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Sunday, November 29, 2020, 18:16
Indonesia reports record jump in new COVID-19 cases
By Agencies
Sunday, November 29, 2020, 18:16 By Agencies

People wearing face masks shop at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov 28, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

SEOUL / NEW DELHI / BAGHDAD / ANKARA / JAKARTA / YANGON / HANOI / JAKARTA / DHAKA / KUALA LUMPUR / PHNOM PENH / WELLINGTON / SINGAPORE / ULAN BATOR - Indonesia’s new coronavirus infections surged by the most since the outbreak began, with the Central Java province overtaking Jakarta in the increase in daily cases. 

The government confirmed 6,267 new cases in the 24 hours through midday Sunday, with Central Java accounting for a third of them.

While Jakarta remains the virus hot spot with more than a quarter of the country’s confirmed cases, other provinces are starting to see more infections after many Indonesians traveled during a long weekend in October. 

A total of 180 doctors in Indonesia have died in the pandemic, the Indonesian Medical Association said on Saturday.

The government is considering whether to cut short the year-end public holiday if officials can’t safely curb the spread.

Australia

A large number of South Australians are being urged to get a coronavirus test — even if they do not have symptoms — in the wake of an infected man leaving quarantine and visiting several shops and businesses in Adelaide last Sunday, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. 

The man, in his 30s, is believed to have caught the virus through a casual contact at Flinders University.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported 1,908 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases and 36 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing its total tally to 460,619 with 6,580 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The total number of recoveries rose by 2,209 to 375,885, said the DGHS.

Cambodia

Cambodia has reported six cases of COVID-19 in the community for the first time, forcing the temporary closure of Aeon Mall 1 in the capital's Chamkarmon district, Ministry of Health's spokeswoman Or Vandine said in a statement on Sunday.

A 56-year-old Cambodian woman and his husband, 56, as well as four other family members, who reside in capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap province, tested positive for on Saturday, Vandine said, adding that they have been sent to isolation wards in Phnom Penh for treatment.

This case can be considered as the first case of community transmission. Please do not leave home if it is not necessary. 

Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Cambodia's prime minister

The woman, whose origin of infection is still unknown, had a cold for three days before going to test for the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, the spokeswoman said, adding that she unknowingly spread the virus to her husband, who is the director-general of the Interior Ministry's prisons, and other family members.

According to Vandine, the infected woman also did shopping at the Aeon Mall 1 about a week ago.

"This case can be considered as the first case of community transmission," Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said in an audio message sent to the public late on Saturday. "Please do not leave home if it is not necessary."

Also on Sunday, the Ministry of Health confirmed a new imported COVID-19 case involving a Cambodian-US woman, who arrived in Cambodia from the United States on Friday via a connecting flight in South Korea.

Cambodia has so far recorded a total of 315 confirmedcases, the Ministry of Health said, adding that none have died and 301 have recovered. 

DPRK

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has intensified coronavirus prevention measures around its border areas, strengthening protocols and monitoring of movements, KCNA reported Sunday.

India

India's COVID-19 tally reached 9,392,919 on Sunday as 41,810 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, according to the latest data released by the federal health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll rose to 136,696 after 496 additional deaths were logged.

India's vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) said Saturday it will apply for emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks .

The announcement was made by SII chief Adar Poonawalla after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

SII has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccine - COVISHIELD.

Poonawalla said India would be purchasing 300-400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from SII.

On Saturday, Modi conducted a whirlwind three-city tour and visited the Zydus Cadila facility in the western city of Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech’s facilities in the southern hub of Hyderabad and SII's sprawling campus in the western city of Pune.

Following the visits, Modi said India’s role in developing vaccines was a global good and he was pleased with the rapid progress being made.

People walk through a closed bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, Nov 22, 2020. (VAHID SALEMI / AP)

Iran

Iran’s Health Ministry on Saturday reported a slowdown in coronavirus infections, saying that 89 of 160 cities were out of the designated high risk category.

“I thank our dear people for taking the appropriate precautions and tolerating the restrictions,” Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said on state TV, adding that public adherence was 90 percent.

Still, the government on Saturday announced the closure of most non-essential government offices in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.

A health ministry spokeswoman reported 13,402 new cases on Saturday, pushing the national tally to 935,799. Deaths rose by 391 in the past 24 hours to 7,486, Sima Sadat Lari told state TV.

ALSO READ: Iran's COVID-19 cases top 900,000

President Hassan Rouhani said in televised remarks that he had instructed Iran’s Central Bank to provide the funds needed to import coronavirus vaccines.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Saturday 1,606 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily increase since July, taking the tally to 548,821.

Of the new cases, 508 were posted in the capital Baghdad, 201 in Nineveh, 194 in Kirkuk, and 139 in Duhok, the ministry said in a statement.

Israel

The Israeli health ministry reported 824 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, raising the total number of infections in the country to 334,626.

The death toll rose to 2,845 after six additional fatalities were registered, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 278 to 276, out of a total of 495 patients hospitalized.

The number of recoveries reached 321,857 after another 511 patients have recovered, while the number of active cases rose to 9,924.

On Sunday, high school classes will resume in cities and towns defined as "green" or "yellow" with a low morbidity level of the virus.

Jordan

Jordan reported 3,108 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total number of cases to 210,709. 

The death doll rose by 56 to 2,626, while thhe number of recoveries increased by 2,373 to 142,710.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 319 new COVID-19 cases and one more death Saturday, raising the tally of infections to 142,195 and the death toll to 875.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry also announced the recovery of another 586 patients, taking the total recoveries in the country to 135,889.

