Lebanese women wearing protective masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic wait in their car to watch a movie at a drive-in cinema at a park in the coastal town of Byblos, north of the capital on July 18, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

NEW DELHI / JERUSALEM / ANKARA / BEIRUT / WELLINGTON / CANBERRA / PHNOM PENH / MALE / ULAN BATOR / BISHKEK / MANILA / JAKARTA / KABUL / KUALA LUMPUR / DUBAI - A drastic rise in COVID-19 infections has pushed Lebanon’s hospitals to the edge, and experts warn they will soon be unable to cope as the country buckles under a succession of devastating crises.

Lebanon’s healthcare system was already struggling before several hospitals were badly damaged by a massive explosion at the port of Beirut in early August.

Now medical supplies are dwindling thanks to a shortage of dollars due to an ongoing financial crisis, doctors are emigrating in droves, and fears are growing that subsidies on medicines might soon be lifted.

“At the moment, COVID-19 in Lebanon is not under control,” said Firass Abiad, who runs Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University hospital, the largest coronavirus facility in the country. “We are seeing a high positivity rate relative to testing.”

Lebanon registered a record 1,321 new daily infections over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to more than 43,000 cases while the death toll stands at 398.

The numbers are low by global standards, but intensive care units have reached a critical 82 percent of capacity, according to the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, the virus continues to spread in Lebanon’s overcrowded prisons, public hospitals and densely packed cities, where mask-wearing remains lax.

“If we continue with this exponential growth, I don’t think we’ll last more than a couple of weeks,” said Dr Eveline Hitti, chair of the emergency department at the American University in Beirut’s Medical Center.

Lebanon was praised for containing the spread early in the pandemic, averaging fewer than 100 daily cases until August. But as the country’s woes began to multiply, concerns over the coronavirus took a backseat.

Indonesia 

A total of 124 detainees and prisoners in Indonesia have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Directorate General of Corrections Indonesia of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights on Monday.

Separately, the Indonesian Medical Association said Sunday that three more Indonesian doctors have recently died of COVID-19, bringing the death toll of doctors to 130 as of Saturday. 

In addition, 92 nurses have died of the disease, according to the Indonesian National Nurses Association.

Nationwide, Indonesia has reported 307,120 confirmed cases and 11,253 deaths. On Monday, 3,622 new cases and 102 additional deaths were reported, official data showed.

Brunei

Brunei's tally of COVID-19 cases remained at 146 as no new COVID-19 cases were reported on Monday.

It marked the 11th consecutive day without new cases since Sept 24.

According to the Ministry of Health, one new case of recovery  was recorded, taking the total number of recoveries to 143. There is currently no active cases being treated at the National Isolation Center.

So far, three deaths from COVID-19 had been reported in Brunei.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates has resumed granting work permits for foreigners employed by government and semi-government entities as well as entry permits for domestic workers, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a Twitter post on Monday.

The UAE had in March suspended the issuance of all types of labour permits as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The UAE announced on Sunday 1,041 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed number in the country to 98,801.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health reported on Monday 81 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally to 39,422.

Four more deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 1,466, the ministry said in a statement.

The number of recoveries rose by 27 to 32,879, according to the ministry.

Kyrgyzstan 

Kyrgyzstan reported 207 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the tally to 47,635, the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19 said.

Another 103 patients had recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total recoveries to 43,521.

The death toll remained at 1,066, the headquarters said.

On Sunday Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov told reporters that the epidemiological situation has worsened over the past 10 days. He warned of the likelyhood of imposing quarantine rules if the situation continued to deteriorate.

People wearing masks shop for fresh food at a market in Manila on August 6, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

The Philippines

The Philippines has allowed malls and several businesses to reopen further even as the Southeast Asian nation recorded more coronavirus deaths last month.

The task force against the virus outbreak has approved economic managers’ recommendation to reopen more industries and public transport, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said at a briefing. Essential shops in malls, miners and money exchanges are now allowed to operate at full capacity, he said.

The Philippines reported 2,291 new cases and 64 more deaths on Monday, bringing the tally to 324,762 and the death toll to 5,840, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The capital Metro Manila reported the highest daily tally on Monday with 825 fresh infections.

Mongolia

Mongolia recorded one new case of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing its tally to 314, the health ministry said Monday.

The latest case involves a 19-year-old Mongolian woman who returned home from Kazakhstan on a chartered flight on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

All the cases reported in Mongolia had been imported, of which 307 have recovered. So far, no local transmissions or deaths have been reported in the country.

