Teachers wait to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus during a vaccination drive at an Islamic boarding school in Tungkop, Aceh province, Indonesia on July 1, 2021. (CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)

NEW DELHI / SYDNEY / PHNOM PENH / JAKARTA / TEHRAN / JERUSALEM / ULAN BATOR / YANGON / ISLAMABAD / MANILA / ANKARA / KABUL / TEHRAN / SUVA / HANOI - The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is surging through Asia this week, with record numbers of infections in Australia and Indonesia, prompting some countries to tighten curbs and others to hasten vaccination.

The variant, first detected in India in December last year, has spread to about 100 countries and the World Health Organization warned recently that it could soon become the dominant form of the virus.

Australia

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Australia will cut international arrivals by 50 percent in a bid to halt a surge in the Delta-variant of the coronavirus, which this week forced half the population into lockdown.

“While the reduction of those caps will certainly - right across the system - obviously take some pressure off, as we have observed over the course of these past 18 months, that alone does not provide any fail safe regarding any potential breaches” of the virus into the community, Morrison told reporters in Canberra after a meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday.

In his first appearance after emerging from self-isolation in the wake of traveling to Europe last month to meet leaders attending the G-7 summit, Morrison said the leaders had also agreed to a pathway to switch from virus suppression to focus on reducing the risk of serious illness, depending on a high vaccination rate that’s yet to be determined.

Morrison’s move means that even as other developed economies such as the US and the UK open up, Australia is further isolating after imposing strict border restrictions when the pandemic began 15 months ago. A tardy vaccination rate - the second-slowest among the 38 OECD nations - has made it particularly vulnerable to the delta variant, which is increasingly leaking out of the ad-hoc quarantine system for international arrivals.

Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), on Friday warned residents to brace an increase in COVID-19 infections over the next few days as it reported the biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases recorded so far this year.

Country-wide, Australia is fighting outbreaks of the highly infections Delta variant simultaneously in three state capital cities, meaning nearly half of all Australians are currently under strict orders to stay at home.

NSW capital Sydney, Australia's largest city and home to a fifth of the country's 25 million population, is half-way through a two-week lockdown imposed in a bid to contain the Delta variant.

Thirty-one local cases were reported in NSW on Friday, so far the biggest daily rise in cases during the latest outbreak and for 2021. Total infections have grown to more than 200 since the first case was detected more than two weeks ago.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, the government will increase spending on social assistance and healthcare in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases and to soften the blow on the economy with tougher restrictions set to take effect this week, its finance minister said on Friday.

In a bid to contain the wave of cases, “emergency” curbs will take effect from Saturday to July 20 and include tighter restrictions on movement and air travel, a ban on restaurant dining and the closure of non-essential offices.

Indonesia’s food and drug regulator has granted emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna, its chief Penny Lukito says in a press briefing. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is the first M-RNA shot to obtain EUA in Indonesia, and will be administered to those aged 18 years and older, Lukito said.

Indonesia's Health Ministry on Thursday launched the mass COVID-19 vaccination for children of 12 to 17 years old as the national capital held its first mass inoculation for adolescents.

At least 100 students had their first doses in a vaccination event at a public high school in Central Jakarta. The city administration is targeting to vaccinate as many as 1.3 million children in schools and healthcare facilities.

Children at the age of 12 to 17 years old are eligible to get Sinovac vaccine jabs after the country's National Agency of Drug and Food Control issued the emergency use authorization last Sunday.

Indonesia is also planning to vaccinate under-18s with the coronavirus mRNA shot jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, its health minister said on Friday.

Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the island of Java, home to about half of the country’s more than 270 million people, was where most outbreaks with the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 occurred.

Indonesia reported on Friday 25,830 coronavirus infections and 539 deaths, both record highs.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan on Friday reported 1,309 new COVID-19 cases and 59 more deaths in 24 hours, raising the national tally to 123,465 and 5,107 respectively, the Public Health Ministry said.

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Cambodia

Cambodia on Friday confirmed 32 new COVID-19 fatalities, the highest single-day death toll, pushing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 660, the health ministry said in a statement.

The figure surpassed the previous highest daily record of 27 deaths on June 29, the ministry said.

The Southeast Asian nation also registered 966 new cases, taking the national caseload to 52,350 so far, it said, adding that 650 patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 45,508.

Fiji

Fiji's health authorities on Friday reported 404 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the total tally to 5,253.

Permanent Secretary for the Health Ministry James Fong said the newly confirmed infections were mainly reported in the central and western sides of Viti Levu, the largest island of the South Pacific island country.

Fong said five more deaths from the coronavirus epidemic were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 25 in the country, with 23 of them recorded during the latest outbreak that started in April this year.

