A worker carries a basket past pedestrians at Eminonu Square in Istanbul on Dec 15, 2020. (BULENT KILIC / AFP)

SYDNEY / JAKARTA /  BAGHDAD / RAMALLAH / SEOUL / ANKARA / SINGAPORE / ISLAMABAD / WELLINGTON / NEW DELHI / ULAN BATOR / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / NUR-SULTAN / BANGKOK / KUALA LUMPUR / TOKYO / BISHKEK / DHAKA / YANGON - Turkey plans to start COVID-19 vaccinations using the Chinese-made Sinovac Biotech Ltd shots as early as next month, before it completes human trials, officials said, as the country’s daily death toll from the virus hits new highs and intensive-care beds fill up.

The government has published a change to regulations that allows the new timeframe.

So-called phase 3 trials involving 12,500 people are yet to reach the midway mark and will only be completed in February, according to a member of the COVID-19 Science Board, a body of health professionals that advises authorities. The official asked not to be named because he isn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The vaccinations will be administered based on the results from final trials in Indonesia and Brazil, as well as “interim analyses” in Turkey, a government official said, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity. No serious side effects from the Chinese vaccine have been observed, the official said.

Turkey reported on Thursday a record high of 243 daily deaths from the COVID-19, as its total number of infections exceeded 1.95 million.

The Turkish Health Ministry announced 27,515 new COVID-19 cases, including 4,209 symptomatic patients, as the total cases in the country hit 1,955,680.

The death toll rose by 243 to 17,364, while the total recoveries climbed to 1,721,607 after 30,494 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

People line up for a COVID-19 coronavirus testing at Mona Vale Hospital in Sydney on Dec 18, 2020. (STEVEN SAPHORE / AFP)

Australia

An outbreak of COVID-19 in the Australian city of Sydney grew to 28 on Friday, with domestic border restrictions reintroduced for hotspot areas.

The cluster of cases appeared this week on Sydney's Northern Beaches in the State of New South Wales (NSW), and local residents were told to stay home for the next three days if possible.

Genomic testing revealed the strain of virus originated overseas, likely in the United States. However, it was not known how it spread into Australia.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called on all Sydneysiders to abide by officials' advice, saying she was confident the outbreak could be contained in time for Christmas if protocols were followed.

"We do have the potential to get on top of it, but it does require hard work on the behalf of all of us," Berejiklian said.

The new cases prompted other Australian states to tighten their border restrictions, reintroducing mandatory quarantine periods on arrivals from areas deemed high risk.

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Bangladesh

Bangladesh recorded 1,318 new COVID-19 cases and 25 more deaths on Friday, bringing its tally to 498,293 with 7,217 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The total number of recoveries rose by 2,024 to 433,614, said the DGHS.

The Ministry of Education said in a statement that the government has extended the closure of all educational institutions till Jan 16 next year.

Brunei

Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Friday with the national tally of cases standing at 152.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, the last active case being treated at the National Isolation Center has recovered, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 149. There is no active cases in the country.

A health worker (right) takes a nasal swab of a passenger for a COVID-19 coronavirus RT PCR and Rapid Antigen test at a railway platform in Mumbai on Dec 14, 2020. (SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP)

India

India's COVID-19 tally has almost touched 10 million as it reached 9,979,447 on Friday.

As many as 22,890 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 144,789 as 338 COVID-19 patients died since Thursday morning.

Delhi has been one of the most COVID-19 affected places in the country. As many as 1,363 new cases and 35 deaths were registered in the national capital during the past 24 hours. So far as many as 10,182 people have died in the national capital due to COVID-19.

Trivendra Singh Rawat, chief minister of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, said on Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

In this Nov 11, 2020 photo, a waiter serves beverages to customers sitting at a table with a plastic partition as a measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus at a restaurant in Jakarta. (ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Indonesia

Indonesia’s capital is stepping up movement restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus as more people are set to travel to and from the city over the year-end holiday.

Jakarta, already a hotbed of COVID-19 cases in the country, is limiting activities at various public places from Friday until Jan 8, 2021, according to a statement Thursday. Offices must close by 7 pm, while restaurants, shopping malls, movie theaters and tourist sites must shut by 9 pm. On Christmas and New Year public holidays, recreational sites must close by 7 pm.

