HONG KONG, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Asia-Pacific countries continued to see surging COVID-19 cases on Friday as the Philippines recorded over 6,000 new infections, while the lockdown in New Zealand's Auckland was set to continue amid a resurgence of cases.
The number of confirmed cases in the Philippines surged to 153,660 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 6,216 new daily cases. The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 71,405 after 1,038 more patients recovered.
New Zealand's largest city Auckland will remain in COVID-19 Alert Level 3 for 12 more days, with the rest of the country staying in Alert Level 2, as there are currently 36 active cases, 17 of which are linked to the recent community transmission in Auckland.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference on Friday that the cabinet had unanimously decided to maintain the current alert levels until Aug. 26. The government will review the situation and make further decisions on Aug. 21.
The country confirmed 12 new cases and one probable case of COVID-19, with the 12 cases linked to the community transmission from an Auckland family cluster, amid the second and stronger wave of the epidemic in the country.
The total COVID-19 cases in India have crossed 2.4 million, reaching 2,461,190, as the total deaths crossed the 48,000-mark, reaching 48,040, according to the data released by the federal health ministry.
During the past 24 hours, as many as 64,553 new cases were added to the tally, and 1,007 more deaths were registered.
Malaysia reported 20 new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said, bringing the national total to 9,149. Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that seven cases are imported and 13 are local transmissions.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh reached 271,881 as over 2,700 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
According to the figure reported by the DGHS under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2,766 new COVID-19 positive cases and 34 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.
Thailand reported 17 new COVID-19 cases, all now under state quarantine, with 15 of them being Thais who have recently returned from India. According to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), the cases from India include nine men and six women.
The Afghan Ministry of Public Health confirmed 75 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of patients in the country to 37,506.
The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 2,307 within one day to 135,123, with the death toll adding by 53 to 6,021, the Health Ministry said.
Laos has detected two more confirmed COVID-19 cases, with its total number rising to 22. Lao Deputy Minister of Health Phouthone Meaungpak told a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane that the two new cases were both Lao nationals who returned to the country from abroad on Aug. 12.
The COVID-19 outbreak in the Australian State of Victoria will likely delay the country's economic recovery by several months, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe told a parliamentary inquiry.
Prior to the outbreak in Victoria, both the government and RBA were expecting a return to growth for the national economy during the September financial quarter.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared that Australia is "moving heaven and earth" to fight COVID-19 as a man in his 20s became the nation's youngest death.
Cambodia confirmed one new imported case, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 273, said a Health Ministry's statement. The latest case was detected on a 51-year-old Cambodian woman, who arrived in the country on July 31 from the United States via a connecting flight in South Korea, the statement said.
South Korea reported 103 more cases of the COVID-19 as of 0:00 a.m. Friday local time compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 14,873. The daily caseload soared above 100 in 20 days since July 25 due to a surge in small cluster infections and imported cases. Enditem
