This file illustration photo taken on Nov 17, 2020 shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine stickers attached and syringes, with the logo of the University of Oxford and its partner British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. (PHOTO / AFP)

NEW DEHLI / ANKARA / JERUSALEM / MUSCAT / DOHA / DHAKA / BEIRUT / BAGHDAD / KUWAIT CITY / SYDNEY / TOKYO / ULAN BATOR / MANILA / KATHMANDU / WELLINGTON / BANGKOK / PHNOM PENH - Australia on Friday reported its first fatality from blood clots in a recipient of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot, and its regulator said there was a likely link between the 48-year-old woman's death and the vaccine.

Hers was the third instance of the rare blood clots appearing in people who have been administered the vaccine in Australia. The other two are recovering well, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) added.

It said it was "carefully reviewing" similar instances in Australia.

The Australian government is considering whether to prioritize athletes in the coronavirus vaccine rollout ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

The government has opened discussions with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) on how to vaccinate around 480 Australian athletes and 500 support staff who are set to attend the Olympic Games in July.

Richard Colbeck, the Minister for Sport, confirmed on Friday that one proposal being explored was vaccinating the team as a priority.

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to call Pfizer Inc’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla to seek an agreement on extra supplies of its coronavirus vaccine, broadcaster Fuji TV reported.

Suga is planning to make the call from the US, the report said, without saying where it obtained the information. He has just arrived in Washington on a trip that makes him the first foreign leader to meet US President Joe Biden in person since his inauguration. Japan is facing a fresh wave of coronavirus cases three months before it plans to host the Olympics in Tokyo in July, with the capital and other major urban areas weighing stricter virus measures to contain the outbreak.

Pfizer’s vaccine is so far the only one approved for use in Japan, and the inoculation process, which started in February, has so far been slow. Fewer than 2 million doses have been administered to its population of about 126 million.

While Japan has contracts to receive 50 million doses of the Moderna Inc vaccine and 120 million of AstraZeneca PLC’s vaccine, it is unclear when they would be approved for use. Rare side effects that appear to be caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine have prompted some countries to limit, pause or abandon its use.

Currently, Japan, a country of some 126 million, likely has around 11 million doses of the Pfizer jab, according to figures provided by the government in March. The government estimates it could receive another 43 million doses in May, followed by 45 million in June, with a total of 144 million doses expected in total.

India

The COVID-19 variant that emerged in India, the B.1.617, could bring about "increased transmissibility" or even "reduced neutralization" due to the specific mutations that it contains, an official of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The variant B.1.617 which first appeared in India on Dec. 7, 2020, according to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), has two specific mutations -- E484Q and L452R -- that have been detected in more contagious variants worldwide, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the COVID-19 Technical Lead at WHO, at a press conference here.

"Having two of these mutations which have been seen in other variants around the world are concerning, because there's a similarity in these mutations that confer increased transmissibility, and some of these mutations also result in reduced neutralization, which may have an impact on our counter-measures including the vaccines," she said.

The official also noted that the variant is spreading to other countries and has been reported "across Asia and North America."

However, the "double mutant" variant first detected in India is still considered as a "variant of interest" by the WHO, meaning that it does not represent causes for stronger public health actions so far.

The Indian Health Ministry recently also issued an official statement, saying that the variant could increase rates of infection and bypass immune defences.

India reported a record 217,353 new infections Friday.

Vietnam

Since it began its vaccination programme last month, Vietnam has inoculated around 73,000 people despite receiving nearly one million AstraZeneca doses, 800,000 of which were obtained via the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme.

“The (AstraZeneca) COVID-19 vaccine has a shelf life of 6 months but the batch delivered to Vietnam on April 1 under the COVAX scheme only has two months left till expiration,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

“We have to speed up the inoculation. It is not acceptable that a single dose of the vaccine is thrown out because of a failure in the rollout,” the statement added.

The health ministry requested all 19 localities which have started vaccine programmes to finish no later than May 5, 26 days before the vaccines expire.

Vietnam has been praised globally for its record containing the virus through targeted mass testing and a strict, centralised quarantine programme.

The country has kept its tally of cases to 2,800, and reported only 35 deaths since the pandemic began. Authorities are aiming to immunise 70 percent of Vietnam’s population and are seeking to obtain a total of 150 million vaccine doses through direct purchases and via COVAX.

The pandemic economically hurt 9.1 million Vietnamese during the first quarter, according to the government. Of those, 540,000 workers lost jobs, 2.8 million suspended businesses and 3.1 million experienced reduced working hours. The nation’s labor force in Q1 shrank by 1.1 million workers from the pervious quarter.

South Korea

South Korea's Huons Global Co Ltd said on Friday it will lead a consortium to produce 100 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per month as Moscow ramps up production for supplies abroad.

The announcement comes after South Korean biotech firm GL Rapha signed a deal with Russia's sovereign wealth fund late last year to make more than 150 million doses of Sputnik V per year.

Huons said the consortium will begin producing sample batches in August and respond flexibly to supply demands from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

The consortium includes three other local companies - Prestige BioPharma, Humedix and Boran Pharma - which will build a new production facility, Huons said in a statement.

