Indonesian President Joko Widodo speaks during an interview on April 7, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

CANBERRA / SEOUL / JERUSALEM / DUBAI /  BANGKOK / OSAKA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo slammed richer nations for vaccine nationalism that’s hampering the world’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines and prolonging the global pandemic.

“We must give vaccine access to all countries,” Jokowi, as the Indonesian leader is known, said in an interview on Wednesday. “Poor countries, developing countries, developed countries must be given equal treatment. If not, the pandemic will not end.”

While nearly 700 million doses have been administered worldwide, the vast majority of them went to people in richer countries and vaccine-producing nations. The European Union has sought to block shipments, while countries like the US and the UK secured orders for more doses than their entire population needs.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s Covax initiative to supply developing countries has been held back by slow funding and moves by vaccine producers like India that sought to safeguard enough supply for domestic use.

The Indonesian government will slow the pace of vaccination because of a shortage of doses due to an embargo in several producing countries, the Health Ministry said in a statement. 

Indonesia will get a total of 20 million doses of COVID -19 vaccine in March and April compared with a previous plan of 30 million, with shipments to return to normal in May. The government is focusing on vaccinating the elderly during the supply shortage.

Australia 

Australia said on Wednesday it will ask the European Union to release more than 3 million doses of AstraZeneca PLC’s COVID-19 vaccine, testing Brussel’s claim it is not blocking shipments, as the country struggles to vaccinate its population.

The European Union on Tuesday denied blocking vaccine shipments to Australia, which has fallen dramatically behind in its scheduled vaccination programme. The EU said it was not responsible for AstraZeneca’s failure to uphold commitments to other countries.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia was asked by the EU to withdraw export permit applications and letters requesting supplies have gone unanswered.

Morrison said if the EU was now indicating its willingness to release shipments, he would again ask for the 3.1 million doses to be released. The 3.1 million doses were scheduled to arrive in Australia by the end of March.

“We obviously want those millions of doses,” Morrison told reporters in the capital Canberra.

Cambodia 

A 14-day ban on travel between provinces started in Cambodia on Wednesday in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The ban took effect from April 7 with the exception for vehicles transporting goods, officials, healthcare workers, armed forces members and patients, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said in a decision on late Tuesday.

He added that commuter vehicles transporting garment factory workers will also be excepted from the ban if they hold an approval letter from the labor ministry or provincial labor departments.   

"The ban is aimed at combating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 from one province to another," Hun Sen said.

He said the capital Phnom Penh and its surrounding Kandal province are considered as one region and travel between them will not be prohibited.

India

India’s fight against a renewed wave of coronavirus infections is beset by vaccine shortages in several states and cities including the financial capital, Mumbai.

The nation’s worst-hit state, Maharashtra, has only three days worth of vaccines in stock, Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters Wednesday, even as the country reported a record of over 115,000 daily new cases. Maharashtra alone accounts for some 55,000 infections. Other states, including southern Andhra Pradesh is also running low on shots, according to the Economic Times.

India reported a record number of new infections, adding 115,736 cases in a day and pushing the total past 12.8 million. The Asian nation has the third-largest outbreak and is closing on Brazil to reclaim a spot as the second-worst hit country. Deaths rose to 166,177, according to health ministry data. More than 87 million have received a vaccination shot.

The surge in cases has forced two of its largest cities -- Mumbai and Delhi -- to impose partial lockdowns, including night curfews and strict work-from-home orders. Experts have warned that India’s complacency in tracking the new mutant virus strains poses a challenge in its battle against the new wave of cases.

Chief Minister of India's northeastern state of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19.

Deb took to social media announcing he has the infection and is currently in home isolation.

Iran

All of Iranian provinces' capitals have been categorized as "red zones" with high risk concerns pertaining to the new wave of COVID-19 in the country, Tasnim News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The red zones were displayed in a demographic map released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the report said.

Many of the Iranian provincial capitals were in the blue, or risk-free, category during the Iranian New Year holidays beginning on March 21.

