A woman walks past shuttered shops at Jerusalem's main market, Israel, on Sept 25, 2020, amid a second COVID-19 lockdown. (EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP)

JERUSALEM / ANKARA / BAGHDAD / DHAKA / KUALA LUMPUR / TEHRAN / HANOI / KABUL / NEW DELHI / MUSCAT / YANGON / BANGKOK - The resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Israel will lead to a new round of tightened restrictions, and possibly the country’s third lockdown, Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch said.

On Tuesday, new cases rose to 2,862 - past the 2,500 threshold the government had set for stricter limitations. Israel has been slowly reopening its economy after exiting its second lockdown in mid-October, but now most retail and public-facing workplaces will be closed again, Kisch said.

“We won’t go into a full shutdown” but “we are on the edge of another wave and we have to reduce the numbers and the infection rate,” Kisch said. “Only work without public interaction will be accepted and all the rest will be closed.”

The country hopes to avert a third lockdown as it begins administering Pfizer Inc’s vaccine this month, but Kisch said a further shutdown is still possible if the new restrictions aren’t effective.

Kisch sees a 60 percent vaccination rate as the threshold to reverse Israel’s outbreak. But he’s worried about resistance, and expressed concern that if Israel calls early elections amid the current budget turmoil, then vaccine messaging could suffer.

Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday a new aid program for the self-employed and small- and medium-sized businesses, to deal with the coronavirus crisis. The new program mainly includes extending and strengthening the existing support programs, and easing the criteria for granting state-guaranteed loans.

ALSO READ: Saudi Arabia announces 3-phase rollout of vaccine program

Thailand

Thailand's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Wednesday health investigators had discovered COVID-19 virus traces on door knobs at an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) facility which might be the source of a cluster of infections among Thai frontline healthcare workers working there.

The CCSA has already instructed all ASQ facilities to clean the floors and sanitize door knobs, said CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin.

Six nurses in Bangkok tested positive for COVID-19 last week, with health investigators questioning whether these nurses had worn proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear when interacting with arriving travelers undergoing the 14 day quarantine period.

The CCSA on Wednesday reported 15 new COVID-19 cases among arrivals from abroad in state quarantine.

In total, Thailand has reported 4,261 confirmed cases, of whom 3,977 have recovered while 224 others are still being treated in hospitals.

The death toll remained at 60.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported 1,632 new COVID-19 cases and 27 more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the tally to 495,841 and the death toll to 7,156, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The total number of recoveries rose to 429,351 after 2,622 new recoveries were registered, the DGHS said.

Iran

Iran's Health Ministry reported 7,603 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, raising the nation’s tally to 1,131,077.

A total 52,883 people have died in Iran, up by 213 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. It was the lowest number of daily fatalities since Oct 10.

Of the new cases, 1,157 were hospitalized, said Lari.

A total of 844,430 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, while 5,678 remain in intensive care, Lari added.

The ministry also reported that around 22 percent of the country’s nurses had so far been infected.

Myanmar

The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar reached 111,900 as of Wednesday, according to a release from the country's Health and Sports Ministry.

According to the release, 1,233 new cases and 27 more deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.

The death toll rose to 2,346 while a total of 90,453 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery.

Oman

Oman has reported 116 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 126,835, the Omani Health Ministry said Wednesday.

The country also registered five additional deaths, taking its death toll to 1,480, the ministry tweeted.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection on Wednesday, according to its Ministry of Health.

The tally remained at 1,405 with 35 deaths.

The ministry said 1,252 patients have recovered as of Wednesday.

Meanwhile, nearly 18,400 people are being quarantined and monitored, the ministry said. 

Afghanistan

Afghanistan on Wednesday registered 230 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its tally to 49,970.

The Ministry of Public Health said in a statement that 16 more patients have died, raising the death toll to 2,017.

The number of recoveries rose by 148 to 36,648. 

Women wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus sit during regional election in Bali, Indonesia, Dec 9, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

Indonesia

Indonesia will provide free coronavirus vaccines to its citizens when the world’s fourth most populous nation starts its inoculation program, President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday, adding he would get the first shot to reassure people on safety.

The sprawling, developing country received its first shipment of vaccines, 1.2 million doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech in early December, but is awaiting emergency use authorization from its food and drug agency.

Another 1.8 million doses are expected to be delivered in January with the government previously saying that healthcare workers in Java and Bali would be prioritized.

Speaking in a video statement from the state palace in Jakarta, Widodo said he had instructed the finance minister to reallocate spending to fund the inoculation program.

Amid concens over vaccine safety and whether shots would be halal, an issue for many in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, the president said he would be the first recipient.

Indonesia’s COVID-19 tally increased by 6,725 in the past 24 hours to 636,154, while the death toll rose by 137 to 19,248, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

In a break down, West Java recorded 1,434 new cases, Jakarta 1,221, East Java 755, South Sulawesi 447 and Central Java 421.

Another 5,328 patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 521,984, according to the ministry.

