Nikkei Asia is tracking the spread of the coronavirus that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
Cumulative global cases have reached 194,087,699, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The worldwide death toll has hit 4,158,226.
For more information about the spread of COVID-19 and the progress of vaccination around the world, please see our interactive charts and maps.
Monday, July 26 (Tokyo time)
6:21 p.m. Indonesia reports 28,228 new cases, down from 38,679 on Sunday, the country’s lowest daily infection count in three weeks. But the daily death toll, at 1,487, is the second-highest since the beginning of the pandemic, up from 1,266 on Sunday. Indonesia has now reported a total of 3,194,733 cases, with 84,766 deaths.
2:49 p.m. Mongolia has administered more COVID-19 shots, relative to its population, than any country in Asia, it also leads Asia in proportional rankings for new COVID-19 cases. As of July 12, the country had administered first doses to 2,103,485 people (64.7%) and second doses to 1,796,285 (55.2%). But daily COVID-19 infections have hovered between 1,500 and 2,500 since June, and surpassed 150,000 in total.
2:10 p.m. Thailand had 15,376 new coronavirus cases, a daily record for a second consecutive day in the nation of more than 66 million.
Malaysia, which has one of Southeast Asia’s highest per capita infection rates, reported on Sunday 17,045 new cases, bringing the total to 1,013,438, and nearly 8,000 deaths despite being under a lockdown since June. Like many parts of the region of more than 650 million people, Malaysian hospitals and medical staffers have borne the brunt of the outbreak amid shortages of beds, ventilators and oxygen. Thousands of Malaysian contract doctors on Monday staged a walkout over the terms of their employment, though they pledged patients would not be affected by the protest.
Government contract doctors participate in a walkout at Kuala Lumpur Hospital on July 26 as Malaysian hospitals suffer from the COVID-19 outbreak.
© Reuters
1:52 p.m. India reports 39,361 cases in the last 24 hours, marginally down from 39,742 the previous day, pushing the cumulative total to 31.4 million. Deaths jumped by 416 to 420,967. Meanwhile, the national capital city of Delhi eased COVID curbs as the situation improved, allowing the Delhi Metro rail service to run with 100% seating capacity instead of the existing 50%, while movie theaters have been permitted to reopen with half capacity.
11:37 a.m. South Korea kicks off COVID-19 vaccinations for people ages 55 to 59 to speed up the pace of its inoculation campaign as the country battles a fourth wave of infections. The rollout of shots for people in their upper 50s had sputtered to a weeklong halt this month after a record-high number of new cases sparked a rush, exhausting available supplies and crashing an official reservation website. About 6.17 million people, or 84% of those in their 50s, signed up for vaccinations last week, and authorities switched from Moderna to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for some people in the group because of fluctuations in shipping schedules.
10:06 a.m. New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, reports 145 locally acquired cases of COVID-19, up from 141 a day earlier, as the state capital, Sydney, endures a five-week lockdown due to run until Friday. Of the new cases, at least 51 spent time in the community while they were infectious, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.
9:49 a.m. China reports 76 new COVID-19 cases for Sunday, up from 32 a day earlier. Local infections accounted for 40 of the new cases, compared with only five a day earlier, the National Health Commission says. Thirty-nine of the local cases were in the eastern province of Jiangsu, and one in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Total confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China stand at 92,605, and the death toll remains at 4,636.
A medical staffer works at a nucleic acid testing laboratory in the Nanjing First Hospital on July 24 following citywide testing for COVID-19.
© Reuters
Sunday, July 25
11:03 p.m. Ho Chi Minh City residents will be barred from going out, except for medical treatment and food, for 12 hours from 6 p.m. Monday local time.
Members of households in high-risk areas cannot leave to buy food, and local authorities will supply them with necessities, Tuoi Tre News reports.
9:20 p.m. The International Olympic Committee is loosening COVID-19 victory ceremony protocols at all venues over the coming days, allowing gold, silver and bronze medalists to unmask for 30 seconds on the podium to be photographed with appropriate physical distancing.
“At no point during this limited time should the athletes be invited to join each other on the gold-medal platform,” the IOC says. “They must remain on their dedicated platform respecting the original distance.” They can then put their masks back on for other photos.