Officials will also increase monitoring of those traveling into the city and will check that travelers can show the negative results of their rapid antigen tests. Public transport will operate until 8 pm only.

Indonesia's tally rose by 6,689 in a day to 650,197, while the death toll climbed by 124 to 19,514, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

Specifically, Jakarta recorded 1,587 new cases, West Java 987, East Java 819, South Sulawesi 531 and Central Java 354.

According to the ministry, 5,016 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 531,995.

Iran

Iran recorded 7,121 fresh coronavirus cases and 178 deaths in the past 24 hours, marking the lowest number of daily fatalities since Sept 26. 

So far, the country’s health ministry has reported a total of 1,145,651 infections and 53,273 deaths.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Friday 1,362 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nation's tally to 581,811.

The new cases included 358 in the capital Baghdad, 251 in Kirkuk, 182 in Nineveh, and 114 in Duhok, according to a ministry statement.

The ministry also reported 20 more deaths and 1,770 new recoveries, taking the death toll to 12,670 and the total recoveries to 517,091.

Medical staff workers light Hanukkah candles and celebrate with patients at the COVID-19 isolation ward of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center - Ichilov Hospital in Israel's Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on Dec 15, 2020. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 3,313 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 367,633.

The death toll rose to 3,050, with 19 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 393 to 413 out of 709 patients hospitalized.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan recorded 264 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the national total to 78,679, health authorities reported Friday.

The death toll climbed by three to 1,324, according to data published by the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19.

The number of recoveries rose by 395 to 72,051.

Meanwhile, 1,773 patients are being treated in hospital with 82 in intensive care. Another 2,649 patients are receiving home treatment.

Japan

Japan on Friday confirmed 2,827 new daily COVID-19 cases, bringing the nation's cumulative total of people infected to 193,755, not including those related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Tokyo posted 664 new COVID-19 cases.

Elsewhere, the western prefecture of Osaka reporting 309 new cases, while Tokyo's neighboring prefecture of Kanagawa confirmed 295 infections.

Aichi Prefecture saw cases rise by 219, Hokkaido Prefecture confirmed 141 additional infections, while Saitama Prefecture, also close to Tokyo, added 201 new cases, the latest statistics showed.

The national death toll, meanwhile, stood at 2,839.

Pfizer has become the first drugmaker to seek approval for the use of its COVID-19 vaccine in Japan by filing a request with the health ministry on Friday.

The Japanese government and Pfizer have already reached a basic agreement that the firm will supply 120 million doses of the vaccine, enough to inoculate half of Japan's population, by the end of June next year.

Jordan

Jordan on Thursday reported 2,221 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total infections to 269,806, according to official statistics.

The country also reported 31 more deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 3,496, according to data issued by the country's Health Ministry via Facebook.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan reported 690 new COVID-19 cases over the past day, taking its total caseload to 145,213, the country's health ministry said Friday.

So far, the country's total death toll has reached 2,147 and 129,525 people have recovered, according to the ministry.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 221 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections to 147,192, while the death toll remained at 913.

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 1,683 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Friday, bringing the nation's tally to 90,816.

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

The death toll remained at 432 while the number of recoveries rose by 1,214 to 75,244.

Of the remaining 15,140 active cases, 106 were in intensive care and 51 of those were in need of assisted breathing.

Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who coordinates the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions, said that restrictions already in place in Kuala Lumpur, the adjacent Selangor state and the eastern state of Sabah, where the majority of cases in the country were recently reported, would be extended to Dec 31.

He said the government has also approved the relaxing of restriction on social, tourism and sports in the country, including the hosting of international-level sports games and for local athletes to travel overseas for competitions soon. It will ease restrictions beginning Dec 19 nationwide, except for areas under enhanced movement control orders.

Mongolia

Mongolia reported 18 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its national total to 941, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Friday.

The latest confirmed cases were locally transmitted and detected at the capital city Ulan Bator's Bayanzurkh District General Hospital, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, said at a press conference.

Myanmar

The number of COVID-19 infections has risen to 114,198 in Myanmar as of Friday, according to a release from the Health and Sports Ministry.

The country reported 1,116 new COVID-19 cases and 21 more deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the release.

