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Saturday, May 08, 2021, 10:29
Indian states impose stricter lockdowns as deaths hit record high
By Agencies
Saturday, May 08, 2021, 10:29 By Agencies

Health workers attend to COVID-19 patients at a facility at the Commonwealth Games village temporarily converted into a COVID care facility in New Delhi, India, on May 2, 2021. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP)

YANGON / HANOI / DOHA / SINGAPORE / ANKARA / MANAMA / JERUSALEM / BAGHDAD / BEIRUT / NEW DELHI / WELLINGTON / TOKYO / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / ULAN BATOR / MALE / BANGKOK / MANILA / CANBERRA / COLOMBO - India on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day COVID-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and states imposed stricter lockdowns.

India's health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to just under 240,000. Cases rose by 401,078, increasing the total since the start of the pandemic to 21.9 million.

Tamil Nadu, known for its automobile manufacturing, said it would move from a partial to a full lockdown on Monday, stopping public transport and shutting state-run alcohol retailers.

Neighbouring Karnataka state extended a total shutdown late on Friday. The state capital Bengaluru is a major tech hub, home to major offices of companies.

While cases in the country's northern and western areas have borne the brunt of the pandemic, southern states including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have seen infections surge.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka on Saturday approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in Sri Lanka, as the island nation battles a third wave of the virus, while suffering a restricted supply of vaccines from neighboring India.

Dr. Sudharshani Fernandopulle, the minister overseeing the fight against the epidemic, said in a statement the government would order 5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

The island nation reported 1,914 new cases and 19 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to federal health data, and its total number of active cases is higher than any point since the pandemic began. Infections surged after crowded celebrations for traditional New Year last month.

New Zealand

New Zealand will lift its partial suspension of a "travel bubble" with Australia from midnight on Sunday as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney eased.

New Zealand had blocked travel to and from New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, on Thursday after a couple in Sydney with no links to high risk professions or people tested positive for COVID-19.

The cases prompted a reinstatement of some social distancing measures around Sydney, and a campaign to get more people tested, as authorities scrambled to determine the source of infection.

However, state health officials on Saturday reported a second straight day without a new case, allaying concerns about a wider outbreak in the city.

Meanwhile, New Zealand recorded three new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

According to the ministry, the three new cases of COVID-19 were recent returnees in managed isolation facilities, while there was no new case of COVID-19 in the wider New Zealand community.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19  in the country reached 2,284.

Japan

The Japanese government said on Friday that it will tighten restrictions on Japanese nationals and residents arriving here from India, Pakistan and Nepal, amid concerns over highly transmissible virus variants wreaking havoc, particularly in India.

The stricter measures will come into effect from Monday, the government said, and will involve requiring passengers arriving from either of the three countries to stay in quarantine facilities designated by the government for six days.

Non-resident foreigners, such as tourists, are still banned from entering Japan, unless they have qualified for a visa stipulating their visit falls into the category of "special exceptional circumstances."

Thailand

Thailand's tally of COVID-19 cases surpassed 80,000 with 2,419 new cases and 19 deaths confirmed on Saturday, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Of Saturday's new infections, 2,409 were domestic transmissions and 10 others were imported cases, CCSA spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan said.

Thailand expects to offer the Moderna vaccine to most of its population soon as it steps up the rollout of its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, a health official said on Saturday.

The latest drive comes amid growing public criticism of the slow rollout of free vaccinations offered by the government, which stands at 1.73 million shots so far - less than 1 percent of its population.

Turkey

Turkey on Friday confirmed 20,107 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,210 symptomatic patients, raising the total number of cases in the country to 4,998,089, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 278 to 42,465, while the total recoveries climbed to 4,662,328 after 35,529 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.

The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients stands at 3.2 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 3,260 in the country, said the ministry.

Bahrain

Bahrain's health authorities on Friday announced a third booster COVID-19 shot for vaccinated individuals.

The National Taskforce for Combating COVID-19 announced that, as part of a new phase of vaccination drive, the third dose will be given after six months to those aged 60 and above, people with chronic health conditions and health care workers.

It added that all other categories of vaccinated individuals can receive the third booster shot a year after they have taken their second dose.

It further added that individuals have a choice to select the same or different type of vaccine for the third booster shot.

Myanmar

Myanmar reported 31 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the tally to 142,934 on Friday, according to a statement from the Health and Sports Ministry.

The number of samples tested for COVID-19 decreased to 954 on Friday, from around 10,000 samples tested daily in early February.

ALSO READ: Myanmar's COVID-19 infections surpass 100,000

Vietnam

Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Friday reported the death of a health worker who received the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, the country's first death related to the vaccine.

The 35-year-old female health worker in the southern An Giang province died on Friday due to anaphylaxis, which was a very rare case in the practice of vaccination against COVID-19, according to the ministry.

