A man receives a dose of the Sinopharm vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus, during a drive-through vaccination in Karachi on July 26, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)

WELLINGTON / BAGHDAD / PHNOM PENH / SINGAPORE / JERUSALEM / DHAKA / ISTANBUL / SYDNEY / MANILA / MUMBAI / BANGKOK / SUVA / ULAN BATOR / ISLAMABAD / DUBAI / TASHKENT / SEOUL - Pakistan will ban air travel for anyone without a COVID-19 vaccine certificate from Aug.1 and will require all public sector workers to get vaccinated by Aug 31, the government announced on Thursday along with a host of other restrictions.

From Aug. 1, unvaccinated people will no longer be allowed to enter government offices, schools, restaurants and shopping malls, said Asad Umar, who heads National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), a military-run body that oversees the pandemic response, at a joint news conference with the health minister in Islamabad.

Teachers and students above 18, public transport and retail staff will also be required to get vaccinated by the end of August, they said.

Pakistan recorded more than 4,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, the NCOC said on Thursday.

The NCOC, a department leading Pakistan's campaign against the pandemic, said that a total of 4,497 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday, raising the overall cases to 1,020,324.

A total of 23,209 people have died of the disease, including 76 patients who died over the last 24 hours, the NCOC said.

Japan 

Newly reported daily COVID-19 cases in Japan exceeded 10,000 for the first time, Nippon Television reported on Thursday, after the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a record-high 3,865 new infection cases in the capital.

In the Tokyo Olympics, two people attending the Games from overseas have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19, a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson said on Thursday, as daily cases in the host city and Japan as a whole hit new highs.

The Japanese capital, where pandemic restrictions are mostly voluntary outside the "Olympic bubble", announced a record 3,865 daily infections on Thursday, up from 3,177 a day earlier.

Games spokesperson Masa Takaya told reporters neither Games-related case was serious and that a third hospitalized person had already been discharged, declining to give details.

Organizers announced 24 new Games-related infections, including three athletes, taking the total since July 1 to 193.

"As far as I'm aware, there is not a single case of infection spreading to Tokyo's population from the athletes or Olympic movement," International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams told a daily media briefing.

But experts worry that holding the Games sends a confusing message to the public about the need to limit their activities to contain the virus as the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads. Only 26.5 percent of residents of Japan are fully vaccinated and testing is scant.

The Japan Medical Association also urged the government to take steps to avoid an explosive outbreak of the virus, including ensuring sufficient vaccine supply, Kyodo news agency reported.

More than 60 percent of Tokyo hospital beds available for serious COVID-19 cases were filled as of Tuesday, city data showed.

A health worker takes a swab sample from a resident at a COVID-19 drive-through testing clinic in Sydney on July 28, 2021. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)

Australia

Australia's military will help enforce a lockdown in Sydney after the city of 6 million posted a record daily rise in COVID-19 cases on Thursday and state authorities said the outbreak was likely to get worse.

The lockdown of Australia's biggest city has increased pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is now trailing in opinion polls, and heightened concern that Australia's A$2 trillion (US$1.5 trillion) economy could slide into recession.

Despite an extended lockdown in Sydney since an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant, 239 new locally acquired coronavirus cases were recorded in the city over a 24-hour period, the biggest daily rise since the pandemic began.

New South Wales, Australia’s biggest state economy, recorded 239 new cases Thursday - the highest tally since this outbreak started in Sydney in mid-June and up from 177 the day before. At least 70 cases were active in the community while infectious, concerning health officials that the Delta-variant of the coronavirus may further spread in the city of almost 6 million people.

The outbreak is highlighting the problems with Australia’s so-called COVID Zero strategy to keep the virus out of local communities amid a tardy vaccine roll-out, which has been hit by supply-chain hold-ups from contracted drug-makers. Political rivals also say that Prime Minister Scott Morrison failed to secure enough doses from a wide-enough range of suppliers.

Earlier in July, Morrison said state and territory leaders had agreed to map out a pathway to switch from virus suppression to focus on reducing the risk of serious illness and hospitalization, depending on high vaccination rates that are yet to be determined.

Bangladesh

The number of new COVID-19 infections in Bangladesh rose by 16,230 on Wednesday, the highest daily increase since March 8 last year, bringing the tally to 1,210,982, said the country's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The official data showed 237 more new deaths were recorded, raising the death toll to 20,016.

Cambodia

Cambodia has decided to impose a night curfew in capital Phnom Penh, provincial towns and populated areas for two weeks, starting from Friday to Aug 12, in order to curb the spread of Delta COVID-19 variant, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said.

"Impose curfew from 9 pm to 3 am in parts or throughout territories under your jurisdiction, especially in Phnom Penh capital city, provincial towns and populated areas," he said on Wednesday night in an instruction to the municipal and provincial governors.

Cambodia will also impose a two-week lockdown in eight provinces from Friday to Aug 12 to contain the spread of highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant, according to a decision signed by Hun Sen on Wednesday night.

