Asia registers more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths
In terms of fatalities, India is most affected, followed by Indonesia and Pakistan
Asia has registered more than 100,000 deaths linked to Covid-19 since the coronavirus emerged in December, according to an AFP tally based on official sources at 8am GMT (4pm, Singapore time) yesterday.
A total of 100,667 deaths have been attributed to the coronavirus in the region out of 5,420,803 officially declared cases, with 4,255,760 people considered to have recovered.
In terms of fatalities, India is the most affected country with nearly three-quarters of total deaths in the region - 67,376 deaths from 3,853,406 cases.
It is followed by Indonesia with 7,616 deaths from 180,646 cases and Pakistan (6,328 deaths, 297,014 cases).
Both India and Indonesia reported record numbers of cases yesterday. India had 83,883 cases while Indonesia reported 3,622 cases.
In terms of deaths, Asia is the fourth most affected region in the world, behind Latin America and the Caribbean (282,979 deaths, 7,514,473 cases), Europe (216,596 deaths, 4,049,902 cases), the United States and Canada (194,915 deaths, 6,244,459 cases).
Meanwhile, Thailand yesterday reported its first local transmission in more than 100 days, officials said, after a man who was recently imprisoned failed a routine test at a Bangkok jail.
The man, 37, a former nightclub DJ, tested positive on Wednesday during scheduled weekly testing, the authorities said, adding he had not travelled abroad or been in close contact with a known positive case.
The man, sentenced on Aug 26 for what local media said was a drug offence, had been in contact with at least 30 other people before testing positive.
Those tested so far have all been negative, officials said.
Officials sought to downplay the prospect of a second wave of cases and said more laboratory results were needed to be certain the infection was recent.
"We've identified an infection, but in terms of an outbreak, we are investigating," said Mr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen, director-general of the Department of Disease Control.
Malaysia yesterday added at least nine more countries, including the US, Britain and France, to its list of long-term immigration pass holders to be barred from the country, Bernama reported.
On Tuesday, Malaysiasaid it would from Sept 7 bar entry of pass holders from India, Indonesia and the Philippines in a bid to curtail imported cases in South-east Asia's third largest economy.
The ban will now include all countries that have reported more than 150,000 coronavirus cases, the report said, citing Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Malaysia reported 14 new cases taking its total to 9,374. The death toll remains at 128.
The Philippines reported 1,987 cases, a new five-week low, and 65 deaths taking total infections to 228,403, and deaths to 3,688. - AFP, REUTERS
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