Individuals line up to receive cash aid from the national government during enhanced community quarantine at a basketball court in Manila on August 11, 2021 (JAM STA ROSA / AFP)

SYDNEY / MANILA - The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday confirmed the first case of the Lambda coronavirus variant in a 35-year-old female.

"The case was asymptomatic and recovered after undergoing the 10-day isolation period," the DOH said, adding it is conducting backtracing and case investigation.

The Lambda variant was classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization. The DOH said the Lambda variant "has the potential to affect the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 and is currently being monitored for its possible clinical significance."

The Philippine Department of Health also reported 14,749 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, the second-highest daily tally since the outbreak began in January last year

The DOH also reported 14,749 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, the second-highest daily tally since the outbreak began in January last year.

The caseload brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,741,616. Since Wednesday, the Philippines has been reporting over 12,000 new cases as hospitals struggle with a surge of COVID-19 patients.

The death toll climbed to 30,340 after 270 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.

An additional 182 highly contagious Delta variant cases were also detected in the latest batch of genome sequencing, bringing the total in the country to 807, including 17 deaths. Aside from the Delta variant, the DOH said it also detected more Alpha and Beta variants cases.

Health authorities said the highly infectious Delta variant is driving the nationwide surge of infections.

The government is doubling its efforts to control COVID-19 hospitalizations in Metro Manila and several high-risk areas across the country.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila and some areas under two-week hard lockdown since Aug 6 to curb the Delta variant's spread and prevent crowding in hospitals.

The Philippines, with a population of 110 million, has tested over 16 million people since the outbreak.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported 9,710 new local COVID-19 cases on Saturday, an increase of 560 from a day earlier and a new single-day record. Deaths were 349, up 74 from Friday. The country’s daily local case average has more than doubled to 8,500 this month compared with last month. 

Daily fatalities in August have surged to 295 on average, from 40 in July.Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s COVID-19 epicenter, is extending its stay-home order, which began on July 9 and expires on Sunday, by one more month, newspaper Tuoi Tre reported, citing the city’s party deputy chief Phan Van Mai. 

Danang, a major city in Vietnam’s central coastal region, ordered residents to stay home for a week starting at 8 am on Aug 16, amid a virus resurgence.

Malaysia 

Malaysia will open up more sectors to individuals who have been fully vaccinated in an effort to rebuild parts of the economy which have been shut due to the virus outbreak, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Sunday.

Under the new guidelines which will take effect on Monday, hair salons, shops selling electrical goods, furniture, sporting equipment and car accessories will be allowed to operate in states under the first phase of the national recovery plan, Muhyiddin said in a statement. Stores offering used clothes, antiques and toys can resume business under the second phase.

Malaysia is gradually rolling back COVID-19-related curbs as it seeks to strike a balance between sustaining economic growth and reining in daily infections which have topped 20,000 over the past four days. Earlier this month, the authorities revised the rules to permit some who have been fully inoculated to cross state borders and dine at restaurants.

“The government hopes that the guidelines announced today will offer some emotional and mental relief to the people and will help to gradually improve the situation of those who are in the affected economic sectors,” Muhyiddin said.

Restrictions for the manufacturing sector have also been eased, with no limit on the operating capacity for companies with a workforce that is between 80 percent and 100 percent fully inoculated. Companies with an inoculation rate of between 60 percent and 79 percent will be subject to an 80 percent workforce cap.

The central bank on Friday lowered its 2021 economic growth target to 3 percent-4 percent from an earlier estimate of 6 percent-7.5 percent, citing the fallout from the outbreak. The government placed the entire country under lockdown in June in a move that cost 40,000 people their jobs, with the hit estimated at 1.1 billion ringgit (US$260 million) a day.

A medical professional takes samples from a woman for a coronavirus test in Rabin Square in the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Aug 14, 2021. (TSAFRIR ABAYOV / AP)

Israel

Israel administered 70,000 booster shots this weekend, as people between the ages of 50 and 59 became eligible, according to the Haaretz newspaper. Almost 846,000 booster shots have been given so far and another 100,000 people have signed up, the newspaper reported.

Infections are rising quickly in a nation where 80 percent of adults are fully vaccinated. Experts are divided about who would benefit most from a third shot -- and even about the efficacy of boosters themselves. It is the first nation to widely distribute third doses, beginning last month to administer shots to people over 60 years old after a sharp rise in cases among the fully vaccinated.

Almost 846,000 booster shots have been given so far and another 100,000 people have signed up, the newspaper reported

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 5,622 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 934,896.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Israel rose by 11 to 6,622, the ministry said.

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The number of active cases increased to 48,401, highest since February 17, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 453 to 494, the ministry added.

The total recoveries from the virus in Israel climbed to 879,873 after 1,940 newly recovered cases were added.

Australia

Australia has purchased about 1 million doses of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine from Poland to add to its inoculation efforts in Sydney and its home state, which on Saturday entered a snap lockdown amid record new infections.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday the extra vaccines would start arriving immediately and over half will be directed to 20- to 39-year-olds in New South Wales, as the state reported its second largest increase in locally transmitted infections.

Morrison has been under pressure for a sluggish vaccine rollout, with only about 24 percent of Australians above 16 fully vaccinated as supplies from Pfizer, seen as the preferred inoculation for younger people, have remained in short stock.

"We've been seeing those case numbers rise in Sydney and New South Wales each day and that is terribly concerning," Morrison said at a news conference in Canberra.

"We've got to get those numbers coming down ... you needed more vaccines from us. More vaccines are on their way. They'll be there this week, and so I need Sydneysiders to stay home so we can beat this thing."

New South Wales, the most populous state, reported 415 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the second largest increase after the previous day's record 466.

Thailand

Thailand reported more than 20,000 new daily COVID-19 cases for a fifth straight day as about a month of quasi-lockdown measures in areas covering around 40 percent of the population including the greater Bangkok area failed to ease an outbreak.

The Southeast Asian nation also reported 209 new COVID-19 deaths. Cumulative fatalities have more than doubled to 7,500 in the past month alone.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha is scheduled to hold a meeting of the nation’s main COVID-19 task force on Monday to review the containment measures amid warnings from health officials that new cases may double by the middle of next month if the current trend continues. Anti-government groups have held near-daily protests over the past couple of weeks, calling for Prayuth’s resignation and greater access to vaccines.

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