Pedestrains walk on a street during evening hour in Tokyo on Feb 4, 2021. (Philip FONG / AFP)

PHNOM PENH / JERUSALEM / BAGHDAD / BEIRUT / ULAN BATOR / WELLINGTON / MUSCAT / DOHA / SEOUL / ANKARA - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday apologized for the government's failure to discover a technical flaw in a contact-tracing app for COVID-19.

The contact-tracing app "COCOA", launched in June last year by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, uses Bluetooth wireless technology to compile records of people who have been within a distance of one meter from each other for over 15 minutes.

A survey conducted by Japan’s Health Ministry showed 0.91 percent of tested residents in Tokyo have COVID-19 antibodies, Jiji newswire reported. The survey showed a rate of 0.58 percent in Osaka and 0.54 percent in Aichi prefecture.

Drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC said on Friday it had applied for approval in Japan of its COVID-19 vaccine, making it the second pharmaceutical firm to do so after Pfizer Inc.

Lebanon

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has provided 20 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and 122 hospital beds to hospitals in Lebanon to help alleviate the strain on the Lebanese healthcare system amid the COVID-19.

Lebanon registered on Thursday 3,107 new COVID-19 cases, raising the number of infections to 312,269, the Health Ministry reported.

Meanwhile, the number of daily deaths from the virus was 82, bringing the death toll to 3,397.

Lebanese authorities have been working on securing a sufficient number of vaccines for the Lebanese population.

The country is expected to receive the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines by mid-Feb.

Australia

Australia’s biggest state will exit a snap five-day COVID-19 lockdown after reporting no cases for five straight days, as the national cabinet decided to lift the temporary caps on citizens returning from overseas from the middle of this month.

Western Australia’s state capital Perth and southwest region, home to some two million people, will exit lockdown from 6 pm local time on Friday, state Premier Mark McGowan said, adding the only reason that could change was if local cases were recorded before that time.

“I’m so relieved we have got to this point and we can get businesses and our economy back open with full confidence,” McGowan told reporters in Perth.

With community infections in the country remaining low over the last several days, Australia will relax caps on international arrivals.

Sputnik V vaccine

Both Iran and Palestine received the first batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

Iran on Thursday received the first batch of Russia-made COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, official IRNA news agency reported.

The second batch of Sputnik V vaccine will arrive in Iran in two weeks and the third by Feb 28, said Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali.

Iran reported 7,040 new COVID-19 cases and 67 more deaths on Thursday, pushing up its tally of infections to 1,445,326 and death toll to 58,256.

Palestine also received the first shipment of 10,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, said Hussein al-Sheikh, Palestinian minister of civil affairs.

"The shipment of the vaccines will be enough for 5,000 people," Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila said, adding priority in the vaccination will be for medical staff, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases.

Palestine on Thursday reported 661 new coronavirus cases and eight more deaths, taking its total infections to 181,349 and death toll to 2,050. The total recoveries in Palestine increased by 419 to 170,349.

Afghanistan 

A total of 65 new COVID-19 positive cases have been registered in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, bringing the number of patients to 55,330 in the country, said a news release of the Public Health Ministry on Friday.

One patient died due to the disease over the past 24 hours, totaling the number of deaths to 2,408 since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020 in Afghanistan.

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh reported 435 new COVID-19 cases and seven more deaths on Friday, making the tally to 537,465 and the death toll to 8,182, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The official data showed that 15,566 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

The total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 482,424 including 507 new recoveries on Friday, said the DGHS.

Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Friday that an inoculation drive against COVID-19 will start from Feb. 10 after the first batch of China-donated Sinopharm vaccines is due to arrive in the kingdom on Sunday.

Cambodia confirmed three new imported COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 470, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement.

Two Indians - a man and a woman in their 20s - tested positive for the virus upon their arrival in the country on Wednesday from India via a connecting flight in Singapore, the statement said.

A Cambodian woman, 63, was confirmed positive for the virus in her second test on the 13th day of her quarantine, it said, adding that the woman returned to the kingdom on Jan. 22 from the United States via a connecting flight in South Korea.

ALSO READ: Almost a quarter of India contracted COVID-19

An Israeli health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at Clalit Health Services, in a gymnasium in the central Israeli city of Hod Hasharon, on Feb 4, 2021. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

India

India's federal health ministry said Friday that 7,580 cases of adverse reactions had been observed following COVID-19 vaccination by Jan. 31.

India is set to receive the most number of COVID-19 vaccine doses - 97.2 million shots - in the first tranche of distribution from the World Health Organization’s COVAX initiative, despite the fact that supply in the country currently appears to outstrip demand.

The COVAX initiative, aimed at creating equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines especially for developing countries, is planning to distribute 337.2 million doses at the end of this month, the first delivery of some 2 billion shots it’s ordered so far.

According to an interim distribution forecast published Wednesday, the second-biggest tranche of 17.2 million shots will go to Pakistan, followed by 16 million doses to Nigeria and 13.7 million to Indonesia. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will receive 2 million shots.

The large allocation to India is likely to raise eyebrows given that the country currently seems to have plenty of shots, but few takers. Only around half of those eligible to get vaccinated in its inoculation drive have come forward, and local media reports say that India producer Serum Institute of India is sitting on over 55 million doses and has temporarily halted production.

Pfizer Inc has withdrawn an application for emergency-use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in India that it has developed with Germany’s BioNTech, the company told Reuters on Friday.