A health worker inoculates a man with a dose of the Covaxin vaccine against COVID-19 inside the premises of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on June 29, 2021. (NARINDER NANU / AFP)

India

India added 853 COVID-19-related deaths Friday to cross the 400,000 mark in the third-worst-hit nation by number of fatalities. Confirmed infections surged by 46,617 in the last day, pushing the total tally to 30.5 million, according to latest data from the Indian health ministry. India has administered a little over 340 million doses so far and fully vaccinated 4.4 percent of its population.

As the Narendra Modi-led government seeks ways to revive the economy after the devastating second wave, a study by the London School of Economics has found that about 82 percent of urban Indians rendered unemployed by the pandemic prefer job guarantees from the government over cash handouts.

Iran

Iran on Friday reported 13,836 new COVID-19 cases, taking the country's total infections to 3,232,696.

The pandemic has so far claimed 84,516 lives in Iran, up by 127 in the past 24 hours, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education reported.

Israel

The total number of active COVID-19 cases in Israel rose from 1,882 to 2,054, the highest since April 20, said the Israeli Ministry of Health on Thursday.

It reported 285 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 842,062.

The death toll from the virus remained unchanged at 6,429, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 26 to 27.

Women wearing face masks walk along the famed Asakusa shopping area in Tokyo, July 1, 2021. (HIRO KOMAE / AP)

Japan

Some Japanese municipalities have stopped taking vaccination reservations due to short supplies from the central government, possibly slowing inoculations nationwide just weeks before Tokyo hosts the Olympics.

Osaka City - part of Japan’s second largest metropolitan area - will suspend reservations for first-time vaccinations on July 12 because of a lack of clarity on supply from the government, Mayor Ichiro Matsui said Friday in Tokyo after meeting Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The city of Chiba, just east of Tokyo, said it would suspend new appointments starting Friday, while a handful of other areas have stopped taking new reservations or pushed back plans to open access to people below the age of 65, according to Jiji Press.

Japan’s vaccination drive has picked up speed after getting off to a slow start but will be nowhere reaching the bulk of the population before the country hosts the Olympics. Any slowdown in vaccinations puts pressure on Suga’s government as it tries hold the global sports spectacle during a pandemic and tamp down on a worrying spike in infections in Tokyo ahead of the July 23 opening ceremony.

“It is the issue of maldistribution rather than a shortage,” said Kenji Shibuya, a former World Health Organization adviser now in charge of overseeing vaccinations in Soma, Fukushima in northern Japan. Shibuya said the city has secured enough doses for its population of around 34,000 and plans on finishing inoculations in mid-July.

When asked about the situation in Osaka, Katsunobu Kato, the government’s top spokesman, told reporters Friday they were continuing with plans to provide advance information on vaccine distribution plans as quickly as possible.

The country has administered more than a million daily shots for several days in June but only about 12 percent of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated - the lowest among its Group of Seven peers, which have full-vaccination rates of between 31 percent to 50 percent of the population.

Japan is racing to fully vaccinate around 36 million of its residents over the age of 65 before the end of July. The Olympics have fueled worries of potential virus spread due to more people moving around domestically to watch the games, and tens of thousands of participants coming in from overseas.

The Japanese government and Tokyo Olympic organizers are planning to hold some events without spectators amid concern over a virus resurgence in the capital, the Yomiuri reported, citing several officials it didn’t identify.

The government is also planning to extend strong virus measures that are in place in Tokyo and its 3 neighboring prefectures by about a month, covering the entire duration of the Olympic games scheduled to end Aug 8, the Sankei newspaper reported, without attribution.

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 6,982 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national total to 765,949, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that three of the new cases are imported and 6,979 are local transmissions.

Another 73 deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 5,327.

Mongolia

The Mongolian government on Friday decided to cancel this year's celebrations of the national holiday Naadam due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move came after hundreds of Mongolians held a protest in the central square of the country's capital Ulan Bator, demanding canceling the holiday amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Originally, the country had decided to mark Naadam with a live broadcast on both television channels and social media this year due to the pandemic.

Inscribed in UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the official holiday is celebrated from July 11-15.

Naadam, which means "games" in the Mongolian language and features horse racing, archery and wrestling, is the most widely watched festival for foreign tourists in the nomadic country.

As of Friday, Mongolia has registered a total of 120,339 COVID-19 infections, with 611 deaths. 

Myanmar

Myanmar's Health and Sports Ministry imposed a stay-at-home order in two more townships of Bago region and seven townships of Mandalay region, state-run media reported Thursday.

The stay-at-home order, which will be effective on Friday, will be applied to Thayarwaddy and Minhla townships of Bago region and Chanmyathazi, Chanayethazan, Pyigyitagon, Mahaaungmyay, Aungmyaythazan, Patheingyi and Amarapura townships of Mandalay region due to the recent spike of COVID-19 infections.

So far, the ministry has imposed the stay-at-home order in 20 townships across the country.