Indonesia is looking to secure 246.6 million vaccine doses and has also been in negotiations with Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and global vaccine program COVAX.

South Korea

South Korea reported a record 1,078 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, up from 880 a day earlier, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s website.

Total deaths rose by 12 to 616.

The city government of Seoul, South Korea's capital, announced its plan Wednesday to conduct COVID-19 tests on all employees in high-risk facilities including restaurants and religious facilities.

The COVID-19 tests will be carried out on all people working in Seoul for restaurants, religious facilities, call centers, nursing homes, child care services, courier companies and sewing factories as well as taxi and bus drivers and those working at public transport services.

Workers at the high-risk facilities will be tested for the virus free of charge regardless of symptoms.

Australia

Australia’s most populous state on Wednesday reported its first coronavirus case in nearly two weeks after an airport worker tested positive prompting authorities to suggest international flight crews should also quarantine after arriving.

A 45-year old man who shuttles international airlines staff to the airport tested positive for COVID-19, New South Wales (NSW) state Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters.

Hazzard said the government will talk to international airlines in the next 48 hours to suggest changes to existing quarantine rules for air crew.

Australia has reported just over 28,000 cases of COVID-19 and 908 deaths since the pandemic began but estimates there are less than 50 active cases remaining, mostly returned travelers from overseas in hotel quarantine.

The federal government has launched a campaign urging Australians to "make time" for their mental health after a taxing year.

According to the National Mental Health Commission (NHMC) on Wednesday, the prevalence of mental illness and psychological distress has soared in 2020 amid bushfires, drought and the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 4,300 people are contacting the government's Head to Health support website per day compared to fewer than 1,000 at the same point in 2019.

In response the NMHC on Wednesday launched the "Make Time" campaign, urging Australians to share their stories to help overcome mental distress to a new website.

Turkey

Turkey reported on Tuesday 32,102 COVID-19 cases, including 5,105 symptomatic patients, raising its total number of coronavirus infections to 1,898,447, Turkish Health Ministry announced.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 235 to 16,881, while the total recoveries climbed to 1,661,191 after 29,247 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours, it said.

The rate of pneumonia in Turkish COVID-19 patients stands at 2.9 percent and the number of seriously ill patients in Turkey is 5,988, the ministry said.

A total of 206,190 COVID-19 tests were conducted over the past day, bringing the overall number of tests in Turkey to 21,490,195.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Tuesday 1,391 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide number to 577,363.

In a statement, the ministry also reported 11 new deaths and 2,165 more recovered cases in the country, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 12,614 and the total recoveries to 511,639.

A total of 3,969,282 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 35,467 done during the day, according to the ministry statement.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, held its weekly meeting and discussed means to enhance the government measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, al-Kadhimi's media office said in a statement.

Iraqi Minister of Health Hassan al-Tamimi briefed the meeting on the epidemiological situation in the country, pointing out that the death rate is constantly decreasing with the improvement of the ministry's medical services.

Al-Tamimi noted that the number of daily infections is decreasing despite the increase in the COVID-19 testing capacity.

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

Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 16 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,341.

Among the new cases, 15 are imported cases and one is linked with the dormitories of foreign workers.

On Tuesday, 23 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 58,233 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan recorded 147 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 75,241, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.

The death toll in the country stood at 612 while a total of 72,522 people have recovered, according to the figures released by the ministry.

Earlier this week, Uzbekistan banned ministries, state organizations and companies with state shares to hold parties for the New Year.

Japan

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday reported 678 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours in the Japanese capital.

The latest figure marked a new record for a single-day tally in Tokyo, surpassing the previous record of 621 coronavirus infections reported last Saturday.

Due to the surge in coronavirus cases in Japan and especially in urban areas recently, the government said on Monday that it will suspend the "Go To Travel" campaign during the upcoming holiday period and that Tokyo will be excluded from the subsidized tourism program beginning Friday due to high numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Subsidized trips to Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture were also halted, similarly owing to disproportionately high infection rates of the pneumonia-carrying virus.

Tokyo, the hardest hit by COVID-19 among all Japan's 47 prefectures, has now seen its cumulative total of infections rise to 48,668, according to preliminary figures for Wednesday.

This compares to the nationwide total reported on the previous day of close to 185,000 cases. 

Japan on Tuesday confirmed 2,431 new daily COVID-19 infections, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 184,732, not including those related to a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier this year.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan more than doubled in November from a month ago as the country eased coronavirus-related travel restrictions during the month, government data showed on Wednesday.

Total foreign arrivals rose to 56,700 in November from 27,400 in October, although that was a 98 percent drop from a year earlier, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

READ MORE: S. Korea warns of toughest curbs after 2 days of record cases

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 261 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections to 146,710, while the death toll increased by one to 913. The Kuwaiti Health Ministry also announced that the total recoveries in the country rose to 142,599.

Qatar

In Qatar, the health ministry announced 151 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 141,272. Meanwhile, 200 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 138,919, while its death toll remained at 241 for the second day running.

The UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 1,226 new cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 187,267.

