatalities remained 233 for the second day running as no new deaths were reported.

Oman

The Omani health ministry announced 302 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 119,186.

Meanwhile, 303 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 109,633, while five others reportedly died, raising the tally to 1,321.

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Kuwait

Kuwait reported 778 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 134,159 and the death toll to 826 in the country.

The Kuwaiti health ministry also announced the total recoveries in the country rose to 124,905.

Palestine

Palestine reported 643 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the Palestinian territories to 72,144, including 612 deaths and 63,774 recoveries.

Thousands of Palestinians on Wednesday paid their respect at the funeral of Saeb Erekat, the state's chief negotiator, who died on Tuesday at 65 after contracting the COVID-19. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Arab members of the Israeli parliament attended Erekat's funeral.

Meanwhile, Palestine announced a new mechanism for examining cases infected with coronavirus disease, a Palestinian Health Ministry official said.

"The new mechanism includes showing the results of the examination whether it is from coronavirus or seasonal flu simultaneously," Kamal al-Shakhra, spokesman of the ministry in the West Bank, told reporters. 

The Philippines

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,407 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection on Thursday, bringing the total number in the country to 402,820.

The DOH said 211 more patients in the Philippines recovered, raising the number of recoveries to 362,417. The death toll climbed to 7,721 after 11 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.