A medical worker fills a syringe with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as Japan launches its inoculation campaign at the Tokyo Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 17, 2021. (Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Xinhua)
-- Thailand mulls shortening quarantine period for vaccinated travelers: deputy PM;
-- Philippines logs 3,356 new cases, total nears 598,000;
-- India's tally reaches 11,229,398 as daily cases on rise;
-- New Zealand purchases enough vaccines for whole country: PM.
HONG KONG, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific countries on Monday:
TOKYO -- Tokyo reported 116 new daily COVID-19 cases, bringing the capital's tally since the outbreak of the pandemic here to 113,571.
The Tokyo Metropolitan government and health officials' latest figures showed that the latest number of new infections marked the first time the figure had dropped below the 200-mark since last Monday when 121 cases were reported.
People wearing face masks talk during a wedding show in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)
COLOMBO -- The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed the 500 mark in Sri Lanka after five more deaths were reported on Sunday, official statistics from the Health Ministry showed.
To date, 502 deaths from the virus have been reported in the island country while the total number of positive patients has reached 85,695.
Students attend a class at a primary school in Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
BANGKOK -- The mandatory quarantine period for those coming to Thailand from abroad might be shortened from 14 days to seven days, if they were vaccinated against the coronavirus, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.
Thailand confirmed 71 new COVID-19 cases, mostly domestic, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan.
Of the new cases, 48 were domestic infections while 23 others referred to imported cases, the CCSA spokeswoman said.
People prepare to play rugby amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Suva, Fiji, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)
SUVA -- The COVID-19 situation has highlighted the centrality of the role of women in holding societies together as they carry out diverse responsibilities, said a Fijian minister.
A medical worker marks on a used COVID-19 vaccine bottle in Buk-gu of Gwangju, South Korea, Feb. 26, 2021. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua)
SEOUL -- South Korea reported 20 more cases of COVID-19 variants in recent days, bringing the total number of such cases to 182, the health authorities said.
South Korea reported 346 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 92,817. The daily caseload was down from 416 on the previous day due to fewer virus tests over the weekend.
A nurse prepares a dose of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at the Marikina Sports Center in Marikina City, the Philippines, March 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
MANILA -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,356 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 597,763.
The death toll climbed to 12,521 after five more patients died from the viral disease.
A Cambodian nurse gives a shot of the COVID-19 Sinopharm vaccine to an athlete at the Preah Ket Mealea Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 2, 2021. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)
PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia confirmed 24 more local COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infected people linked to the third community transmission to 501, said a Ministry of Health (MoH) statement.
A woman receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a government hospital in New Delhi, India on March 1, 2021. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 11,229,398 as 18,711 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry.
According to the official data, the death toll mounted to 157,853 as 97 COVID-19 patients died since Sunday morning.
Few vehicles are seen on roads at night in Auckland, New Zealand, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo by Zhao Gang/Xinhua)
WELLINGTON -- The government has guaranteed that every New Zealander will have access to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, after securing an additional 8.5 million doses, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
New Zealand reported five cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation, with one border-related case reported Sunday to be officially added to Monday's tally.
People wait for a concert outside the Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
SYDNEY -- Australia's rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continued, with the state of Queensland delivering its first doses to frontline hospital and medical staff.■