The US company, which was the first drugmaker to apply for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in the country, had a meeting with India’s drugs regulator on Wednesday and the decision was made after that, the company said.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,802,591 on Friday as 12,408 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry.

According to the official data, the death toll mounted to 154,823 as 120 COVID-19 patients died since Thursday morning.

Indonesia

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 11,749 within one day to 1,134,854, with the death toll adding by 201 to 31,202, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, 9,674 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 926,980.

Iran

Iran’s health ministry recorded 7,061 new coronavirus cases and 80 deaths in the past 24 hours. The country has reported 1,452,387 infections and 58,336 fatalities so far, according to official figures.

Israel

Israel's COVID-19 reproduction number, also known as the R number, has risen to 1, the state's Ministry of Health said on Friday.

The R number is an indicator used to determine the pace of the COVID-19 spread, as reproduction rate means the average number of people that a person carrying the virus goes on to infect.

Israel, with the highest proportion of citizens vaccinated against COVID-19 in the world, found it took three weeks for the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shot to start curbing new cases and hospitalizations.

Researchers in the Middle Eastern country reported preliminary observations Wednesday from a national immunization program that began Dec. 20. Improvement in the number of new cases and hospitalized patients occurred 21 days following the vaccination campaign, the scientists said, noting that the real-life effect of vaccines may take longer than what was demonstrated in clinical trials.

Israel’s cabinet voted overnight to extend the country’s lockdown to Sunday morning from Friday, and agreed to begin gradually reopening parts of the economy next week.

Starting Feb. 7, restrictions on movement will be lifted while certain businesses will be able to reopen. Ministers will meet Sunday to further discuss the country’s exit plan from its third lockdown.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 7,237 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising the total tally in the country to 674,453.

The death toll from the COVID-19 in Israel reached 4,993 after 65 new fatalities were added, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 1,104 to 1,098, out of 1,686 hospitalized patients.

Hindu holy men wearing facemasks walk during the annual Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad on Feb 4, 2021. (SANJAY KANOJIA / AFP)

Iraq

The Chinese government has donated 50,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Iraq, the Chinese embassy in Baghdad said on Thursday.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the Chinese embassy said that the friendly step by the Chinese government came to "help Iraq overcome the COVID-19 pandemic as soon as possible."

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 1,150 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 624,222.

The ministry also reported in a statement 12 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 13,091. And 1,090 cases recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 596,959.

Malaysia

Malaysia on Friday reported 3,391 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing its total tally to 234,874.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that four of the new cases are imported and 3,387 are local transmissions.

Another 19 deaths were reported on the day, raising the COVID-19 death toll to 845.

Mongolia

Mongolia registered 38 new COVID-19 cases, raising its national caseload to 1,928, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Friday.

The latest cases were detected in the country's capital Ulan Bator, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's surveillance department, said at a daily press conference, urging citizens to stay at home, maintain good personal hygiene habits and keep social distance.

Myanmar

Myanmar is set to kick off vaccination for the general public Friday, starting with townships with the highest number of infections and mortality rate, according to Khin Khin Gyi, director of emerging infectious disease at the Ministry of Health and Sports. Authorities will prioritize those 65 and above in the initial phase.

Myanmar’s military, which seized power earlier this week, has vowed to inoculate 38.4 million people 18 and older by the end of this year. The administration expects the first batch of 30 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine ordered from the Serum Institute of India to arrive next week and 27 million doses from the COVAX facility from March.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported one case of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Friday. There are no new cases in the community.

The new border case came from India and has been staying in an Auckland isolation facility, according to the Ministry of Health.

Oman

The Omani health ministry on Thursday announced 185 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the sultanate to 135,041, the official Oman News Agency reported.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry on Thursday announced 407 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 152,898, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

A worker removes snow to clear a path on a plaza in front of the City Hall in Seoul on Feb 4, 2021. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP)

South Korea

South Korea’s drug safety ministry approved Celltrion’s COVID-19 treatment for high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms. The approval is under the condition that Celltrion submits results of its Phase 3 clinical trial.

South Korea reported 370 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 80,131.

The daily caseload was down from 451 in the previous day, falling below 400 in three days.

The daily number of infections hovered above 100 since Nov. 8 last year owing to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

READ MORE: Japan to punish virus rule breakers as toll tops 6,000

Thailand

Thailand on Friday confirmed 586 new COVID-19 cases, mostly via active testing in Samut Sakhon province, where the latest outbreak was first detected in mid-December, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Of the new cases, 573 were domestic infections while 13 others referred to imported cases, CCSA spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan said.

The Philippines

The Philippines will make it mandatory to wear masks inside all vehicles, even for passengers from the same household, the Transport and Health Departments said in a statement. Only drivers traveling alone may remove masks, while violators face fines, according to the statement.

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Friday 1,894 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 533,587.

The death toll climbed to 11,058 after 61 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 397 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 488,274.

The PNG

China has decided to assist Papua New Guinea (PNG) with a batch of vaccines to help the country completely overcome the pandemic, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with PNG's Acting Foreign Minister and Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Rainbo Paita.

Noting the mutual respect and mutual trust between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, Wang said China and PNG have always supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and that bilateral relations have become a model of friendly exchanges between China and Pacific Island countries.

Turkey

Turkey on Thursday confirmed 7,909 new COVID-19 cases, including 627 ones with symptoms, raising the total number in the country to 2,508,988.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 113 to 26,467, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,396,199 after 8,815 more recovered in the last 24 hours, the country's health ministry said.