HONG KONG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expanded the state of emergency to seven more prefectures on Wednesday, as Indonesia recorded the highest daily increase of COVID-19 cases.
Suga declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic in prefectures including Osaka and Aichi, broadening the scope of the measure amid a resurgence of the pandemic across the country.
The newly declared prefectures, also including Tochigi to the north of Tokyo, Gifu in central Japan, Hyogo and Kyoto in the west, and Fukuoka to the southwest, will remain in the status through Feb. 7.
Indonesia reported 11,278 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day rise since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, bringing its total tally to 858,043. The Health Ministry also reported 306 more fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 24,951.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo received a COVID-19 vaccine shot developed by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, becoming the first Indonesian vaccinated to show that the vaccine is safe.
Malaysia recorded 2,985 new confirmed cases, the health ministry said, bringing the national total to 144,518. Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press briefing that two of the new cases were imported and the 2,983 others were local transmissions.
Thailand confirmed 157 new cases of COVID-19, mostly domestic infections, said the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin.
Of the total, 132 were domestic cases while 25 others reported in returned overseas people who tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in Thailand, the CCSA spokesman said.
The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported 1,453 new confirmed cases, bringing the country's total tally to 492,700. The death toll climbed to 9,699 after 146 more patients died from the coronavirus epidemic. This is the second day for recording over 100 deaths, following 139 deaths on the previous day.
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,495,147 as 15,968 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry. According to the data, the death toll mounted to 151,529 with 202 new deaths.
Bangladesh reported 890 new confirmed cases and 14 new deaths, bringing its total tally to 524,910 with 7,833 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
South Korea reported 562 more cases of COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 70,212. The daily caseload stayed below 600 for two straight days, showing signs of moderating after moving around 1,000 in December.
Afghanistan reported 84 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases after health authorities conducted 2,109 tests within a day, bringing the total number cases to 53,774, the country's Ministry of Public Health said.