The locked-down provinces include Koh Kong, Pursat, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Siem Reap, according to the decision.

The locked down areas would be classified into three zones, namely "Red Zone" for a severe pandemic, "Dark Yellow Zone" for a moderate transmission, and "Yellow Zone" for a low community spread, according to the decision.

"The decision is made to prevent the spread of the Delta variant in the community," it said.

Fiji

Fiji on Thursday reported 1,057 new COVID-19 cases for the past 24 hours, with 12 more deaths logged from July 24-27.

Fiji's Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said that the death toll in the country stands at 218, with 216 of them recorded during the latest outbreak that started in April this year.

A medical staff carries a case containing the swab samples of passengers after the mandatory reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test which were done upon their arrival from an outstation train at a railway platform in Mumbai on July 27, 2021. (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP)

India

More than 70 percent of people in eight of India's large states are estimated to have COVID-19 antibodies, a government survey showed on Wednesday, suggesting that a second surge in infections affected many more people than the reported figures.

The survey, which tested a sample of the population for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, was conducted in June and July and showed that two-thirds of India's 1.3 billion people were likely to have been exposed to the virus.

The sero-prevalance survey, which tested around 29,000 people across the country, showed that in eight of India's largest and most populous states, more than 70 percent had antibodies for COVID-19, according to a government statement.

In the central state of Madhya Pradesh, 79 percent of its estimated population of 70.3 million had antibodies, the survey showed.

India's daily cases have fallen after a devastating second wave that overwhelmed the healthcare system. On Wednesday, it reported 43,654 new cases and 640 deaths, down from a peak of 414,188 daily cases reported on May 7.

India reported on Thursday 43,509 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the government said in a statement.

A coronavirus patient receives treatment at a hospital in Najaf, Iraq on July 14, 2021. (ANMAR KHALIL / AP)

Iraq

Iraq reported on Wednesday 13,515 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since the outbreak of the pandemic, raising the nationwide caseload to 1,590,528.

A statement by the Health Ministry also confirmed 66 more deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 18,484.

The spokesman of the Health Ministry Sayf al-Badr warned in a statement that Iraq now is witnessing "the most dangerous wave of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic."

The critical conditions are the highest so far, and the country's health institutions are under heavy pressure due to the admission of increasing numbers of critical cases, he said.

Israel

A committee advising Israel’s Health Ministry on the coronavirus pandemic recommended giving seniors a third dose of vaccine to help control the recent uptick in cases.

The “vast majority” of the committee was in agreement, although opinions differed over the minimum age for eligibility, ranging between 60 and 70 years old, according to a statement from the ministry on Thursday. The ministry’s director-general, Nachman Ash, will make a final decision on the booster shot in the coming days, the ministry said.

New infections and critical cases have surged over the past month, largely due to the more contagious delta variant. Recent data suggest that the efficacy of the Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE vaccine administered in Israel wanes after six months, while still providing very strong protection against serious illness.

The ministry reported 2,396 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 866,866.

The death toll from the virus in Israel rose by one to 6,462, while the number of patients in serious condition rose from 145 to 149.

ALSO READ: NZ PM: Accelerating access to COVID-19 vaccines a priority

Mongolia

Mongolia reported 1,231 new COVID-19 cases including one imported case in the last 24 hours, bringing its national tally to 161,575, the health ministry said Thursday.

Six more virus-related deaths were registered in the past day, pushing the nationwide death toll to 829, the ministry said.

New Zealand

New Zealand's health regulator Medsafe has granted provisional approval for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older, acting minister for COVID-19 response, Dr Ayesha Verrall, said on Thursday.

New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through an advance purchase agreement with the company last year.

The country has only been using the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine so far.

New Zealand reported five new cases of COVID-19 in recent returnees in managed isolation facilities, and no cases in the community on Thursday.

The five newly reported cases came from the United Arab Emirates, Britain and Fiji, with one case's travel history still to be determined.

An empty amusement park is seen in the Omani capital Muscat amidst a COVID-19 lockdown during the Eid al-Adha Muslim feat on July 20, 2021. (MOHAMMED MAHJOUB / AFP)

Oman

Oman on Thursday extended a nightly lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, with movement and commercial activities to be restricted between 10 pm and 4 am until further notice, the government said.

Cases in the country of around 4.5 million people, which has continued to impose movement and commercial restrictions on and off through the pandemic, have started to rise again after showing a steady fall since mid-June.

Oman has in the past two months accelerated what had been the slowest vaccine rollout in the Gulf.

By mid-April, Oman had given at least one dose to around 5 percent of the eligible population. This had increased to 35 percent by July 8, according to health ministry data.

Oman had on Wednesday recorded 295,535 coronavirus cases and 3,802 deaths.

