This photograph taken on June 25, 2020 shows cardboard beds installed inside the campus hall of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) which is being converted into a 10,000 beds COVID-19 coronavirus care centre in New Delhi. (MONEY SHARMA / AFP)

TOKYO / DUBAI / CAIRO / NEW DELHI / HANOI - India reported over 17,000 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, pushing the country's total above 500,000, federal health ministry data showed on Saturday, with infections surging in major cities including the capital New Delhi. 

India has the world's fourth-biggest outbreak of the virus that causes COVID-19, below only the United States, Brazil and Russia in confirmed infections. 

Infections are expected to continue rising steadily in India. Experts advising the federal government say the authorities should now prioritise reducing mortality over containing the spread of the virus. 

"Our focus should be on preventing deaths and not really getting bogged down because of the numbers. Numbers are going to increase," said Dr Manoj Murhekar, a member of India's main coronavirus task force and director of the National Institute of Epidemiology. 

The COVID-19 study group, led by Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistics professor from the University of Michigan, forecasts that India could see between 770,000 and 925,000 cases by July 15.

Afghanistan

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Saturday confirmed 165 new COVID-19 cases after the number of tests decreased in recent days due to shortage of testing kits, the ministry said in a statement.

"A total of 529 tests were conducted within the past 24 hours, and 165 cases were positive for COVID-19 in 13 provinces of Afghanistan's 34 provinces," according to the statement.

Twenty COVID-19 patients died within the period, taking the death toll to 703, the statement added.

ASEAN

Leaders from the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have reaffirmed their strong commitment to alleviating the adverse impacts of COVID-19 through a comprehensive recovery plan in a vision statement released on Friday.

The plan will focus on improving stability and resilience of the regional economy, preserving supply chain connectivity, while staying vigilant of the second wave of infections, said the ASEAN Leaders' Vision Statement on a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN from the virtual 36th ASEAN Summit held on Friday under the chair of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Australia

Australia's state of Victoria recorded 41 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Saturday, double the daily rate seen a week ago, struggling to gain control over the pandemic while the rest of the country continues easing social distancing restrictions. 

Victoria, the country's second-most-populated state, has now seen 11 straight days of double digit new cases, most linked to known outbreaks in Melbourne's suburbs, health officials said. Victoria has 204 of Australia's total of about 270 active cases.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported over 3,500 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total in the country to nearly 134,000.

Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing Saturday afternoon that "3,504 new COVID-19 positive cases and 34 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh."

"The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 133,978 while fatalities stood at 1,695," she said.

Combodia

Cambodia on Saturday confirmed nine new imported COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 139, according to a Health Ministry's press statement.

The latest cases included eight Cambodians aged between 23 and 26 years old, and a 22-year-old Indonesian man, the statement said, adding that they all travelled to Cambodia from Indonesia via a direct flight on Thursday.

Indonesia

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,385 within one day to 52,812, with the death toll adding by 37 to 2,720, Achmad Yurianto, a Health Ministry official, said at a press conference here on Saturday.

He also said that 576 more people had been discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 21,909.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday reported 122 deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily record so far, bringing the death toll to 1,559.

The ministry reported 2,054 new COVID-19 cases during the day, increasing the total confirmed infections in Iraq to 41,193.

Israel

The Israeli Ministry of Health reported 865 new COVID-19 recoveries on Friday, the highest daily number of recoveries since the pandemic outbreak in the country in late February.

The ministry also reported 400 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 22,800. The number of death cases rose to 314 in Israel, with five new deaths, the highest daily number since June 2.

A man wearing a respirator and googles sits in between facemask-clad commuters in a train in Tokyo on June 25, 2020. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

Japan

Japan on Friday recorded more than 100 new coronavirus infections for the first time since May 9, hitting its highest daily total since it eased a lockdown that had closed bars, cinemas and other public venues, Kyodo News reported. 