Iran reported 17,430 new COVID-19 cases as the country is facing the fourth wave of the pandemic, raising its nationwide caseload to 1,963,394.

The pandemic has so far claimed 63,506 lives in Iran, up by 174 in the past 24 hours. A total of 1,667,079 people have recovered from the disease or been discharged from hospitals across the country, while 4,138 remained in intensive care units.

Iraq

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported 7,300 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily spike since the outbreak of the pandemic, raising the total infections in Iraq to 887,291.

It also said 33 new deaths were recorded during the day, raising the death toll from the virus to 14,535, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 5,225 to 789,424.

A woman receives a dose of the Pfizer vaccine during the first rollout of vaccinations in Australia at the Castle Hill Medical Centre in Sydney on Feb 21, 2021. (STEVEN SAPHORE / AFP)

Isreal

In Israel, 357 new COVID-19 cases were reported, raising the total infections in the country to 834,920.

The death toll from the virus in Israel rose by 12 to 6,257, while the total recoveries in the country climbed by 452 to 823,732.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel surpassed 5.28 million, or 56.8 percent of its total population.

READ MORE: Indian states seek widening of vaccinations amid 2nd wave

A man (right) gestures as he walks in the Dotonbori area of Osaka on March 17, 2021. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

Japan

Japan’s western region of Osaka on Wednesday cancelled Olympic torch events scheduled across the prefecture, as record coronavirus infections prompted its government to declare a medical emergency.

Health authorities fear a virus variant is unleashing a fourth wave of infections just 107 days before the Tokyo Olympics begin, with a vaccination drive still at an early stage.

Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said the street runs would be cancelled, adding that the medical system faced enormous strain as a more infectious variant sent cases skyrocketing among young people.

“It is almost certain that this mutant strain is highly contagious with a high transmission speed,” he said in televised remarks.

“I would like to ask all residents of Osaka prefecture to refrain from going out unnecessarily. The medical system is in a very tight situation.”

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 1,403 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 239,952.

It also announced eight more fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,373, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,432 to 224,701.

Kyrgyzstan 

Kyrgyzstan added on Wednesday 161 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 89,438, according to the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19.

Meanwhile, 108 recoveries and three coronavirus-related deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, taking the national count of recoveries to 85,496 and the death toll to 1,512, the headquarters said.

A total of 4,967 lab tests were conducted in the country over the past day.

Lebanon

Two batches of Sinopharm vaccines donated by China arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday. 

Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian said that China offered the two batches of vaccines for the Lebanese government and army respectively, which demonstrates the deep friendship between the Chinese and Lebanese governments, armies, and peoples.

Lebanese Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan said that the vaccines will be allocated to the Lebanese army, customs, social security, and different public departments and ministries.

Lebanon's total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 482,798 with the addition of 2,296 new cases on Tuesday, while its death toll from the virus went up by 36 to 6,479.

Mongolia 

Mongolia registered 575 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 12,226, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Wednesday.

Four more deaths and 185 more recoveries were reported, taking the nationwide counts to 21 and 6,912 respectively, the center said.

Nepal 

Nepal on Wednesday started administering the COVID-19 vaccines donated by China amid resurging COVID-19 cases.

A batch of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinopharm was delivered to Nepal late last month.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the Chinese vaccines are being administered from 23 hospitals located at seven districts including Kathmandu, most of them are in the country's capital and its adjacent areas.

"The vaccine is being inoculated among the people aged 18-59 years," Jhalak Sharma Gautam, chief of the National Immunization Program under the health ministry, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Earlier the ministry said that people aged 40-49 years would be vaccinated.

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New Zealand

New Zealand reported seven cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation and no new community cases on Wednesday.

The newly imported cases came from India and the United States, and have remained in managed isolation and quarantine facilities in Auckland, according to the Ministry of Health on Wednesday.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is five, said a ministry statement.

The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 81, and the total number of confirmed cases is 2,175, it said. 

Oman

In Oman, 1,208 new COVID-19 infections were announced, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the sultanate to 165,482.

Oman's tally of recoveries soared by 764 to 148,303, while six more deaths were reported, pushing the country's COVID-19 death toll up to 1,728.

