A health worker administers the Covishied vaccine for COVID-19 at a hospital in Hyderabad, India, April 6, 2021. (MAHESH KUMAR A. / AP)

SYDNEY / JERUSALEM / KUWAIT CITY / BEIRUT / BAGHDAD / MUSCAT / DOHA / TEHRAN / SINGAPORE / SEOUL / KATHMANDU / NEW DELHI / WELLINGTON / ULAN BATOR / BISHKEK / BANGKOK / MANILA / PHNOM PENH - Many Indian state leaders have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open up vaccinations to most of the country’s hundreds of millions of adults, following a second surge in infections that has eclipsed the first wave.

India reported 96,982 new coronavirus infections overnight, taking the overall tally of cases to 12.7 million, data from health ministry showed on Tuesday.

The country reported 446 deaths, taking the total to 165,547, data showed.

There are still 788,223 active cases in the country, while a total of 11,732,279 people have recovered.

The country, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, this month expanded its vaccination program to include everyone above the age of 45. So far it has vaccinated only about 1 in 25 people, compared with nearly 1 in 2 in the United Kingdom and 1 in 3 in the United States.

The federal government has said it will widen the vaccination campaign in the “near future” to include more people, and that vaccine supplies are being stepped up.

In view of the recent surge in new cases, the Indian government has sent 50 high level multi-disciplinary public health teams to Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab states, officials said Tuesday.

The Delhi government decided to impose a 10 pm-5 am curfew in a bid to curb the rising graph of COVID-19 cases.

Australia

Australia on Tuesday said it had not yet received more than 3 million doses of previously promised AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses amid export curbs by the European Union, leaving a major hole in its early nationwide inoculation drive.

Authorities had pledged to administer at least 4 million first doses of the vaccine by end-March, but could only vaccinate 670,000 after the European Union blocked AstraZeneca vaccine exports to Australia in the wake of the drugmaker’s failure to meet its shipment pledge to the bloc.

Australia began vaccinations much later than some other countries due to low case numbers, recording just under 29,400 COVID-19 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began. But the AstraZeneca dose delay leaves it struggling to step up the pace of its vaccination drive.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, tasked to help with the rollout of the nationwide inoculation program from May, said on Tuesday that slow domestic vaccine approvals and logistics issues will now push deliveries to June.

Michael Kidd, the acting chief medical officer, said the number of general practitioner (GP) clinics administering vaccines would be doubled to 3,000 by Sunday and would rise further to 4,000 by the end of April.

Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered health officials on Tuesday to prepare to treat coronavirus patients at home, as the country’s biggest COVID-19 outbreak so far tests the capacity of its fragile healthcare system.

Cambodia had one of the world’s smallest coronavirus caseloads until six weeks ago, but an outbreak in late February has led to its first 22 COVID-19 deaths and a five-fold jump in cases to 2,824.

A total of 1,794 patients are currently being treated in hospitals that are near capacity, Hun Sen said in an audio message shared widely on Tuesday and reported by local media.

“We can’t accept all patients in case that cases increase further,” Hun Sen said.

“We have fewer people recovered and many people being admitted for treatment and even if we set up a few more hospitals, it is not enough,” he said.

“Keep those with mild cases of COVID-19 at home for treatment,” he added.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s government expanded movement restrictions to Aceh, Riau, South Sumatra, North Kalimantan and Papua, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said in a statement Tuesday. 

Curbs are now being implemented in 20 provinces through April 19.

Iran

Iran's health ministry on Monday reported 13,890 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative tally to 1,945,964.

The death toll rose by 172 to 63,332, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

Of the newly infected, 2,048 were hospitalized, Lari added.

A total of 1,658,978 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery while 4,095 patients remained in intensive care units, she noted.

The fourth wave of the epidemic is progressing rapidly from the west to the east of the country, Lari said, advising people to use masks and refrain from gatherings, parties, weddings and mourning ceremonies.

Currently, 88 Iranian cities are on red alert for a high risk of infection, while 139 others on orange alert for a medium risk, the spokeswoman said.

Earlier in the day, the Iranian health minister said that cities were expecting the resurgence of one of the "most terrible" COVID-19 waves.

READ MORE: India's COVID-19 infections surge with over 93,000 new cases

Iraq

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Monday 6,423 new coronavirus cases, raising the tally to 879,991.

The new cases included 2,412 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 561 in Basra, 519 in Duhok, 418 in Wasit, and 355 in Maysan, while the other cases were detected in other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also reported 39 more deaths, raising the death toll to 14,502, while the total recoveries went up by 5,664 to 784,199.