Not every athlete is being so careful. For example, the winners of the women’s cycling road race on Sunday are photographed standing beside one another and touching while wearing their medals but no masks.
9:17 p.m. Indonesian restrictions that would have expired Sunday are being extended to Aug. 2, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo says. But he also announced some adjustments, such as allowing traditional markets that sell basic daily necessities to open as usual with strict health protocols.
7:30 p.m. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike have met to discuss the Olympics and COVID-19 countermeasures, with Koike saying they agreed the games are going “very smoothly.”
In a nearly hourlong meeting at the prime minister’s official residence, they agreed to hold a smooth Paralympics, Koike tells reporters.
5:10 p.m. Malaysia’s cumulative cases reach 1,013,438, topping 1 million for the first time, after a record 17,045 new daily cases are reported.
5:05 p.m. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reports 1,763 new daily cases as the Olympics continue. The state of emergency in Tokyo runs through Aug. 22 — two weeks after the closing ceremony and two days before the Paralympics open.
2:04 p.m. India reports 39,742 new daily COVID-19 cases. The death toll rose by 535, with the total reaching 420,551, according to government data.
1:50 p.m. The Biden administration is thinking about donating more vaccines to Vietnam, its ambassador to the U.S. says, as the Southeast Asian country struggles to control the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus. Vietnam has just taken delivery of 3 million Moderna doses shipped from the U.S., bringing to 5 million the number it has been given by Washington via the global COVAX vaccine-sharing program. After successfully containing the virus for much of the pandemic, Vietnam has been facing rapid outbreaks, with daily cases repeatedly hitting new highs.
1:21 p.m. Hanoi’s Department of Transport has banned public transportation, including buses, taxis, and passenger and delivery services on ride-hailing apps, as part of a broader lockdown.
Exceptions include the transportation of passengers or “public missions” and the distribution of essential items, such as from supermarkets.
10:16 a.m. Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales reports 141 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, down from 163 the day before. But there are fears of new infections following an anti-lockdown in protest in state capital Sydney that drew thousands of people, many of them without masks. “In relation to yesterday’s protests, can I say how absolutely disgusted I was? It broke my heart,” state Premier Gladys Berejiklian tells reporters.
2:44 a.m. French police fire teargas as clashes erupt during protests in central Paris against COVID-19 restrictions and a vaccination campaign.
Police try to push back protesters near the capital’s Gare Saint-Lazare railway station after they had knocked over a police motorbike ridden by two officers, according to TV media reports. Images show a heavy police presence on the capital’s streets. Scuffles between police and demonstrators also break out the Champs-Elysees thoroughfare, where traffic is halted.
1:50 a.m. New cases in Turkey jump to 12,381, the highest mark since mid-May and nearly triple the low that from earlier in the month, according to Health Ministry data. Fifty-eight deaths are also recorded.
Infections remain well down from a wave in April-May when new COVID-19 cases peaked above 60,000. They fell to 4,418 on July 4 in the wake of a stringent lockdown that ended in mid-May. Most of the last restrictions were lifted this month.
Saturday, July 24
9:41 p.m. Vietnam’s health ministry reports 7,968 coronavirus infections, a record daily increase and up from Friday’s record of 7,307. More than two-thirds of the cases are in Ho Chi Minh City, the ministry says. Meanwhile, Hanoi suspends motorbike delivery services in the capital city, including by companies such as ride-hailing firms Grab and GoJek, adding to its existing restrictions.
4:49 p.m. Tokyo reports 1,128 COVID-19 cases as Japan’s capital kicks off the Olympic Games. Infections have been on the rise in recent weeks, reaching 1,979 on Thursday, the highest since January. The number tends to be lower on holidays and weekends due to less testing.
4:33 p.m. Malaysia’s health ministry records the highest number of daily infections since the beginning of the pandemic with 15,902 new coronavirus cases being reported. This brings the cumulative number of cases in the country to 996,393.
12:10 p.m. Tokyo 2020 says they failed to hand out PCR test kits to some athletes this week at the Olympic Village due to a shortage. According to the “Playbook” guidelines, athletes are subject to daily tests. Organizers say that more test kits will be delivered today.
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To catch up on earlier developments, see the last edition of latest updates.