A woman receives a shot of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Hanoi, Vietnam on June 27, 2021. (HAU DINH / AP)

JAKARTA / JERUSALEM / HANOI / DHAKA / SEOUL / KUALA LUMPUR / BANGKOK / TEHRAN / WELLINGTON / COLOMBO / KABUL / SINGAPORE - Vietnam reported 1,102 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, surpassing the previous daily record of 922 registered two days ago, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The new infections included 1,089 locally transmitted and 13 imported, bringing the total tally to 21,035, the ministry said.

Among the community cases, 641 were reported in the southern Ho Chi Minh City, 165 in the southern Dong Thap province, and 131 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.

South Korea

South Korea is in talks with mRNA vaccine makers including Pfizer and Moderna to produce COVID-19 shots in the country and is ready to offer the capacity to make up to 1 billion doses immediately, a senior government official said.

The plan, if agreed, would help ease tight global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in Asia which lags North America and Europe in vaccine rollouts, and put South Korea a step closer to its ambition to become a major vaccine manufacturing centre.

South Korea already has deals to locally produce three coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca Oxford University, Novavax, and Russia. It also has a vaccine bottling and packaging deal with Moderna.

"We've been holding frequent talks with big pharmaceutical companies to produce mRNA vaccines," Lee Kang-ho, director general for the global vaccine hub committee under South Korea's health ministry, told Reuters in an interview.

"There are only a few mRNA vaccine developers - Pfizer, Moderna, CureVac and BioNTech. Thus there's a limit to how much they can produce to meet global demand... South Korea is keen to help by offering its facilities and skilled human resources," Lee said.

Malaysia 

Malaysia reported another 6,387 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national total to 785,039, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 26 of the new cases are imported and 6,361 are local transmissions.

Another 77 more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 5,574.

Malaysia will begin administering Pfizer-BioNTech shots to adolescents who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions, according to Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Monday.

Malaysia expects to have enough data to consider proceeding with inoculating healthy adolescents after it completes the national vaccination program.

Thailand

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will isolate at home for a week after he came into close contact with a person who later tested positive for coronavirus during events held to mark the reopening of resort island Phuket to vaccinated foreign tourists.

The premier, who has received two AstraZeneca vaccine doses, will continue his work as usual, including closely following the coronavirus outbreak situation in the country, according to Anucha Burapachaisri, a government spokesman.

“The prime minister has not tested positive for the virus so far, and will continue to conduct tests,” Anucha said in a statement Monday. “He will still carry out his duties as normal and will monitor developments closely.”

The premier’s self-isolation came after a Thai Chamber of Commerce executive confirmed he had tested positive for the virus after attending the Phuket reopening ceremony with Prayuth on July 1, according to Thai-language newspaper, Krungthep Turakij. Anucha wasn’t immediately available to comment on the report.

Prayuth and several of his cabinet colleagues were in Phuket to welcome the first batch of vaccinated foreign tourists who will not be required to undergo any quarantine as the tourism-reliant nation gradually seeks to reopen its borders and revive its economy. Thailand’s most-famous holiday destination has received 1,893 tourists since July 1, according to official data.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry on Monday reported 1,485 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 127,464, in the Asian country.

The pandemic has claimed 5,360 lives in Afghanistan including 77 new deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh on Monday extended its strictest lockdown to July 14 to combat a surge in coronavirus cases led by the highly contagious Delta variant, with areas bordering India taking the brunt of infections.

The south Asian country reported 153 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday, its biggest daily rise since the pandemic began, taking the death toll to 15,065. Total cases stand at 944,917.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, particularly in districts bordering India where the Delta variant was first identified. Bangladesh sealed its border with India in April, but trade continues.

A surge in cases had prompted the government to order a week of tight controls on Thursday, with army troops patrolling streets.

All measures have been extended, the government said in a statement. The shutdown has sparked an exodus of migrant workers from the capital Dhaka to home villages.

Bangladesh received 2.5 million doses of Moderna Inc’s vaccine from the United States under the COVAX global-sharing scheme over the weekend. It also received two million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China.

Bangladesh reported its highest spike of 9,964 new COVID-19 cases and 164 more deaths on Monday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Monday

Bangladesh’s vaccination drive suffered a blow after India stopped exports of the AstraZeneca shot in response to a record surge in domestic infections, with only 3 percent its population of 170 million so far receiving the required two doses.

Fiji

Fiji on Monday reported 352 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three new deaths in the last 24 hours in the South Pacific island country, bringing the total tally to 6,513 cases with 33 deaths.

According to Permanent Secretary for the Health Ministry James Fong, the three patients newly reported to have died from the pandemic were one man and two women aged 54, 60 and 62 respectively. They were among the 31 deaths due to COVID-19 so far recorded during the latest outbreak that started in April this year.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Health Ministry received the first batch of the Pfizer vaccines from the United States on Monday as a COVID-19 vaccination program was underway throughout the country.

State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana said the 26,000 vaccines had been transported to the capital Colombo after they arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport and were stored at a special storage facility at the National Blood Transfusion Center in Narahenpita.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia approved on Sunday the security plan for 2021 Hajj season that takes into account precautions against COVID-19, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

According to the plan issued by the Saudi interior ministry that aims to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims, a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals (US$2,666) will be imposed on anyone who attempts to enter the ritual sites without permission.

The ministry calls on all citizens and residents to obey the special regulations of this year's Hajj season.

Meanwhile, police officers will perform their duties on all routes leading to the Grand Mosque and holy sites.