The tally of recoveries in the UAE rose to 165,023 after 674 more patients recovered from the virus, while its death toll climbed by four to 622.

India

India's COVID-19 tally reached 9,932,547 on Wednesday as 26,382 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 144,096 as 387 COVID-19 patients died since Monday morning.

Delhi has been one of the most COVID-19 affected places in the country. As many as 1,617 new cases and 41 deaths were registered in the national capital during the past 24 hours. On Monday the total death toll in the city had crossed the 10,000-mark.

There are still 332,002 active cases in the country, while 9,456,449 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment, added the ministry's latest data.

Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up COVID-19 testing facilities across the country, as more than 150 million tests have been conducted.

The government of the eastern state of Bihar has approved a proposal for providing free COVID-19 vaccine to all the people in its jurisdiction, officials said Wednesday.

According to officials, health workers will be given the doses against the COVID-19 in the first round.

Pakistan 

Pakistan registered 2,731 new COVID-19 cases and 105 relevant deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry reported on Wednesday.

The country's COVID-19 tally has now reached 445,977, while the death toll mounted to 9,010, said the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in the latest update.

A total of 2,510 cases remain in critical condition and 388,598 patients have recovered, said the ministry. 

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan police on Wednesday launched an urgent manhunt for a COVID-19 patient who escaped from a hospital located in western Sri Lanka, police said.

According to Sri Lanka's National Operation Center for the Prevention of COVID-19, the 43-year-old male patient ran away while receiving treatment in the Welisara Chest Hospital late on Tuesday.

The state intelligence and police departments jointly launched an urgent operation to search for the COVID-19 patient.

Police released the man's picture on social media and have sought public assistance to nab him.

Police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana told reporters that the patient had provided a fake address to the authorities when he was admitted to hospital.

He added that to date six people, who were all drug addicts had escaped from hospitals while being treated for COVID-19 infection, but all of them were nabbed within hours.  

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has said it is mandatory to conduct proper clinical trials locally before using any drug or vaccine to prevent the COVID-19 virus, local media reported Wednesday.

The Philippines

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Wednesday reported 1,156 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, bringing the total number in the country to 452,988.

The DOH said 425 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 419,282. The death toll climbed to 8,833 after 21 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.

The capital Manila is seeing an increase in the number of COVID-19 transmissions, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said, noting that rising infections in 12 out of the 16 Metro Manila cities.

Armenia 

Armenia on Wednesday reported 1,098 new COVID-19 cases, taking its national total to 150,218, the country's National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported.

Data from the NCDC showed that 1,242 more patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide count to 128,694.

With 27 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll from the virus amounts to 2,556.

Laos

Lao authorities have considered the provision of the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V after its certification in Russia is complete.

According to local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday, Lao Minister of Science and Technology Boviengkham Vongdara and Minister of Health Bounkong Syhavong held a teleconference with Russia's State Research Center to discuss the possibility of COVID-19 vaccination trials in cooperation with Russia.

The two sides discussed the possible supply of Russian-made vaccines to Laos after the third stage of the certification procedure in Russia is complete, according to a press release from the Lao Ministry of Science and Technology.

During their talks, the Lao ministers and Russian representatives discussed future cooperation to improve the professional knowledge and skills of medical staff and upgrade equipment at Lao hospitals designated for the observation and treatment of COVID-19 patients, according to the Lao Ministry of Health.

The two parties also agreed that medical experts from both countries would partner in efforts to prevent and control COVID-19, according to the report.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported four new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Wednesday since the last media statement on Monday, with no new cases in the community.

Seventeen previously reported cases have now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 43 and the total number of confirmed cases is 1,744, according to the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.

Two cases who are part of the same family arrived on Dec. 9 from overseas. Both people tested positive on the third day and are now in quarantine in a facility in Christchurch, said a ministry statement.

Two cases who traveled together arrived on Thursday from overseas.

Uzbekistan 

Uzbekistan reported 155 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 75,396, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.

The death toll in the country stood at 612 while a total of 72,661 people have recovered, according to the ministry.

Earlier this week, Uzbekistan banned ministries, state organizations and companies with state shares to hold parties for the new year.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s government on Wednesday declared a state of emergency to stop by-elections in two constituencies scheduled for next month, as the country grapples with a spike in coronavirus cases over the past few months.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a statement the king had assented to the request to impose an emergency in the Bugaya constituency in Sabah on Borneo, the state that health authorities believe was the epicenter of the country’s third wave of infections, and the Gerik constituency in Perak state.

Malaysia reported 1,295 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Wednesday, bringing the national total to 87,913.

Of the new cases, 10 were imported while the rest were locally transmitted, Noor Hisham Abdullah, director-general of the ministry, said at a press briefing.

More than half of the new cases were reported in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and the adjacent Selangor state, majority of which resulted from mass testing in construction sites or factories.

Meanwhile, seven more deaths were also reported, taking the toll to 429.

The number of recoveries rose by 1,052 to 72,733.

There were 14,751 active cases, including 113 in intensive care and 53 in need of assisted breathing.