As of Friday, the death toll stood at 2,398 while the number of recoveries stood at 92,916.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Friday since the last media statement on Wednesday, with no new cases in the community.

Two previously reported cases have recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 51 and the total number of confirmed cases is 1,754, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday.

Oman

In Oman, the health ministry on Thursday announced 184 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 127,019.

The ministry urged everyone to adhere to social distancing instructions issued by the Supreme Committee and the ministry of health.

Pakistan

Pakistan on Friday registered 2,972 new COVID-19 cases, taking its total infections to 451,494, according to official statistics.

The country also reported 84 more deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 9,164, according to data issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in its latest update.

Palestine

The Palestinian government decided on Thursday to close all schools and universities in the West Bank to curb the spread of novel coronavirus.

"The new decision came as part of other strict measures that have been imposed on the West Bank in light of the significant increase of the number of infections among the Palestinians," said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye at a press conference.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported 2,149 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, including 1,015 cases in the Gaza Strip, raising the total coronavirus cases in the Palestinian territories to 106,840.

Singapore

All five babies born to women with COVID-19 infection during a study in Singapore have had antibodies against the virus, although the researchers said it is not yet clear what level of protection this may offer.

The findings from a study of 16 women released on Friday also found that most were mildy infected, while more severe reactions occurred in older women with a high body mass index - a trend that is mirrored in the general population.

Of the five who had delivered their babies by the time the study was published, all had antibodies, according to the Singapore Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Network.

The number of antibodies in the babies varied, and was higher among those whose mothers’ had been infected nearer to the time of delivery, the researchers said. Further monitoring is required to see whether the antibodies will decline as the babies get older, they added.

Office workers and city government employees receive a COVID-19 novel coronavirus test at a temporary testing centre outside city hall in Seoul on Dec 17, 2020. (ED JONES / AFP)

South Korea

South Korea reported 1,062 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 47,515.

The daily caseload stayed above 1,000 for three straight days for the first time, with a record daily high of 1,078 on Wednesday and 1,014 on Thursday each.

The daily number of COVID-19 infections hovered above 100 for 41 days since Nov 8 due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

The cluster infections were linked to religious facilities, nursing homes, workplaces, and schools as well as gatherings among families and acquaintances.

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Sri Lanka

The World Health Organization (WHO) country office for Sri Lanka, with financial support worth 2 million euros (US$2.45 million) from the European Union (EU), will help improve emergency response capacities in Sri Lanka to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka said in a statement Friday.

The support will focus on several key areas, including enhancing the effectiveness of COVID-19 case management as well as preventing infection.

An airline flight crew wearing a face mask as a preventative measure against COVID-19 coronavirus walks through the departure terminal of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on Dec 18, 2020. (JACK TAYLOR / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand has four new local coronavirus infections, health officials said on Friday, just as the country has started reopening for tourists after months of keeping the virus at bay.

A 67-year-old woman who sells shrimp in the Samut Sakhon province was confirmed to have the infection, senior health official Sopon Iamsirithaworn told a news conference, adding that three of her family members later also tested positive.

She did not have a history of travelling outside the country, the official said, adding they were waiting for the results of the tests of 165 other people who had been in close contact with the woman.

Local cases have been in the single-digits in recent months, with most of them found in people observing quarantine after having been in close contact with an infected person. Most of Thailand’s recent cases have been imported.

Thailand has managed to keeping infections relatively low, reporting a total of 4,297 cases and 60 COVID-19 deaths, but the success has come at a cost to its tourism-dependent economy.

The new infections come as authorities on Thursday began easing travel restrictions to allow foreign tourists to return to the country in a bid to revive its battered tourism industry.

The Philippines

The Philippines has lined up key measures to support economic recovery for President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval, as it aims for a strong rebound in 2021 after plunging into recession this year amid the pandemic.

Congress has approved a record $93.6 billion spending plan for 2021, and allowed unspent funds from this year’s budget and pandemic relief package to be rolled over to next year.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported three new cases of COVID-19 infection on Friday, bringing its total caseload to 1,410 with 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

All the new cases involved Vietnamese citizens who recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

It said that three more patients have been given the all-clear, raising the total recoveries to 1,266.