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

Pakistan 

As Pakistan is struggling to contain the third wave of COVID-19, the country reported 4,004 new COVID-19 cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 700,188, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Wednesday.

The country's southern Sindh province has been the worst-hit with 267,238 cases followed by east Punjab province where 237,594 people have been tested positive, the NCOC said in a statement.

PNG

Papua New Guinea will receive 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca PLC’s COVID-19 vaccine from India next week, the PNG government told Reuters, even as the world’s biggest vaccine maker curbs exports.

The Pacific island nation is facing a crisis as its health systems grapple with a steep rise in infections while also facing delays to its vaccination programme that relies on supplies from the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme.

PNG Health Minister Jelta Wong told Reuters on Wednesday that the delivery from India was scheduled to arrive next week.

India said last month that it put a temporary hold on COVID-19 vaccine exports to prioritise domestic supplies as local infections rise.

The export curb deepened the problem facing 64 poorer countries that rely on the World Health Organization vaccine-sharing programme.

Qatar

Qatar announced 927 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 185,261.

A total of 512 more patients recovered from the virus during the day, bringing the overall recoveries in Qatar to 166,953, while its overall fatalities increased by six to 312.

South Korea

South Korea on Wednesday reported 668 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, the highest daily count since Jan. 8 amid a rise in cluster infections, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The new cases bring the country’s total infections to 106,898, with 1,756 deaths, with the latest surge centered around clusters in kindergartens, saunas, bars and churches. Over 63 percent of new cases were found in Seoul and neighbouring regions, including Gyeonggi province, KDCA data showed.

Authorities said they would expand testing efforts to trace transmission nationwide through epidemiological surveys and preemptive testing.

“If the fourth wave of infections becomes a reality, a disruption to vaccination would be inevitable, as well as dealing a big blow to our economy,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a government meeting on Wednesday.

Thailand

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said he’s concerned about a new wave of COVID-19 infections sweeping the nation’s capital and hinted at fresh control measures to stem the outbreak that’s already forced the closure of dozens of nightlife entertainment venues.

Prayuth chose to hold the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday via video conference after an aide to a minister tested positive for COVID -19. The prime minister has tested negative so far, he told reporters on Wednesday.

The government may unveil more measures to control the outbreak later on Wednesday, Prayuth said, urging people to be more cautious about the latest outbreak. Authorities ordered the closure of 196 night-entertainment venues in Bangkok from Tuesday after new clusters tied to these centers accounted for a majority of the new cases in recent days.

Thailand’s benchmark SET Index of stocks dropped as much as 1.4 percent as shares of hotels, restaurants and retailers tumbled on concerns of tougher measures hurting sales. But Sri Trang Gloves Thailand Pcl, the nation’s biggest glove maker, jumped as much as 6 percent on speculation the new outbreak will fuel demand for its products.

At least 10 Thai cabinet ministers and dozens of lawmakers were self-isolating on Wednesday after coming into contact with positive coronavirus cases, amid a sharp increase in infections in the capital Bangkok.

Thailand on Wednesday reported 334 new COVID-19 cases amid a rise in cluster infections, the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said.

The Philippines

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 6,414 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 819,164.

The death toll climbed to 14,059 after 242 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reminded the public that the decrease in the number of cases must not be interpreted as a downward trend, saying there were testing laboratories that did not operate and submit data last week due to the holiday.

Vergeire said in an online briefing that the transmission is still high, urging people not to be complacent.

"The age groups most affected by COVID-19 are those aged 20 to 49 years old. There are more younger people that are having severe infections compared to before. We are looking at this matter," Vergeire said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region on Wednesday expressed concern about the surging COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, warning that the increasing trend "is moving towards the red line."

WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai said the number of COVID-19 cases "exceeds or surpasses the capacity of health care."

Turkey

Turkey's total number of coronavirus infections surged to 3,579,185 with the addition of the record high 49,584 cases.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 211 to 32,667, while the total recoveries climbed to 3,159,475 after 28,498 patients more recovered in the last 24 hours.