South Korea is leading Asian countries in a resurgence anew of daily new coronavirus infections, with the new infections breaching the biggest daily count since March 7.
South Korea Daily Infections Spike to Record High Since Early March
South Korea, on Sunday, logged an additional 397 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, marking the first time since March 7 that the country reached a record-high increase in daily infections.
Seoul remains the hardest-hit area, as the capital, along with surrounding towns, accounted for 294 of Sunday's new infection log.
As of Sunday, South Korea has logged a total of 17,399 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 309 deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.
Government Expands Stricter Social Distancing Guidelines
As part of the efforts to curb the resurgence of new cases, the South Korean government announced that stricter social distancing guidelines will be extended throughout the entire country starting Sunday.
Last week, it was only Seoul that saw its social distancing regulations upgraded, following a significant spike in cases in the capital and surrounding towns.
The country has been battling with cluster infections traced back to religious groups but recently, there have also been concerns among transmissions that cannot be linked to any individual or group.
India Soars Past 3 Million COVID-19 Infections
The Indian health ministry, on Sunday, reported an additional 69,329 confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the national infection toll to 3,049,855.
Shortly after news of the country reaching a new grim milestone, Indian minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan said that the ministry "very confident that a vaccine will be developed by the end of this year."
One of the country's potential coronavirus vaccine candidates has reached the third phase of clinical trials and hopes are high for the vaccine to pass regulatory controls.
Report Puts India in List of Countries to Suffer Economic Slump
A report by global political risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft placed India in its list of countries that are expected to experience the "harshest repercussions" from the novel coronavirus.
In the report, analysts David Wille and Joshua Cartwright noted that India is joined by South Africa and Brazil in the bottom of the index that measures a country's ability to recover from a devastating crisis.
The report further placed the three countries in the high-risk list of countries with significant corruption scores.
Victoria Sees Decline in Daily Cases, Officials Say
Australia, on Sunday, logged 17 new deaths linked to COVID-19 but officials said hard-hit Victoria is indicating a decline in daily new coronavirus infections, sparking hope for a recovery.
According to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, while the state recorded 208 new infections on Sunday, the figure is lower than the weekly average that the state logged over the past several weeks.
Australia is battling its second wave of coronavirus cases, as with other Asian countries. The country has logged a total of 24,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 502 deaths.
