A cashier wearing a face mask takes orders at a take away pick-up point at a restaurant in Bangkok on Jan 5, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)

CAIRO / NEW DELHI / BAGHDAD / JERUSALEM / RAMALLAH / TOKYO / ULAN BATOR / WELLINGTON / SINGAPORE / SEOUL / BANGKOK - Thailand is to order another 35 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total to nearly 63 million doses, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha confirmed Tuesday.

Prayut did not mention where the 35 million doses would come from, but stressed at a press briefing that medical personnel, those considered being at high risk of infection, elderly people and those with some chronic illnesses will be the first groups to be provided with the vaccine, which is yet to be certified by the Food and Drug Administration.

Previously, the Ministry of Public Health said that Thailand has signed a contract to order two million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China's pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. They were expected to arrive within the next three months.

Another 26 million doses, using Oxford University-AstraZeneca formula and technology but to be produced in Thailand by Siam Bioscience, are expected to be available by May of this year, according to the health ministry.

Thailand on Tuesday confirmed 527 new COVID-19 cases, most of which were reported in Myanmar migrants living in the central province of Samut Sakhon, official data showed.

Of the new cases, 521 were domestic infections, with 439 of them being reported in Myanmar migrants and Thai nationals in Samut Sakhon, where the latest coronavirus outbreak was first detected in Thailand, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin.

South Korea

The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus in South Korea passed 1,000 on Tuesday, while an increasing number of gym owners said they would reopen in protest against strict social distancing rules.

After using aggressive testing and tracing to blunt several earlier waves of the coronavirus without widespread lockdowns, South Korea has imposed increasingly strident social distancing rules as it struggles to stop its largest wave yet.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 28 new deaths and 715 new cases, for a total of 1,007 deaths and 64,979 cases overall.

President Moon Jae-in told a cabinet meeting that the country’s top goal was to make it out of the “long tunnel of coronavirus” and said the daily numbers appeared to have peaked thanks to residents.

For weeks, gyms have been among the venues forced to close under the rules, although Taekwondo and ballet classes have been allowed to continue under certain limits.

The government has said it is avoiding imposing the highest level of lockdown, which would impose a blanket ban on restaurants and other businesses that can currently still operate with some restrictions, in order to avoid economic damage.

Officials have blamed businesses that flout social distancing rules for helping to fuel the wave.

Australia

Australia’s most populous state New South Wales on Tuesday called on residents in three cities to be tested for COVID-19 and isolate, as concerns grew that a Sydney cluster may have spread to regional areas after a visitor from the city tested positive.

Concerns over the extent of the Sydney cluster saw authorities ban residents from several suburbs from attending a Dec 7 Australia-India cricket test in Sydney, and again called for widespread testing for even the mildest of symptoms.

Sydney is battling a number of clusters, the most concerning in its western suburbs which has been linked to a liquor outlet frequented by possibly thousands of people over the Christmas period.

New South Wales (NSW) state, the epicentre of Australia’s latest outbreak, on Tuesday said it had detected four new local cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, one in a man who travelled from Sydney to the outback town of Broken Hill.

ALSO READ: Indonesia says to start virus vaccinations program next week

Indonesia

President Joko Widodo is set to get vaccinated against the coronavirus on Jan 13, which would kick off Indonesia’s inoculation program.

Jokowi, as he’s commonly known, will receive the shots along with public and army representatives as a way to build confidence in the vaccine, said Heru Budi Hartono, head of the presidential secretariat. The event will be televised for the people to witness, he added.

Indonesia is seeking to begin the vaccination program as soon as possible as it grapples with the largest coronavirus outbreak in Southeast Asia with more than 770,000 cases confirmed so far.

China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd has shipped 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the country. Now, the government is waiting on the local food and drug regulator to issue emergency use authorization for the shots to begin inoculating its population, with a target of reaching 181.5 million people by March 2022. Jokowi has called on the cabinet to shorten that timeline further.

Even before the regulator’s approval, the government has started distributing the vaccines to its 34 provinces spread across the world’s largest archipelago.

India

The Indian government Tuesday said the COVID-19 vaccines will be ready for roll-out in 10 days from the emergency use authorization date based on feedback from the dry run.

