A Thai soldier in protective gear disinfects a school to combat the spread of COVID-19, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan 28, 2021. (MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP)

NEW DELHI / PHNOM PENH / TEHRAN / BAGHDAD / JERUSALEM / VIENTIANE / BEIRUT / ULAN BATOR / YANGON / MUSCAT / DOHA / SINGAPORE / MANILA  / ANKARA / KUALA LUMPUR / KABUL / BANGKOK / DHAKA / HANOI / JAKARTA / ISLAMABAD / KUWAIT CITY - The number of Thailand's new confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to fall Monday, with most of the new infections found via active testing, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Thailand reported 186 new cases and no additional deaths, bringing the tally to 23,557, with fatalities remaining at 79.

A batch of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to Thailand between February and April, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday.

Meanwhile, another batch of AstraZeneca vaccine from Europe will be delivered to Thailand for use later this year, according to Disease Control Department Director General Opas Kankawinphong.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry reported 27 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the country's infection tally to 55,386.

There were currently a total of 4,928 active cases.

Meanwhile, the death toll went up by one to 2,414, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, more than 264,790 virus tests had been carried out in Afghanistan as of Monday.

Australia

Australia on Monday moved to reassure its citizens over the efficacy of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after South Africa suspended use of the shot because data showed it offered limited protection against a new strain of the virus.

“There is currently no evidence to indicate a reduction in the effectiveness of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines in preventing severe disease and death. That is the fundamental task, to protect the health,” Minister for Health Greg Hunt told reporters in Canberra.

Australia is expected approve the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine within days. Last month, it approved the use of the Pfizer -BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, although it has secured enough doses for less than half of its population and orders remain delayed.

Australia, however, is under less pressure to begin COVID-19 inoculations after successfully suppressing the spread of virus.

On Monday, just one new local case of COVID-19 was reported.

Australia has had just over 28,800 cases in the past year and 909 deaths.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh recorded 316 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 more deaths on Monday, bringing its tally to 538,378 with 8,221 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The total number of recoveries rose to 483,931 after 559 new recoveries were added, said the DGHS.

Cambodia

A chartered flight carrying the first batch of the China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Cambodia on Sunday, welcomed by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

Hun Sen has said a vaccination drive against COVID-19 will be launched in Cambodia on Feb 10 with the country's medical workers, armed forces members, teachers, journalists, tuk-tuk and taxi drivers, and garbage collectors being among the first people to take shots.

Cambodian authorities have authorized the emergency use of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in the country, noting that "the vaccine is used safely in China and other countries."

India

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,838,194 on Monday even as 11,831 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the official data, the death toll mounted to 155,080 as 84 COVID-19 patients died since Sunday morning.

This was the third consecutive day when the death toll recorded in a single day was below 100.

There are still 148,609 active cases in the country, while 10,534,505 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment.

A health worker gets vaccinated for the COVID-19 in Surabaya on Feb 8, 2021. (JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP)

Indonesia

Indonesia is extending restrictions to focus on specific regions as it continues to battle the worst coronavirus outbreak in Southeast Asia. 

The new restrictions, which will run from Feb 9 until Feb 22, will impose different limitation on movements in certain districts and regencies, depending on their severity, according to an order issued by the Home Ministry. Restrictions will be eased in locations where improvements are seen.

Indonesia started vaccinating its elderly medical workers against the coronavirus for the first time on Monday, after initial uncertainty over whether seniors would be prioritized in a country battling one of Asia’s worst epidemics.

A total of 811,000 health workers in Indonesia have received the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech as of Monday, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 167,000 healthcare workers have been given the second shot, Sadikin added.

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The deaths include 647 medical workers, according to data from the Indonesian Medical Association, one of the highest rates globally.

Iran

Iran's health ministry reported 7,321 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the cumulative caseload to 1,473,756.

The death toll went up by 67 to 58,536, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

Of the newly reported cases, 707 were hospitalized, said Lari.

Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki announced on Sunday that vaccination against COVID-19 will start on Tuesday, official news agency IRNA reported.

Inoculation will start for the population groups most at risk: Doctors and nurses working in contact with COVID-19 patients at intensive care units, Namaki said.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Sunday 1,134 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 628,550.

The new cases included 177 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 261 in Najaf, 123 in Basra, 120 in Wasit, and 87 in Karbala, while the other cases were detected in other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also reported nine new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 13,120, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 1,026 to 600,193.

An Israeli soldier receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, at an Army base, in Rishon Lezion, central Israel, Feb 7, 2021. (TSAFRIR ABAYOV / AP)

Israel

Israel on Sunday began to lift COVID-19-related restrictions, almost six weeks after entering a third nationwide lockdown to curb the outbreak.

The ban on travelling more than 1,000 meters from home was lifted and some businesses started reopening.

Schools and kindergartens have remained closed and outgoing and incoming flights are still banned, except for exceptional cases.

Israel entered its third nationwide lockdown on Dec 27, 2020 as a large-scale COVID-19 vaccination was rolled out. So far, about 3.4 million have received the first shot of the vaccine.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 3,610 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 688,934.

The death toll from the COVID-19 in Israel reached 5,097 after 40 new fatalities were added, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 1,124 to 1,102, out of 1,719 hospitalized patients.

Japan

Tokyo reported 276 new infections as an easing trend in the Japanese capital continues. While the beginning of the week typically brings lower tallies, the number is the smallest for a Monday since Nov 16.

The capital's cumulative total of infections has now risen to more than 104,000 people. 