Shares in Huons Global jumped 29.8 percent to their daily limit on Friday morning trade, versus a flat wider market.

As of midnight Thursday, the country reported 673 more cases of COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 112,789.

The daily caseload was down from 698 the previous day, but it stayed above 600 for three straight days.

The daily number of infections hovered in triple figures since Nov 8 last year due to cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

Nepal

People aged between 20-39 have been most affected by the coronavirus in Nepal as nearly half of the total confirmed cases reported on Thursday belonged to this age group, Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said.

Of the total 490 cases confirmed through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests in the last 24 hours till Thursday evening, 221 were within the age group, according to the ministry's statistics.

With additional 44 cases identified through antigen tests, the total new cases in the Himalayan nation on Thursday stood at 534, the ministry said.

"The main reason behind the high infection rate is that the more infectious coronavirus variant first identified in Britain has been spreading in Nepal intensely," Dr. Hemanta Chandra Ojha, chief of Zoonotic and Other Communicable Disease Control Section at Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under Nepal's health ministry, told Xinhua.

"The key feature of this variant is that it attacks the younger population very fast," said Ojha.

So far 148,878 people at the age group of 21-40 are infected with COVID-19 in Nepal, accounting for 52.78 percent of the total cases.

The Philippines

 The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday 10,726 new coronavirus disease infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 914,971.

The death toll climbed to 15,738 after 145 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing that the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines remains "critical" despite the reimposition of strict lockdown measures to restrict mobility.

The Philippines placed Metro Manila and its four adjacent provinces, home to about 28 million people, under strict lockdown since March 29 due to rising clusters of infections and hospitalization rate. The lockdown measures stay until April 30.

The government's "most pressing concern is the countless reports of overflowing hospitals amid the surging cases," Duque said, stressing that the government would start using modular facilities in select hospitals and the reactivated temporary treatment facilities to accommodate more patients with mild or no symptoms.

Duque urged the Filipinos to help curb the infections by adhering to health protocols to reduce transmission and contact rates.

New Zealand

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

The new case is from India, who is a contact of a previously reported case.

The seven-day rolling average of new cases detected at the border is four, according to the Ministry of Health. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 100, and the total number of confirmed cases is 2,234.

Thailand


Thailand reported 1,582 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest number in a day since the pandemic began, rising for the third consecutive day, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The latest wave of infections in the Southeast Asian country brought the country's total caseload to 39,038, with 97 fatalities.

Of Friday's new cases, 1,577 were domestic infections while five others were imported cases, the CCSA said.

Some 921 of the domestic cases were reported at hospitals, while 656 others were confirmed via active testing at communities and workplaces.

In the latest steps to contain the spread of the viral disease, the Thai authorities ordered shopping malls and bank branches to close earlier and urged people in high-risk areas to work from home.

The government has also set up over 20,000 beds at field hospitals across the country at community centres and gyms.

Hotels and hospitals are also partnering up to set up "hospitels" to treat asymptomatic patients, the health ministry said.

Currently 5,000 beds across 23 hotels had been readied, it said in a statement. About 2,000 beds are occupied and an additional 7,000 more could be added.

Hotels already hosting travellers to Thailand for quarantine were best positioned for this, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the president of the Thai Hotels Association, told Reuters.

Thailand has so far confirmed 39,038 cases of infection, with 28,480 patients having fully recovered and been released from hospitals while 10,461 others being currently hospitalized.

ALSO READ: Thailand 'plans to ease virus quarantine rules for tourists'

Cambodia

Cambodia on Friday confirmed 262 new COVID-19 cases and two more fatalities in the past 24 hours, the country's Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement.

Of the new cases, 232 were found in capital Phnom Penh, 12 in Preah Sihanouk province, four in Kandal province, two each in Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Pursat, Siem Reap and Takeo provinces, and one each in Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Svay Rieng and Tboung Khmum provinces, the statement said.

MoH's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine on Friday renewed her calls on people to strictly follow heath safety guidelines after the kingdom imposed a two-week lockdown in Phnom Penh and its neighboring Ta Khmau city on April 15-28.

"We must act together to fight COVID-19 virus for a better tomorrow, a better year, and a better future," she said. "Stay safe, stay home."

Since the start of the pandemic, the Southeast Asian country has logged a total of 5,480 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 38 deaths, the MoH said, adding that there are currently 3,044 active cases in the kingdom.

Turkey


In Turkey, quite a number of citizens eligible for COVID-19 vaccination reportedly avoided receiving the jab, worrying health experts who urge everyone to get inoculated when their turn comes up.

Turkey launched in January a mass vaccination program, prioritizing senior citizens and health workers. So far over 19.3 million doses have been administered, with 11.6 million people having received the first dose and some 7.7 million both doses.

Experts said some 25 percent of those who are entitled to receive COVID-19 shots refused inoculation, local press reported.

According to a survey by Veysel Bozkurt, a member of Health Ministry Coronavirus Scientific Committee, 10 percent of the society is anti-vaccine and 20 percent skeptical about the vaccine, mostly young people who say their "immunity is strong," while some 70 percent of the respondents said they trust vaccines.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca acknowledged that vaccine hesitancy was running high, calling on citizens to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity in the country with a population of 83 million.