Japan last week ended a curb on domestic travel, the last of a series of major restrictions imposed during a state of emergency declared in April. There were 54 new infections in Tokyo on Friday, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Lebanon

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Friday by 35 cases to 1,697 while the death toll remained unchanged at 33.

Head of the Health Parliamentary Committee Issam Araji warned about a possible increase in infections after the arrival of Lebanese expats starting on July 1, the date of the re-opening of the airport.

New Zealand

Two new cases of COVID-19 were reported in New Zealand overnight, bringing the number of total active cases in the country to 16, said the Ministry of Health in a statement on Saturday.

Both new cases are in their 20s who arrived in New Zealand from India. One of them tested negative as part of a routine testing, but was tested positive as part of her assessment several days later when she was taken into Auckland Hospital for a different medical issue.

Oman

Oman announced on Friday nine deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily fatality number since the first case was reported in the country on Feb. 24, bringing the total number of deaths to 153. The Gulf country also reported 1,132 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 36,034.  

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Pakistan

Pakistan has conveyed its readiness to the Indian side to reopen Kartarpur corridor on June 29 to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit a holy shrine in Pakistan, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said on Saturday.

The corridor was temporarily closed in March this year due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Palestine

Palestine on Friday announced 207 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally of coronavirus infections to 1,795. A total of 620 cases have recovered and five death cases have been reported from the virus so far in Palestine.

Qatar

Qatar's health ministry on Friday announced 946 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 92,784.

"Some 1,528 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 76,072, while three others died, raising the fatalities to 109," the official Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a statement by the ministry.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi health ministry announced on Friday the registration of 3,938 new coronavirus cases, bringing the accumulated infections to 174,577. 

The recoveries also increased to 120,471 after the reporting of 2,589 new recovered cases, the ministry said. The death toll increased to 1,474 after the registration of 46 fatalities.

South Korea

South Korea reported 51 more cases of COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 am Saturday local time, raising the total number of infections to 12,653. 

The daily caseload rose above 50 in three days due to the continued small cluster infections. Of the new cases, 20 were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 1,528.

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A tourist wearing a protective face mask walks inside the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul on June 26, 2020. (OZAN KOSE / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand aims to produce its own vaccine rather than buy from abroad, and human trials could start as early as October, according to the scientist leading one project.

The Philippines

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines soared to 34,803 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 738 new infections on Saturday.

The DOH said in its bulletin that the number of recoveries further rose to 9,430 after 249 more patients have survived the disease.

Turkey

Turkey reported 1,396 new coronavirus cases and 19 more fatalities in the past 24 hours, taking the tally of infections to 194,511 and the death toll to 5,065, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

Meanwhile, some 1,492 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total recovered cases to 167,198.

Turkish Interior Ministry has announced to impose limited curfew across the country over the weekend due to expected crowds for university admission exams.

More than 2.5 million students are expected to take the university entrance exams at the weekend. The COVID-19 diagnosed students will take exams in isolated classrooms, said the ministry.

Singapore

Singapore's top priority is to protect and create jobs as the country sustains its fight against COVID-19, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Saturday. The world will be very different in the Post-COVID-19, and Singaporeans must build on what they had been doing to emerge stronger, he said in the foreword of the election manifesto of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). 

According to the prime minister, Singapore's economy has been severely disrupted by the pandemic. The city-state have implemented four successive budgets, injecting almost 100 billion Singapore dollars, to help companies, workers and households tide through this very difficult period.a

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 219 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 42,955. Of the new cases, 98 percent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday announced 410 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 46,973.

UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a statement the new cases include many nationalities. All are in a stable condition and receiving medical treatment.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported one new case of COVID-19 infection on Friday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 353 with zero deaths so far, according to the Ministry of Health.

The latest case is a 31-year-old Vietnamese man recently returning to the country from Cameroon, said the ministry, noting that he was quarantined upon arrival and is being treated in southern Ho Chi Minh City.

Meanwhile, one more patient recovered, bringing the total cured cases in the country to 330, said the ministry.