The Japanese government is considering lifting the state of emergency in 10 prefectures early depending on the virus situations ahead of the expiry date of March 7, Asahi reported, without attribution. The government plans to hold virus meetings Friday, and may decide to lift the emergency in Gifu prefecture if the situation in the neighboring Aichi prefecture also improves.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported on Monday 996 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 171,994 and the death toll to 969, the health ministry announced.

The ministry also reported another 582 patients have recovered, taking the total recoveries in Kuwait to 162,120. It added there were 8,905 patients still receiving treatment.

Minister of Health Bassel Al-Sabah said Sunday that the majority of the COVID-19 vaccinations in the country is expected to be completed by September.

Laos

A batch of China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the Lao capital Vientiane early on Monday.

The YTO Express cargo plane carrying the Chinese-made vaccines arrived at Wattay International Airport at around 1:00 am local time.

Lao Minister of Health Bounkong Syhavong and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong received the vaccines at the airport.

At the airport, Bounkong expressed the gratitude for the support from the Chinese government and the people in Laos' anti-pandemic efforts.

Lebanon

Lebanese authorities on Monday gradually started to ease a lockdown that was imposed in the country to curb the spread of COVID-19.

During the first phase, the public sector, banks, supermarkets and public transport will resume operations, while other sectors including cars companies, travel agencies and trade sector will open later this month and in March.

Lebanon registered on Sunday 2,081 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 319,917, the health ministry reported.

The death toll went up by 54 to 3,616 in the country.

Lebanon is expected to receive the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.

Malaysia

Malaysia on Monday reported a daily record 24 deaths from COVID-19, raising total fatalities to 896.

Health authorities also reported 3,100 new coronavirus cases, bringing the cumulative total to 245,552. 

Mongolia

Mongolia registered 50 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, raising its national tally to 2,073, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Monday.

"We conducted 12,252 tests during the past 24 hours, out of the total tests, 50 were positive in the capital city Ulan Bator," Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's surveillance department, said at a daily press conference.

Health workers gives the first-time dose of COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine to a woman, part of the 65 years and older tier, at a school being used as a vaccination site in Yangon on Feb 5, 2021. (PHOTO / STR / AFP)

Myanmar

Myanmar recorded 54 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing its total tally to 141,423, according to a release from the Ministry of Health.

A total of five more COVID-19 deaths were reported on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 3,175, the release said.

Oman

The Omani health ministry on Sunday announced 633 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number in the sultanate to 135,674, official Oman News Agency reported.

Pakistan

Pakistan received a batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese military during a handover ceremony held on Monday at the Noor Khan Air Base near Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday delivered a batch of COVID-19 vaccines to the Pakistani military at the latter's request, China's Ministry of National Defense said Sunday.

Pakistan has so far reported 555,511 COVID-19 cases with 12,026 deaths, according to the data released by Pakistan's Health Ministry on Monday. 

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry on Monday announced 427 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 154,525, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

Another 123 people have recovered, bringing the overall recoveries to 147,033, while the death toll rose by one to 251, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA.

In this Jan 28, 2021 photo, a worker wearing a protective face mask and shield wipes the railing of the Helix bridge in Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore is pushing back a pilot program to bring officials and business people into the nation and put them in a “bubble,” the Business Times reports. Under the original plan for the Connect@Singapore initiative, the first travelers would have arrived in mid- to late January. The Singapore Tourism Board said it has not yet chosen operators for the facilities where these visitors would stay.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 24 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 59,699.

Of the new cases, 23 are imported and one is in the community.

People walk along an alleyway lined with restaurants in Seoul on Feb 5, 2021. (ED JONES / AFP)

South Korea

South Korea on Monday reported 289 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, the lowest number in 11 weeks. 

Meanwhile, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said another 13 US soldiers and two civilians in South Korea have tested positive for COVID-19. The USFK said in a statement that the 15 individuals were diagnosed after arriving in South Korea between Jan 21 and Feb 6.

The South Korean government over the weekend relaxed social distancing rules, allowing longer opening hours for some retail businesses. Restaurants, coffee shops and gyms outside the capital Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province will now be permitted to stay open until 10 pm, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at a meeting on Saturday.

In recent months South Korea has been battling its largest and most persistent wave of infections, with daily cases peaking at more than 1,200 over the Christmas holiday.

Despite the drop in cases since then, authorities have been hesitant to ease unprecedented social distancing restrictions ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday from Feb 11, when tens of millions of Koreans usually travel across the country to family gatherings.

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The Philippines 

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Monday 1,690 new confirmed cases of COVID-19,  bringing the country's total tally to 538,995.

The death toll rose to 11,231 after 52 more patients died from the coronavirus epidemic, the DOH said. It added that 23 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 499,772.

The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, has tested over 7.58 million people since the viral disease emerged in January last year.

Turkey

Turkey on Sunday confirmed 6,670 new COVID-19 cases, including 623 symptomatic patients, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 2,531,456, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 112 to 26,797, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,440,706 after 8,201 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded 49 new cases of COVID-19 infection on Monday, all locally transmitted, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 2,050 with 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

As many as 1,472 patients have been released from observation, the ministry said, adding that there were nearly 89,800 people under quarantine.

At a meeting with the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on Monday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked major cities with outbreaks as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to apply social distancing rules at suitable scales to effectively combat the pandemic. Under strict rules, public gatherings of more than two people would be banned and people should should stay at home except for emergencies.

The latest wave of COVID-19 infections hit the country on Jan 28, with 467 community cases so far confirmed in 12 cities and provinces, according to the ministry.