The health worker got the injection on Thursday and had an adverse reaction after that, with an underlying condition identified as an allergy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. She was treated in accordance with emergency procedures, said the ministry.

The Southeast Asian country has inoculated around 750,000 people against the coronavirus since it started its vaccination campaign early March, according to the ministry. All of the shots used are from AstraZeneca.

Meanwhile, the ministry reported 47 new infections on Friday, raising the total number of cases in the country to 3,137, with 35 deaths.

People walk along a bridge next to the financial business district in Singapore on April 20, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore will reduce approvals for foreign workers planning to enter the country in the coming weeks, and delay the arrivals of many of those already approved to enter, the government said Friday.

The move, aimed at reducing imported cases of COVID-19, came hours before Singapore is set to launch a three-week crackdown that will limit the size of group gatherings to five. The government earlier this week had already extended travel quarantine to 21 days from the current 14, except for travelers from lower-risk places.

Under the new measures, the city-state will stop accepting new entry applications for work pass holders from higher-risk countries with immediate effect, except for those “needed for key strategic projects and infrastructural works.” 

Meanwhile, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 25 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 61,311.

Of the new cases, 21 are imported cases and four are community cases. Among the cases in the community, one is linked to a previous case and three are currently unlinked.

Altogether 31 people have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Qatar

The Qatari Health Ministry on Friday announced 600 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of the confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 210,070, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

A total of 1,937,204 persons in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far, while the total number of vaccine doses administered is 1,762,545.  

ALSO READ: Qatar aims to host COVID-free World Cup

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, raising the total number of cases in the country to 838,858.

The death toll from the virus increased by four to 6,375, while the number of patients in serious condition remained unchanged at 87, out of 156 hospitalized patients.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has reached nearly 5.42 million, or 58 percent of its total population.

Iraq

The Iraqi Ministry of Health reported on Friday 5,763 new coronavirus cases, raising the total nationwide number to 1,103,950.

A statement by the ministry also reported 29 new COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 15,702, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 6,289 to 992,423.

It also said that 18,588 people were vaccinated against the COVID-19 during the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number of doses received to 425,628.

Spokesman of the ministry Sayf al-Badr confirmed in a press release that the ministry "has not officially registered any COVID-19 infection among people who have been vaccinated," denying rumors circulated on social media saying that there are infections among those who have been vaccinated.

"There is a possibility that some of those who received the vaccines may be infected, but their infections will be mild and will not require hospitalization," al-Badr concluded.

Lebanon

Lebanon registered on Friday 600 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 531,834, the Health Ministry reported.

Meanwhile, death toll from the virus increased by 21 to 7,436.

Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan said on Friday that his ministry is studying the potential of vaccinating 200,000 people weekly in June as the country expects to receive a big number of vaccines by next month.

Only 3.9 percent of the Lebanese population have so far received two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine due to the lack of vaccines and high rate of vaccine hesitancy.

Brunei

The Brunei government welcomed the decision of the World Health Organization (WHO) to list China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.

The Ministry of Health shared the information of WHO's emergency use approval for Sinopharm vaccine with local media, asking for publication on respective platforms to let the public know that all vaccines used in Brunei have WHO endorsement.

"We note the endorsement from WHO. We continues to review emerging evidence on the vaccine use and will ensure that all vaccines in use in our COVID-19 vaccination program are safe and effective," Athirah Yussof, senior public relations officer and head of Corporate Communications Division of Brunei's Ministry of Health, told Xinhua.

Mongolia

Mongolia on Saturday confirmed 815 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 44,016, according to the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases.

Meanwhile, seven more fatalities were reported, raising the death toll to 171, the center said, adding that 1,451 more recoveries were reported, bringing the nationwide count to 29,984.

More than 1,476,700 people have so far received their first vaccine dose and over 610,740 have got both.

Maldives

Maldives is facing a new and more infectious variant of the COVID-19 virus, local media citing a senior doctor reported here Saturday.

Dr. Mohamed Ali from the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital's National Center for Respiratory Medicine, said that the version of the virus currently spreading in Maldives appears to affect the lungs more vigorously.

Maldives has experienced a record eight COVID-19 related deaths between Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, new daily cases have crossed 700 amid the fourth wave of infections.

Philippines

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday 6,979 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,094,849.

The death toll climbed to 18,269 after 170 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

Australia

An Australian permanent resident has died after contracting COVID-19 in India, the Australian government has confirmed.

The 59-year-old man, who had been a permanent resident of Australia for more than 10 years, died in New Delhi last week after Australia's strict India travel ban came into effect.

In a post on social media, his daughter Sonali Ralhan called for the Australian federal government to bring her mother home from India.

Marise Payne, the Australian minister for foreign affairs, confirmed the death on Friday. She said that the Australian government was doing all it could to repatriate stranded Australians when the ban is lifted on May 15.

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