Singapore

Singapore moved back to tighter COVID-19 restrictions in recent weeks to prevent the nation’s hospital capacity from getting overwhelmed due to rising infections, local media reported, citing comments from Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

“The odds of a large surge in cases are stacked against us: We knew that when a cluster grows uncontrollably, infection numbers would double every seven to 10 days, which meant that hospital beds could fill up in a week,” a Today report cited Ong as saying.

Singapore has increased the number of isolation beds in hospitals to 1,000 and can open up almost a similar quantity of ICU beds for critically ill Covid-19 patients if needed, Ong said.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 136 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total tally in the country to 64,589.

The new infections included 130 locally transmitted cases, of which 27 were linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster and two belonged to the karaoke cluster.

South Korea

South Korean health experts called on Thursday for tougher social distancing rules including a midnight curfew as the number of severe COVID-19 cases has doubled in three weeks, driven largely by young, unvaccinated people.

South Korea is battling its worst wave of infections linked to the more contagious Delta variant helped by what some experts see as public complacency and a slow vaccination drive.

On Thursday, authorities reported 1,674 new cases, down slightly from nearly 2,000 the day before.

"Young people are no longer afraid of gathering," Jung Ki-suck, professor of pulmonary medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, told Reuters.

He said groups were skirted distancing rules despite a ban in the capital on gatherings of more than two people after 6 pm and many bars were operating through the night illegally.

Nearly a quarter of serious cases are now in the 20-49 age group - 66 people compared with just 11 in that age cohort two months ago.

Experts warn the trend will get worse with vaccinations for people in their 20s only likely to begin in September.

Eom Joong-sik, professor of infectious diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said working-from-home must be extended to cut infections in workplaces.

Some 1,800 cardboard beds are prepared at a coronavirus field hospital inside a warehouse at the Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok on July 27, 2021, as shortages for beds for infected patients continues across the nation. (LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Thailand

Hospitals in Thailand's capital Bangkok and surrounding province are running out of beds due to a jump in COVID-19 patients, a health official said on Thursday, as the country reported a record number of infections for the fourth time this week.

Thailand has in the last few months been struggling with its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, first detected in India.

The country's COVID-19 task force reported on Thursday 17,669 coronavirus cases and 165 deaths, both record highs, while it said 21 of the fatalities died at home.

Thailand reported on Thursday a daily record of 17,669 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 561,030 since the start of the pandemic last year.

The country also reported a record 165 COVID-19 deaths, also a daily record, bringing the total number of fatalities to 4,562.

ALSO READ: M'sia to procure nearly 13m more vaccines as cases climb

The Philippines

China delivered an additional batch of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccines to the Philippines on Thursday to support the Southeast Asian country's inoculation campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic.

China was the first to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines. It donated the first batch of CoronaVac to Manila on Feb 28, allowing the country to kick off its vaccination drive on March 1. As of Thursday, China has been the biggest supplier of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.

Separately, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered his government on Wednesday to open the coronavirus vaccination campaign to anyone who wants a shot as his country scrambles to protect the population from more transmissible variants.

With only 6 percent of the Philippines' 110 million people fully vaccinated against COVID-19, millions remain vulnerable to infection. The government is aiming to fully immunize up to 70 million people before the year ends.

"Give the vaccines to those who want to be vaccinated," Duterte said in a late-night address, expressing concern over the contagious Delta variant, which is ripping through Southeast Asia, now a global epicentre for the virus.

In this photo released by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division, President Rodrigo Duterte (left) prepares for his second dose of the COVID-19 Sinopharm vaccine by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (right) in Malacanang Presidential palace, Manila on Monday, July 12, 2021. (KING RODRIGUES / MALACANANG PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS DIVISION VIA AP)

It was not immediately clear if his directive meant that the vaccines could now be given to Filipinos not included in the government's priority groups.

Given limited supplies, it is prioritizing healthcare workers, elderly, people with existing medical conditions and working age adults.

Separately, the Philippines will keep its capital under the second-loosest restrictions even with rising coronavirus infections partly due to the highly contagious delta variant.

The Manila capital region, which accounts for about a third of the economy, will remain under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions from Aug 1 to Aug 15, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement Thursday. Most businesses can operate on limited capacity.

Turkey

Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped to 22,291 on Wednesday, the highest since early May, according to health ministry data that also showed the daily death toll reached a six-week high of 76 people.

Daily infections last peaked at 63,000 in April. They were brought down by a stringent lockdown that ended in mid-May, falling as low as 4,418 on July 4 before surging again.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 87 percent of current cases were among people who were not fully vaccinated. The rate rose to 95 percent for hospitalizations, Koca said in a televised statement, appealing to people to get their vaccinations.

He said currently there was no need to reimpose restrictions to combat the spread of the virus but did not rule out doing so in the future.

Uzbekistan 

The COVID-19 cases in Uzbekistan rose by 879 in the past 24 hours to 127,506, the highest daily count since the beginning of this year, the health ministry said Thursday.

The Central Asian nation also reported six new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the nationwide death toll to 859.