Saudi Arabia announced last month that the 2021 Hajj season would be limited to domestic pilgrims only and allows a maximum of 60,000 individuals. It will be the second Hajj season with no foreign pilgrims in order to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A worker checks an oxygen bottle at a refill station in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 5, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Indonesia 

Indonesia will provide free telemedicine services to coronavirus patients with mild symptoms, its health minister said on Monday, in an effort to reduce pressure on a healthcare sector inundated by record numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Remote services will be provided from Tuesday by telehealth firms such as Alodokter and Halodoc and will include free consultations and medication delivery, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a news conference.

“Positive COVID-19 patients can get medical services on time without waiting in line at hospitals, so that hospitals can be prioritised for patients with medium, heavy, and critical symptoms,” he said.

Hospital bed occupancy was at 75 percent nationwide as of July 2, the health ministry said, but some hospitals on the most populous island of Java have reported over 90 percent capacity, including in the capital Jakarta.

The Indonesian government also planned to allocate 90 percent of oxygen production for medical needs amid the surging COVID-19 cases, Sadikin said Monday.

"We have talked with the industry minister so that 90 percent of industrial oxygen is converted for medical use, so around 575,000 tons per year of domestic oxygen production will be allocated for medical purposes," said Sadikin.

According to the Health Ministry's data, currently, the total oxygen needs for intensive care and isolation of COVID-19 patients reach 1,928 tons per day.

Indonesia reported on Monday a record 29,745 new coronavirus infections and 558 deaths, health ministry data showed.

Also, at least 1,031 medical workers in Indonesia have died from COVID-19 since the coronavirus was first detected in the country in March 2020 until June 2021, the Indonesian Hospital Association (PERSI) said Monday.

Secretary-general of the association Lia Gardenia Partakusuma said amongst the medical workers, 405 were general practitioners, 43 dentists, 328 nurses, 160 midwives, and 95 others.

The figures brought the country's total number of cases to 2,313,829 and deaths to 61,140.

ALSO READ: Tokyo sees most COVID-19 cases since May

Israel

Israel is in talks with other countries about a deal to unload its surplus of Pfizer/BioNtech, COVID-19 vaccines, doses of which are due to expire by the end of the month, officials said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he spoke with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla about securing more vaccines for Israel and about possible deals to swap vaccines between Israel and other countries, though he did not say which ones.

"Contacts are being handled by the Health Ministry, Foreign Ministry and the National Security Council," Bennett said.

The director-general of the Health Ministry, Hezi Levi, said in an interview with Radio 103 FM that the doses expire on July 31 and that any deal would have to win Pfizer's approval.

He did not say how many doses Israel was looking to swap. The Haaretz newspaper put the number at about a million.

The total number of active COVID-19 cases in Israel rose to 2,438, the highest since April 17, the Israeli Ministry of Health said Sunday.

A health worker gives the first-time dose of COVID-19 vaccine to a woman, part of the 65 years and older tier, in a school being used as a vaccination site in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 5, 2021. (STR / AFP)

Myanmar

Myanmar's health ministry reported a daily record of 2,318 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, as well as 35 deaths.

A new outbreak has grown rapidly in the Southeast Asian country, where the health system and anti-coronavirus measures have foundered since a Feb. 1 military coup.

The rate of positive tests, at more than 22 percent, was also higher than during the previous peak in case numbers late last year.

Reuters was unable to reach the junta-controlled health ministry for additional comment.

The elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi had brought two waves of the new coronavirus under control with a programme of testing and quarantine. It had just begun a vaccination campaign before it was overthrown.

After the army took power, doctors and other healthworkers have been at the forefront of a Civil Disobedience Movement in which they have stopped work in official positions to show their opposition to the junta.

Turkey

Turkey on Sunday confirmed 4,418 new COVID-19 cases, including 404 symptomatic patients, raising the caseload in the country to 5,444,786, according to its health ministry.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 50 to 49,924, while 4,161 more people recovered in the last 24 hours.

A total of 216,252 tests were conducted over the past day, it said.

Turkey started mass COVID-19 vaccination on Jan. 14 after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. More than 35,883,000 people have been vaccinated so far.

READ MORE: Delta variant sweeps Asia, leads to curbs amid tepid vaccination

Iran

Iran had the highest number of new daily coronavirus cases since May 12, with 16,025 infections and 157 deaths reported overnight. 

The Health Ministry has recorded over 3.2 million infections and 84,000 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, with around 2.4 percent of the country’s population having received both vaccine doses so far.

People receive the Sinovac COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine on a mobile vaccine truck in Kuala Lumpur on June 21, 2021. (MOHD RASFAN / AFP)

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 6,045 new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said on Sunday, bringing the national total to 778,652.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 20 of the new cases are imported and 6,025 are local transmissions.

Another 63 more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 5,497.

Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 13 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total tally to 62,630.

The new infections include six locally transmitted cases, four of which were linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine.

The newly reported seven imported cases have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Five of these cases were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while two developed symptoms during SHN or isolation.

New Zealand

New Zealand's quarantine-free travel (QFT) pause with Western Australia and Northern Territory will be lifted at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, New Zealand's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday.

The pause with South Australia, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Tasmania and Victoria was lifted on Monday, which had been announced last week.

Managed return flights from New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland for people, ordinarily residents in New Zealand, will start from 11:59 p.m. Friday, Hipkins said, adding that the QFT pause between New Zealand and Queensland will be reviewed on Wednesday.

Also, the largest shipment of Pfizer vaccines yet has arrived two days ahead of schedule thanks to a joint effort by the Ministry of Health, Pfizer and logistics company DHL, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday.

The shipment of 150,000 doses touched down on Sunday afternoon. The vaccines were taken straight from the tarmac at Auckland airport to the storage and distribution center, where quality checks were carried out to ensure ultra-low temperatures were maintained during the flight and that none of the vials were damaged in transit, Hipkins said in a statement.

"Staff worked late last night to pack and get the vaccine ready for shipment by road and air to District Health Boards (DHBs) and vaccination centers around the country today," Hipkins said.