Malaysia

Malaysia has recorded 1,315 new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 63,176.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that five of the new cases were imported while the rest were local transmissions.

Four more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 354.

Of the remaining 11,508 active cases, 118 are being held in intensive care and 43 of those are in need of assisted breathing.  

Mongolia

Mongolia reported 24 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, raising the national tally to 784, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Sunday.

One of the latest confirmed cases was imported while the rest were transmitted domestically, said Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, at a daily press conference.

A total of 352 locally-transmitted cases have been reported nationwide, notably in capital Ulan Bator and provinces of Selenge, Darkhan-Uul, Govisumber, Orkhon, Dornogovi and Arkhangai.

A total of 354 patients have recovered so far, while there were six patients now in critical condition, according to the center.

Myanmar

Myanmar's national-level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment for COVID-19 on Saturday extended the period of preventive measures to Dec 15.

According to a release from the Health and Sports Ministry on Saturday, Myanmar recorded 1,344 new COVID-19 infections with 22 more deaths in the past 24 hours.

As of Saturday, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 87,977 while the death toll has risen to 1,887, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, the Road Transport Administration Department under the Ministry of Transport and Communications issued an announcement on the resumption of new vehicle registrations starting Dec 1 at its branches in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay.

According to the announcement, the registration operations for new vehicles will be carried out with daily limited numbers of vehicles in order to avoid mass gatherings.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported one new case of COVID-19 detected in managed isolation on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the new case involves a recent returnee from Jordan via Dubai. No new community cases of COVID-19 were reported.

There were currently 69 active cases. Overall, New Zealand has reported 1,696 confirmed cases in total, said the ministry.

The Philippines

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Sunday reported 2,076 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally to 429,864.

The daily increase broke a 19-day streak of less than 2,000 new cases per day.

Meanwhile, the DOH said 10,579 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 398,624. 

The death toll climbed to 8,373 after 40 more deaths were registered, the DOH added.

President Rodrigo Duterte will announce on Monday whether to retain or ease lockdown restrictions in the capital Manila and other regions in the country.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano told radio DZBB in an interview that the coronavirus task force will meet Duterte on Monday to brief him on the COVID-19 situation. Duterte will make a statement after the meeting, he added.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry announced 227 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 138,477.

Meanwhile, 281 more patients have recovered, bringing the overall recoveries to 135,651, while the death toll remained unchanged at 237 for the fourth consecutive day, according to a ministry statement.  

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk through a market in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov 27, 2020. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)

ROK

Authorities in the Republic of Korea (ROK) announced a ban on year-end parties and some music lessons on Sunday and said public saunas and some cafes must also close after coronavirus infections surged at their fastest pace since the early days of the pandemic.

What ROK authorities are calling a third wave of infections is spreading at the fastest rate in nearly nine months, driven by outbreaks at military facilities, a sauna, a high school and churches

Authorities reported 450 new infections on Sunday after more than 500 cases were recorded for three days in a row, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

What authorities are calling a third wave of infections is spreading at the fastest rate in nearly nine months, driven by outbreaks at military facilities, a sauna, a high school and churches.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said restrictions would be tightened on gatherings and activities seen as prone to virus transmission, especially in the capital Seoul and surrounding urban areas.

“Year-end events and parties hosted by hotels, party rooms, guest houses and other accommodation facilities will be banned outright,” Chung said at a briefing after meeting health officials.

Saunas and steam-bath rooms with a high risk of mass infection would also be banned as would the teaching of wind musical instruments and singing, he said.

For rest of the country, social distancing rules would also be tightened from Tuesday, he said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries and Medical Appliances Corp. signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with German biotech company CureVac NV to provide a COVID-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia.

The availability of the vaccine is subject to approval from the kingdom’s Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Authority, Saudi Pharma said. The MoU includes the possibility of extending the supply and distribution rights in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

CureVac’s coronavirus vaccine showed a good immune response in early trials and its chief executive officer said advanced clinical trials are on track to start by year-end. 

Saudi Arabia's deputy health minister had said earlier this month that the kingdom is working on a plan to obtain sufficient amounts of coronavirus vaccines.

Saudi Arabia has reported a total of 356,911 confirmed cases and 5,870 deaths. On Saturday, 220 new cases and 13 more deaths were reported. 

READ MORE: COVID-19: New infections in Tokyo top 500 for second day

Singapore

A Singaporean woman, who was infected with the novel coronavirus in March when she was pregnant, has given birth to a baby with antibodies against the virus, which causes COVID-19, offering a new clue as to whether the infection can be transferred from mother to child.

The baby was born this month without COVID-19 but with the virus antibodies, the Straits Times newspaper reported on Sunday, citing the mother.

The World Health Organization says it is not yet known whether a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her foetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery.

Turkey

Turkey has recorded 30,103 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily tally ever recorded in the country, the Health Ministry said Saturday.

The total number of symptomatic COVID-19 patients in Turkey stood at 487,912. 

The death toll rose by 182 to 13,373, while the total recoveries climbed to 396,227, said the ministry.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 1,252 new coronavirus infections and two more deaths, bringing its total COVID-19 cases to 166,502 and the death toll to 569. 

The tally of recoveries rose by 741 to 153,449.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported two new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the tally to 1,341 with 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The newly confirmed patients, both Vietnamese citizens, recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

Nine more patients have recovered, raising the total recoveries to 1,179N.

There were nearly 16,000 people under quarantine.


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