It said that 10,964 people were vaccinated during the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses administered to 103,006.

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 353 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the total number of infections in the country to 834,563.

The death toll rose by two to 6,245, while the number of patients in serious conditions decreased from 344 to 323, out of a total of 489 hospitalized patients.

This is the lowest number of patients in serious conditions in Israel since Dec 10, 2020.

The total recoveries went up by 665 to 823,280 while the number of active cases dropped to 5,038.

The number of people vaccinated surpassed 5.27 million, or 56.7 percent of its total population.

Meanwhile, the country's COVID-19 reproduction number, also known as the R number, increased from 0.66 to 0.71.

The number of active coronavirus cases among Israeli soldiers dropped by 14 on Monday to 18, according to data issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is the lowest number of active COVID-19 patients in the Israeli army since March 21, 2020, when there were 14 active patients among soldiers.

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday said that COVID-19 cases are surging in two western prefectures, including Osaka, but the situation did not mean that the country was entering the fourth wave of infections.

Suga made the remarks while responding to a question from main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) member Yukihito Koga, who asked Suga whether the COVID-19 state of emergency in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures ended too early in late February.

Suga said that there is a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in both prefectures and that more people were moving around Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures since a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo region was lifted two weeks ago.

However, Suga said that despite concerns that in addition to the two western prefectures, cases may also rise again in Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures again, "the current situation has yet to reach a major nationwide surge that can be called a fourth wave," public broadcaster NHK quoted Suga as saying.

On Monday, stricter measures came into effect for Osaka, Hyogo and Miyagi prefectures. The tougher measures will be effective for one month until May 5.

Tokyo on Monday reported 249 new COVID-19 infections, while Osaka confirmed 341 cases. Infection numbers, however, tend to be lower on Mondays as fewer hospitals and clinics are open on weekends.

"The virus is rapidly spreading in the central areas of the three prefectures," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of the nation's virus response.

"We will swiftly utilize the stronger measures to prevent it from spreading to the entire region," he said.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek has entered the red zone as the novel coronavirus continued to spread in the city, a local health official said on Tuesday.

Quarantine measures are possible and will depend on the epidemiological situation, Uluk-Bek Bekturganov, deputy minister of health and social development, said at a briefing.

According to the latest data by the Ministry of Health, 124 new COVID-19 cases were registered over the past day nationwide, including 77 in Bishkek.

So far, the country has recorded a total of 89,277 COVID-19 cases, including 30,908 in the capital city.

Kuwait

The Kuwaiti health ministry reported on Monday 1,357 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number infections in the country to 238,549.

The ministry also announced 12 more fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,365, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,326 to 223,269. 

A total of 13,915 coronavirus patients were still receiving treatment, including 216 in intensive care units.

Laos

Laos has vaccinated more than 4,000 people, including frontline healthcare workers, with doses received from COVAX. The UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator Sara Sekkenes Tollefsen, is supporting the country's vaccination campaign, which kicked off on Friday, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

So far, the country has received more than 130,000 doses, with another 350,000 expected to arrive next month, Dujarric added.

Lebanon

Lebanon registered on Monday 1,001 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 480,502 in the country, the health ministry reported.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the virus went up by 34 to 6,443.

Malaysia

Malaysia will continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Star reported, citing Health Minister Adham Baba. 

The decision was taken because the vaccine has more benefits than drawbacks, the report cited Baba as saying. The country on Friday granted conditional registration to the vaccine supplied through the COVAX facility.

Malaysia reported 1,070 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the cumulative tally to 352,029, the health ministry said on Monday.

Seven more deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 1,295.

Another 1,294 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 336,456, or 95.6 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 14,278 active cases, 180 were in intensive care units and 89 of those were in need of assisted breathing.  

Mongolia

Mongolia reported its highest daily count of 831 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the infection tally to 11,651, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, one more death and 79 new recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 17 and the total number of recoveries to 6,010, according to the center.

So far, more than 414,000 people have been vaccinated in the country.

Myanmar

The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar rose to 142,530 as of Monday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

A total of 19 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Monday.

The death toll remained at 3,206 in the country, according to the release.

Nepal

Nepali Health Minister Hridayas Tripathi on Monday warned that a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Nepal could reach its highest point in the period from late June to early July this year, if the health protocols were not enforced effectively.

Speaking at Nepal's House of Representatives, Tripathi stressed the need of timely identifying the suspected cases of COVID-19 and sending people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 into quarantine centers.

According to the health ministry, Nepal had earlier witnessed two waves of the coronavirus pandemic. 