Maldives

In-person classes for students in Grade 9 and 10 in the Maldives' capital region of Greater Male have resumed following a decrease in COVID-19 cases, local media reported on Monday.

Minister of State for Education Abdulla Rasheed was quoted in state-owned PSM as saying that the decision to reopen schools would be reviewed every two weeks, and he hoped that classes for lower grades would soon be permitted. Earlier in September, classes resumed for Grade 11 and 12 students to prepare them for the examinations in October.

Maldives' tally of COVID-19 infections rose to 10,530 after 65 new cases were detected on Sunday, according to data from the Health Protection Agency.

The country has 1,125 active cases spread across 21 inhabited islands and 20 resorts, and 9,364 patients have fully recovered while 34 have died.

Singapore

Singapore may see more easing of measures to control the pandemic, including the limit of five people for social gatherings, the Straits Times reported Monday, citing Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in parliament. 

The city may allow larger groups to meet if everyone can work together and keep their guard up, according to the newspaper, citing the minister who was responding to questions on further loosening virus rules.

Meanwhile, Singapore said it would extend relief programmes on mortgages and loans for individuals and small firms into next year because of the prolonged impact of the pandemic.

Cambodia

Cambodia reported two new imported COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 280, according to a Health Ministry's press statement.

One of the cases involves a 27-year-old man, who arrived in the capital Phnom Penh on Sept 20 from France, with a connecting flight in Singapore, according to the statement.

The second case involves a 34-year-old Indian woman, who landed in Cambodia on the same day from New Delhi, according to the statement.

Australia

Australia’s coronavirus hotspot of Victoria will look into ways to increase COVID-19 testing to control the spread of the disease in anticipation of easing of the state’s stringent lockdown restrictions, officials said on Monday.

New daily coronavirus infections in Victoria, Australia’s second most-populous state, fell to nine cases on Monday, down from 12 in the previous days. No additional deaths were reported.

Melbourne, which has remained in a strict lockdown for nearly three months, is expected to see the bulk of its restrictions eased when the average for new daily cases over two weeks falls below five. According to the state’s modelling, that could occur in late October. 

Nationwide, Australia has reported more than 27,000 infections and 894 deaths, according to health ministry data. Victoria accounts for 90 percent of the country’s COVID-19 deaths. 

Also on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced Monday a 7.5-billion-Australian dollar (US$5.3 billion) investment in "shovel-ready" transport infrastructure projects to create thousands of jobs amid the COVID-19 recession.

New Zealand

Coronavirus restrictions in New Zealand’s largest city will be lifted this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday as she expressed confidence a second wave of COVID-19 infections in Auckland has been almost eliminated.

The city will move to alert level 1 from 11.59 pm on Wednesday, joining the rest of the country, after reporting no new cases in the Auckland cluster for 10 consecutive days.

“There is now a 95 percent probability of the cluster being eliminated,” Ardern said at a news conference. 

The easing of measures means there will be no 100 people limit on gatherings in Auckland, and no physical distancing rules in bars and restaurants.

New Zealand recorded one new case on Monday, involving a New Zealander returning from overseas, taking its total number of confirmed cases to 1,499, including 25 deaths.

A tailor displays cloth masks for sale at his shop amidst measures to fight against the spread of the COVID-19, in Mumbai on June 24, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

India

India's federal health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that the government plans to provide COVID-19 vaccines to around 250 million people in the country by July 2021.

According to the minister, the government would receive 400-500 million vaccine doses by July next year and it would ensure "equitable access."

Vardhan said state governments have been advised to send details of "priority population groups," referring to which sections of the population will be first in line to receive the vaccine, by the end of October. Vardhan said priority will be given to frontline health care workers.

The minister's remarks come at a time when three potential vaccines are being tested in India, including Covishield which was developed jointly by the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca. Covishield is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 human trials.

Indigenous vaccine developers Bharat Biotech are in Phase 2 trials with COVAXIN, while Zydus Cadila is waiting to receive approvals for Phase 3 clinical trials for its vaccine.

India has reported 6,623,815 million confirmed cases and 102,685 deaths. On Monday, 74,442 new cases and 903 more deaths were registered in the last 24 hours.

South Korea

South Korea reported 73 new cases of COVID-19, including nine imported ones, as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 24,164.

The daily caseload stayed below 100 for the fifth straight day, but the double-digit growth continued due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province.