"Based on the feedback of the dry run, the government is ready to introduce COVID-19 vaccine within 10 days from the date of emergency use authorization," federal health ministry secretary Rajesh Bhushan said during a briefing in New Delhi.

More confirmed cases and deaths were reported in Asia-Pacific countries on Tuesday as the death toll in India mounted to 149,850 with new 201 deaths, according to the latest data from the federal health ministry.

India's total tally rose to 10,356,844 as 16,375 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours.

There are still 231,036 active cases in the country, while 9,975,958 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment.

The confirmed cases in Indonesia rose by 7,445 within one day to 779,548, with the death toll adding by 198 to 23,109, the health ministry said.

According to the ministry, 6,643 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 645,746.

Iraq

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Monday 595 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since early last June, bringing the total nationwide infections to 598,369.

The ministry reported in a statement with 10 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 12,844, and 1,809 more recovered cases, bringing the total recoveries to 545,529.

People exercise outdoor in the Israeli Mediterranean city of Tel Aviv on Jan 4, 2021. (MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP)

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 7,473 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number in the country to 445,845.

The death toll in Israel increased to 3,435 with 23 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition rose from 761 to 793, out of 1,331 hospitalized patients, according to the ministry.

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday told a ruling party meeting a state of emergency declaration for Tokyo and the surrounding area would be decided on Thursday, local media has reported.

Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures have requested an emergency declaration, and Jiji news agency and public broadcaster NHK have said preparations are being made for a state of emergency that would take effect by Friday and last about a month.

Tokyo confirmed 1,278 new virus cases Tuesday, the second-highest on record. The capital’s total serious cases rose to 111, the highest ever, taking up half the available beds.

Shoppers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk at Tsukiji Outer Market, well known for its fresh seafood, in Tokyo, Jan 5, 2021. (KOJI SASAHARA / AP)

Lebanon

Lebanon's COVID-19 ministerial committee approved a 25-day lockdown set to start from Jan 7 until Feb 1 in an attempt to curb the pandemic.

"The situation in the country has reached a very dangerous level amid the inability of hospitals to secure more beds for COVID-19 patients which necessitates the implementation of a new lockdown," Lebanese Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan said in a press conference following the committee's meeting.

All shops and restaurants will shut their doors down except for supermarkets and pharmacies, which will open until 5 pm local time.

The committee also approved a curfew to start from 6 pm to 5 am except for doctors, nurses and journalists.

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Monday by 2,861 to 192,139, while death toll went up by 13 to 1,512.

Mongolia

A second death related to COVID-19 was reported in Mongolia, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Tuesday.

"A 76-year-old Mongolian man, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and suffered chronic heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia and chronic arterial occlusive disease of the lower extremities, died on Monday at the NCCD," Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the surveillance department of the center, said at a daily press conference.

This is the second COVID-19 related death in the country after a same-age woman died last month.

Meanwhile, 22 more locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours, bringing its national caseload to 1,308, according to the official.

New Zealand

New Zealand on Tuesday reported six new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation since the last Ministry of Health update on Jan 3.

The new border cases arrived from Britain, the United States, Switzerland, South Africa, and India, and all are currently staying in quarantine facilities of Auckland or Christchurch, said the ministry.

Sixteen previously reported cases have now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is currently 61, and the total tally of confirmed cases is 1,830, showed official data. 

Palestine

Palestine announced on Monday that it has been in contact with the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to procure 2 million doses of coronavirus vaccine.

The vaccine, according to a Palestinian government press statement, was co-developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

"The Palestinian Ministry of Health seeks to bring the vaccine as soon as possible to be able to impart immunity to the populations in the Palestinian territories," said the statement.

"The only choice we have right now is to abide by the precautionary measures until we receive our share of the vaccine soon," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye was quoted by the statement as saying.

Singapore

Singapore is in negotiations to establish potential travel lanes with Vietnam, Thailand and France, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing wrote in reply to a parliamentary question.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 24 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,721.

All of the new cases are imported cases.