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces conditions for quarantine-free travel with Australia, in Wellington, New Zealand, April 6, 2021. (MARK MITCHELL / NEW ZEALAND HERALD VIA AP)

New Zealand

Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will start on April 19, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday.

Ardern said the conditions for starting to open up quarantine-free travel with Australia have been met.

“Our team’s success in managing COVID-19 and keeping it out over the past 12 months now opens up the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones and resume Trans-Tasman travel,” Ardern said in a news conference.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that to be eligible to travel to or from New Zealand on a quarantine-free flight, people must not have had a positive COVID-19 test result in the previous 14-day period and must not be awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test taken during that 14-day period.

Air New Zealand Ltd and Qantas Airways Ltd said on Tuesday they would ramp up flights between Australia and New Zealand to at least 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels once the travel bubble opens.

New Zealand reported 17 imported cases in two days with zero community infections, according to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday.

The total number of active cases in New Zealand stood at 74, and the total number of confirmed cases stood at 2,168.

Oman

Oman will allow only citizens and residents to enter its territory starting from Thursday amid a growing number of COVID-19 cases which is pressuring the health care system, the Gulf state's coronavirus committee said on Monday.

"The committee also extended an evening ban on all commercial activities until the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, scheduled to start in mid-April," the official Oman News Agency quoted a committee statement as saying.

A 8pm- 5am curfew would be lifted on Thursday, but it would be reimposed during the Ramadan from 9 pm to 4 am, according to the statement.

Earlier on Monday, the Omani health ministry announced that the COVID-19 caseload rose to 164,274 after 1,117 new infections were added, while the overall recoveries totaled 147,539 and the death toll reached 1,722.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry on Monday reported 910 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number of infections in the Gulf state to 184,334, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

The total recoveries increased by 489 to 166,441 while the death toll went up by three to 306, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA.

A total of 1,766,354 persons in Qatar have been tested so far, while a total of 934,843 vaccine doses have been administered.

Travelers wait in the departure hall of Changi International Airport in Singapore on March 15, 2021. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore will next month accept visitors who use a mobile travel pass containing digital certificates for COVID-19 tests and vaccines, its aviation regulator said on Monday, becoming one of the first countries to adopt the initiative.

Singapore will accept the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mobile travel pass for pre-departure checks, where travelers can get clearance to fly to and enter Singapore by showing a smartphone application containing their data from accredited laboratories

Singapore will accept the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mobile travel pass for pre-departure checks, where travelers can get clearance to fly to and enter Singapore by showing a smartphone application containing their data from accredited laboratories.

The pass was successfully tested by Singapore Airlines. More than 20 carriers, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines, are also testing the pass.

“The success of our joint efforts will make IATA’s partnership with the government of Singapore a model for others to follow,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Phuket in mass vaccination drive ahead of the rest of Thailand

Currently, travelers from most countries are required to take pre-departure COVID-19 swab tests within 72 hours of their flights in order to travel to Singapore, with results presented at airport check-in and on arrival.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 17 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, all imported, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 60,495.

The number of recoveries increased by 12 to 60,214, the ministry said. There were 46 patients in hospital, including one in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

South Korea

South Korea reported 478 new cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Monday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 106,230.

The daily caseload was slightly up from 473 in the previous day, staying below 500 for two days.

Four more deaths were also reported, lifting the death toll to 1,752. The total fatality rate stood at 1.65 percent.

Thailand

Thailand's COVID-19 cases continued to surge as 250 new cases were confirmed on Tuesday, of which nearly two-thirds of the fresh infections were reported in the capital Bangkok, according to a report of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Of the new confirmed cases, 245 were domestic infections while five others were imported, according to the CCSA report.

Some 156 of the domestic cases were confirmed in Bangkok, 30 in Narathiwat, 20 in Samut Prakan and 18 in Chonburi among other provinces, the report says.

Most of the cases in Bangkok were reported as a cluster, which was reportedly spread from entertainment venues in the capital city and others in neighboring provinces.

In total, Thailand's total caseload stood at 29,571. So far, 27,948 patients have fully recovered while 1,528 others were still hospitalized.

The death toll remained at 95.

The Philippines 

The Philippines recorded 382 deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest daily toll, bringing its total fatalities to 13,817, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The DOH also reported 9,373 new infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 812,760.

The DOH explained that 341 deaths were unreported due to "a technical issue with the case collection systems" over the past week.

"The 382 deaths reported today already include those not reported in previous counts," the DOH added, insisting that "the Philippines' cumulative case fatality rate remains low at 1.7 percent."