Of the new cases, 19 were Seoul residents and 25 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

Concerns grew here over the COVID-19 resurgence as the traditional Chuseok holiday, the South Korean version of Thanksgiving Day, lasted from Wednesday to Sunday. During the holiday, the family members of South Korea gather together from across the country to have traditional food and hold memorial services for ancestors.

One more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 422. 

Israel

The number of COVID-19 cases in Israel reached 266,775 on Sunday after 2,332 new cases were confirmed, the state's Ministry of Health said.

The number of death cases reached 1,719 after 37 additional fatalities were registered, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 840 to 900, out of 1,661 patients currently hospitalized.

The number of recoveries rose by 4,378 to 195,629, while active cases currently stand at 69,426.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel launched an emergency human capital stimulus plan for the hi-tech sector in a bid to ease the "severe employment crisis" induced by the pandemic, according to a statement issued by the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA).

The plan was designed by the IIA, along with Israel's Economy and Finance Ministries, to incentivize training and recruitment for various specializations within the hi-tech sector. 

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Turkey

Turkey's daily COVID-19 patients increased by 1,429 on Sunday, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 324,433, the Turkish Health Ministry announced.

Meanwhile, 57 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 8,441, according to the data shared by the ministry.

A total of 1,182 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 285,050 in Turkey.

The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is 6.4 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 1,475.

Turkish health professionals conducted 104,402 tests in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall number of tests to 10,806,285.

ALSO READ: Jokowi calls for balance between lockdown, economy

Palestine

Palestine on Sunday recorded 420 new cases infected with the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the Palestinian territories to 52,433.

In a press statement, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said that the new cases were reported in the West Bank districts, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the health ministry reported one new fatality from the COVID-19 in the district of Hebron in the West Bank, raising the total number of deaths to 391, the minister noted.

Palestine currently has 7,679 active cases.

Nepal

Nepal reported over 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and Sunday respectively, according to the country's Ministry of Health and Population.

Total coronavirus cases in the country reached 86,823 on Sunday, according to the ministry.

In recent weeks, the Himalayan country has been witnessing rapid rise in COVID-19 cases after the government lifted a nearly four-month lockdown on July 22. On Friday, the Nepali government reported record high single day spike of 2,722 cases.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Sunday reported 567 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 107,025 and the death toll to 624, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,361 patients are receiving treatment, including 142 in ICU, according to the statement.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 605 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 99,040.

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Pedestrians in face masks walk in Ginza district of Tokyo on Sept 29, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Japan

The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 397 to reach 85,847 as of Sunday night, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

The figure excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo earlier in the year.

The cumulative death toll, including deaths from the Diamond Princess, stands at 1,613 after one more fatality was announced Sunday. 

In Tokyo, the epicenter of Japan's outbreak, 108 new cases were reported on Sunday, exceeding 100 for six consecutive days, with the capital's cumulative total reaching 26,484, the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures.

Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, who created his label in Paris in the 1970s, died in Paris on Sunday, the brand said. Aged 81, Takada died of complications linked to COVID-19 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, his spokesman told French media.

Japan’s Health Sciences Council on Friday approved a proposal from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to provide free coronavirus vaccinations for all Japanese residents, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun. The health ministry plans to submit a bill to revise the country’s immunization law this month.

Oman

The Omani health ministry on Sunday announced 2,685 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the sultanate to 101,270, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

Meanwhile, 1,768 people recovered during the past few days, taking the overall number of recoveries to 90,296, while 42 others reportedly died, raising the death toll to 977, according to a ministry statement quoted by ONA.

The ministry urged everyone to adhere to social distancing instructions issued by the Supreme Committee and the ministry of health, as well as staying home and avoiding to go out unless necessary.

Malaysia 

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Monday that he will self quarantine for 14 days after a cabinet minister attending a recent meeting he chaired tested positive of COVID-19.

The announcement came when Malaysia reported another daily record high of 432 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, bringing the national total to 12,813.

Muhyiddin has chaired a national security council on Oct 3 on the recent spike of COVID-19 cases in the country, attended by many of his cabinet ministers. One of them, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, was tested positive of COVID-19 on Monday, the prime minister said in a statement.

All of the participants of the meeting have been tested, he said.

Muhyiddin said he would observe a self-quarantine for 14 days as precaution but gave his assurance that this would not affect the running of the government.