"Vaccines are our biggest weapon against the virus. When it's your turn to get the vaccine, there should be no doubts. This is very important for the sake of all the population," Koca told reporters on Monday when record daily cases of nearly 60,000 were reported.

As daily infections reached record levels recently, the nation has reversed a normalization process launched in early March by imposing a partial lockdown during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which started on Tuesday.

Following a cabinet meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday evening a partial lockdown during the first two weeks of Ramadan to curb the high COVID-19 infections.

Erdogan said the government was re-imposing bans on intercity travel, closing sports and leisure centers and expanding the length of curfews.

Turkey on Thursday confirmed 61,400 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,845 symptomatic patients, raising the total number in the country to 4,086,957, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 297 to 35,031, while the total recoveries climbed to 3,535,040 after 54,894 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

Israel

The rules requiring mask-wearing outdoors in Israel will be lifted starting Sunday, Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Thursday.

Edelstein said in a statement that he had instructed the health ministry's director-general, Hezi Levi, to sign an order to cancel the restriction.

The decision was made on the recommendation by the professionals in the ministry, who said that, due to the low morbidity of COVID-19, there is no longer a need for wearing face masks outdoors in Israel.

In closed places, however, the mask-wearing rules will still apply, the statement noted.

Israel made the wearing of face masks outside home compulsory in early April 2020, a little over a month since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

The ministry reported 195 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, raising the total number in the country to 836,699.

The death toll from the virus rose by two to 6,314, while the number of patients in serious conditions decreased from 219 to 209, out of 338 hospitalized patients.

ALSO READ: Israel's Netanyahu says virus lockdown to last at least a month

Oman

The Omani Health Ministry on Thursday announced 1,035 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the sultanate to 176,668, the official Oman News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, 1,200 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 156,845 while 14 deaths were reported, pushing the tally up to 1,821, according to a ministry statement quoted by ONA.

The Gulf state's coronavirus committee had decided that that only citizens and residents would be allowed to enter its territory as of April 8 amid a growing number of COVID-19 cases which is pressuring the health care system.

Qatar
The Qatari Health Ministry on Thursday announced 989 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 193,952, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

Meanwhile, 597 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 171,985, while the fatalities increased by nine to 357, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA.

A total of 1,825,071 persons in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far, while the total number of vaccine doses administered is 1,183,191.

Lebanon

Lebanon registered on Thursday 2,501 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 504,800, the Health Ministry reported.

Meanwhile, death toll from the virus went up by 31 to 6,809.

Ambassador of Cuba in Lebanon Alexander Pellicer Moraga said Thursday that the Cuban and Lebanese Health Ministries will negotiate in the coming two weeks the possibility of Lebanon's participation in clinical trials for the Cuban COVID-19 vaccines Abdala and Soberana-02, Elnashra local news website reported.

"If the two ministries agree to cooperate, Cuba will then send vaccines to Lebanon for the clinical trials," the ambassador said.

He also assured that the vaccines did not show any serious side effects on people who administered them in Cuba, Iran and Venezuela.

Lebanon has been fighting against the pandemic since Feb 21, 2020.

Iraq

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 7,810 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 956,860.

The new cases included 2,632 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 1,101 in Basra, 647 in Diyala, 539 in Wasit, and 403 in Sulaimaniyah, while the other cases were detected in other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

It also reported 49 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 14,885, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 5,817 to 837,336.

Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi told the official al-Sabah Newspaper that the "high number of infections that reached about 8,000 per day might lead to the emergence of new strains of coronavirus and, as a result, the health institutions could be unable to take in that high number of infections."
The Iraqi National Board for Selection of Drugs has approved the emergency use of China's Sinopharm vaccines, in addition to the AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Sputnik V vaccines.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh's COVID-19 death toll reached a grim milestone Thursday as 94 more people have died from the pandemic, bringing the total fatality to 10,081.

The country's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) also reported 4,192 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the case tally to 707,362.

Kuwait

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported on Thursday 1,391 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 253,066.

The ministry also announced five more fatalities, taking the death toll to 1,428, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,331 to 236,384. 

A total of 15,254 coronavirus patients were receiving treatment, including 244 in the intensive care units, it said.

The Kuwaiti government decided on April 12 to ban holding Iftar (fast-breaking) banquets at mosques or any other public or private places during the holy month of Ramadan.

Mongolia

Mongolia reported 1,107 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the national counts to 19,672 and 43 respectively, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Friday.

Meanwhile, the total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 11,044 including 406 new recoveries over the past 24 hours, the NCCD said in a statement.

The number of coronavirus infections in Mongolia has risen sharply since the beginning of April, with around 500 cases reported every day.

A full nationwide lockdown, aimed at curbing the steep surge in local COVID-19 cases, took effect on Saturday and will last until April 25.

The Asian country, with a population of around 3.3 million, reported its first imported COVID-19 case in March 2020 and confirmed its first locally transmitted case in November.