READ MORE: UK's PM orders national COVID-19 lockdown in England

The Philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will not allow members of his security team to face a congressional probe for their use of an unauthorized vaccine, warning legislators of a “crisis” if they push through with an investigation.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque earlier in the day said his agency will investigate how unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines were given to Duterte’s security team and reportedly to thousands of Chinese workers. Duque was reacting to a media report that around 100,000 Chinese nationals working in the Philippines have been vaccinated as early as November even as regulators have yet to approve any vaccines for use in the Philippines.

People wearing protective face masks walk in a shopping street in Ankara, Turkey on Jan 4, 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP)

Turkey

Turkey saw the number of cases tested positive for the novel coronavirus over 2.25 million on Monday.

Turkey, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, confirmed 13,695 COVID-19 cases, including 1,508 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 2,255,607, its health ministry announced.

The death toll from the virus rose by 197 to 21,685, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,146,430 after 9,896 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

Vietnam 

Vietnam reported seven new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,504 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

The new cases, including one British and six Vietnamese citizens, recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

Among the Vietnamese cases, one was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after leaving a concentrated quarantine facility in Vietnamese capital Hanoi's suburban district of Chuong My. Authorities are conducting contact tracing and applying antiseptic measures at a number of places where the patient had been to.

The ministry also announced that 1,339 patients have recovered as of Tuesday.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's total COVID-19 cases surpassed the 45,000-mark on Tuesday after 467 patients were detected with the virus a day earlier, statistics from the Health Ministry showed.

According to official figures, out of the total 45,242 cases recorded since March 2020, 37,817 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospitals, bringing down the active cases count to 7,210.

A total of 215 deaths have been reported from the virus.

Sri Lanka is facing a second wave of the pandemic after two new clusters were detected in October 2020, from a garment factory in Minuwangoda, on the outskirts of the capital Colombo, and another from a fish market in Colombo, leading to several areas in Colombo being placed under lockdown.

Iran

Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education on Tuesday announced the first case of new COVID-19 variant in the country.

Health minister Saeed Namaki said that the patient had been hospitalized in an Iranian private hospital over the past weeks, and he has been confirmed to be infected with the new virus strain.

Iran's health ministry reported 6,113 daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,255,620.

The pandemic has so far claimed 55,748 lives in Iran, up by 98 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian health ministry during her daily briefing.

Malaysia 

Malaysia reported 2,027 new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, bringing the national total to 122,845.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 16 of the new cases are imported and 2,011 are local transmissions.

Eight more deaths have been reported, pushing the death toll to 509.

Another 1,221 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total cured and discharged to 99,449, or 81 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 22,887 active cases, 123 are being held in intensive care units and 52 of those are in need of assisted breathing. 

Indonesia

Indonesia will start the COVID-19 inoculation using vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech on Jan 13, with President Joko Widodo expected to get the first shot followed by his ministers, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

The minister made the remarks on Tuesday at a coordination meeting on preparations for the COVID-19 vaccination and enforcement of health protocols in 2021 at the Home Affairs Ministry.

The vaccination will be implemented in Indonesia's 34 provinces on the same day, Sadikin said, calling on regional heads to follow the vaccination process.

Health workers will be prioritized in the vaccination.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 7,445 within one day to 779,548, with the death toll adding by 198 to 23,109, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, 6,643 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 645,746.

Afghanistan

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday confirmed 94 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 53,105, including 7,530 active cases.

A total of 1,820 tests were conducted within the past 24 hours, and 94 were positive in 20 provinces out of 34 Afghan provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

Seven patients died within the period, taking the death toll to 2,244, the statement added.

Local health experts believe that the actual number of infections could be higher than the official figures, as many patients did not visit hospitals and there was no system to register them.

Maldives 

The Maldivian Ministry of Health has decided to extend a prevailing state of public health emergency until Feb 3, local media reported on Tuesday.

The announcement was made via a circular signed by Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem, citing the need to contain COVID-19 and prevent another mass outbreak.

The Director-General of Public Health, who is given special powers to quarantine and isolate during a public health emergency, has been advised to continue implementing containment measures.

Data from the Health Protection Agency shows that the Maldives has reported a total of 13,867 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 13,190 patients have fully recovered and 48 have died.

The Maldives declared a state of public health emergency on March 12 last year and has extended it 10 times since.