According to the ministry's figures on Thursday, the number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 159,347 after 2,070 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours.

In addition, 13 new deaths were reported on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 3,347 in the country.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported two new cases of COVID-19 related to recent returnees in managed isolation facilities and no new cases in the community on Friday.

The two imported cases came from South Africa and Britain, and have remained in managed isolation and quarantine facilities in Auckland, according to the Ministry of Health.

Pakistan

Pakistan has received 2.5 million doses of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine from the United States, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry and the US embassy in Islamabad said on Friday.

Pakistan also plans to purchase 13 million doses of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine before the end of the year, and the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine is also available in the country.

More than 13 million people have been partially vaccinated in the country, and more than 3 million fully vaccinated.

Pakistan on Thursday reported 1,277 new COVID-19 cases, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Friday.

The NCOC, a department spearheading Pakistan's campaign against the pandemic, said that the country's number of overall confirmed cases rose to 959,658, including 905,430 recoveries.

According to the NCOC, 24 more deaths were reported on Thursday, raising the death toll to 22,345.

Singapore

Singaporean authorities found three new local coronavirus cases, the lowest daily tally since June 11, amid a vaccination push that the government said is key to reopening borders and the economy.

South Korea

South Korea reported 826 new coronavirus cases, the largest daily tally in more than six months, as the Asian nation began to ease social distancing measures amid accelerating vaccination rates.

After a slow start due to supply shortage, South Korea has stepped up the pace of inoculations with about 30 percent of the population now having had at least one shot. With more people vaccinated, the government began to ease restrictions on number of people that can gather and how long businesses could remain open.

But with the latest rise in COVID-19 cases, the capital city of Seoul has pulled back on easing the restrictions, leaving the ban on private gathering of more than four people in place for one more week.

Elderly women wearing face masks attend a yoga class re-opened for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic at Seodaemun Senior Welfare Centre in Seoul on July 1, 2021. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP)

The Philippines

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday 6,192 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,424,518.

The death toll climbed to 24,973 after 177 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

This handout photo taken and released by Airports of Thailand on July 1, 2021 shows workers in personal protective equipment (PPE) on the tarmac at Phuket International Airport, as the first international passengers arrived for the "Phuket Sandbox" tourism scheme that allows access to vaccinated visitors, in Phuket. (HANDOUT / AIRPORTS OF THAILAND / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand will speed up inoculations of elderly and medically vulnerable people to reduce the number of coronavirus patients in critical condition, officials said on Friday, as the country reported a third successive day of record deaths.

Health authorities had initially aimed to vaccinate those groups first, but supplies were diverted to factory workers, communities with big outbreaks, and the population of the island of Phuket ahead of this week’s reopening to foreign tourists.

“We have to vaccinate at least 50 percent of the two groups by the end of July,” senior health official Sopon Mekton told a briefing, referring to the elderly and those with underlying conditions.

The two groups combined have a population of 17 million, but only 0.7 percent or 83,000 of over 60s and 3.1 percent of people with health conditions have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Thailand was expecting 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be delivered this month, but the head of its vaccine institute, Nakorn Premsri, said he was notified about half of that would be delivered monthly until September.

AstraZeneca’s Thai partner, royal-owned Siam Bioscience, can produce about 15 million doses monthly, but part of that is committed to other countries, Nakorn said.

Siam Bioscience and AstraZeneca have repeatedly declined to discuss reports of production shortfalls.

Thailand has been rushing to secure supplies from other sources, including mRNA vaccines of Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech.

Thailand reported on Friday the third straight day of record coronavirus deaths, with 61 fatalities, as authorities struggle to tackle the country’s latest wave of infections.

The Southeast Asian country has now recorded 2,141 deaths from the virus since the pandemic started. The COVID-19 task force also reported 6,087 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 270,921.

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Turkey

Turkey on Thursday cancelled most of its COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and events, and lifted nighttime and Sunday curfews after daily infection numbers remain steadily around 5,000 cases.

The intercity travel restrictions and limits on guests at restaurants and wedding parties are also lifted, said the interior ministry in a statement said.

It added that concerts and festivals are also allowed on the condition that the music must end by midnight.

But wearing masks is still mandatory in the country, it stressed.

Turkey on Thursday confirmed 5,288 new COVID-19 cases, including 462 symptomatic patients, raising the total number of cases in the country to 5,430,940.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 42 to 49,774, while the total recoveries climbed to 5,300,504 after 6,219 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported 545 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, including 527 locally transmitted and 18 imported, bringing the total tally to 18,121.

The Ministry of Health said that among the community cases, 419 were reported in the southern Ho Chi Minh City, 40 in the central Phu Yen province and 13 in the southern Binh Duong province.

Most of them are contacts of previously confirmed cases or linked to the clusters of infections in the localities.