Sri Lanka

The number of COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka rose to 3,471 on Monday after authorities detected a new cluster in Minuwangoda, the outskirts of capital Colombo, the health ministry said.

A 39-year-old apparel factory worker and her 16-year-old daughter tested positive for the virus on Sunday, making it the first cases to be detected within the society after two months. Following this detection, over 900 people were taken into quarantine, among whom 69 tested positive for the virus on Monday, the health ministry said.

According to the government, 1,400 employees working at the apparel factory have received COVID-19 tests, while on Monday, 2,000 apparel workers, their close associates, and school children from the Minuwangoda area were tested.

Curfew was imposed in parts of the Gampaha district and the police warned that anyone defying the curfew would be arrested.

Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said in a statement that strict health guidelines would be re-imposed in all parts of the country such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and keeping hands sanitized.

Wanniarachchi added that following the latest detection among the public, people were urged to stay at home as much as possible and avoid large social gatherings.

Schools nationwide were also closed indefinitely from Monday, the education ministry said.

Sri Lanka has recorded 13 deaths from the virus.

Thailand

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health said on Monday in its daily press conference that the National Vaccine Committee is planning to set aside 2.93 billion baht (US$93.25 million) to purchase 66 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by next year.

The 66 million doses will cover 33 million Thais or roughly 50 percent of the population, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, vice spokesperson of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

"The committee, chaired by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, has decided to reserve the vaccines via two methods," Panprapa said.

"The first will be to reserve a lot via the Covax campaign overseen by the World Health Organisation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the Vaccine Alliance. That should cover 20 percent of Thais," she said.

The second lot will be to reserve doses with 10 manufacturers in the United States, China, Britain and Russia, and these countries are already conducting third-phase human trials, Panprapa said.

Meanwhile, Thailand's National Vaccine Institute said it believes COVID-19 vaccines should be ready by next year.

Iran

Iran saw its worst day of the outbreak so far, with the biggest daily spike in cases and fatalities. The country reported 3,902 new infections in the past 24 hours, up from 3,653 a day earlier. The death toll rose by 235 overnight, equaling the country’s deadliest day of the pandemic in July.

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh reported 1,442 new COVID-19 cases and 27 new deaths on Monday, making the total tally of confirmed cases at 370,132 and the death toll at 5,375, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The official data showed that 11,767 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

The total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 283,182 including 1,526 new recoveries on Monday, said the DGHS.

According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.45 percent and the current recovery rate is 76.51 percent. 

Kuwait

Kuwait on Monday reported 567 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 107,592 and the death toll to 628, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,415 patients are receiving treatment, including 129 in ICU, according to the statement.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 509 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 99,549.

On Sept 14, the Kuwaiti government decided to postpone the fifth phase of a plan to return to normal until further notice.

During the fifth phase, theaters and cinemas will be allowed to reopen and all social events permitted to be held.

Vietnam 

Vietnam reported a new case of COVID-19 infection on Monday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,097 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

The latest case is a 57-year-old French woman who has recently entered Vietnam from Dubai and was quarantined upon arrival, according to the ministry.

The ministry also announced that two more COVID-19 patients, who are experts from China's Taiwan region, have been given all-clear, raising the total cured cases in the country to 1,022 as of Monday.

Meanwhile, nearly 16,400 people are being quarantined and monitored in the country, the ministry said.

Vietnam has gone through 33 straight days without any COVID-19 cases in the community, according to the ministry. 

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry on Monday announced 194 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 126,692, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

Meanwhile, 189 more people recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 123,664, while the fatalities remained 216 for the third day running as no new deaths were reported, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA.

The ministry reiterated the need to take preventive measures, including staying home and observing social distancing.

A total of 800,519 people in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Monday 3,808 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 382,949.

The ministry reported 65 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 9,464 in the country.

It also said that 4,676 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 312,158.

A total of 2,371,348 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 21,915 done during the day, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization representative in Iraq Adham Ismail said in a press release that "Iraq is in the stage of communal spread of the virus."

Myanmar 

Myanmar reported 987 more COVID-19 confirmed cases on Monday, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

The newly confirmed cases brought the number of infection cases of COVID-19 in the country to 18,781 in total.

A total of 32 more COVID-19 deaths were also reported in the country on Monday, bringing the death toll in the country to 444 in total, the release said.

According to the ministry's figures, 5,548 patients have been discharged from the hospitals so far.

A total of 332,875 samples have been tested for COVID-19 so far, the ministry's figures said.