The number of fully immunized persons in the Philippines has exceeded the 3 million mark, health officials said Thursday.
"More than three million or 3,089,876 are now fully vaccinated," Presidential representative Harry Roque said in an online press briefing Thursday.
The Philippines has so far received 17 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, Inquirer.net said.
In Australia, the city of Sydney has tallied its highest daily increase in Covid-19 infections in months, despite in lockdown for almost two weeks.
New South Wales health officials reported 38 cases in its capital Thursday, pushing the case number of the Delta outbreak to more than 370, BBC said.
In China, raising fears of another possible wave of infections in the country, Chinese authorities reported 57 new cases in the mainland Wednesday.
The number of infections in the mainland has risen from 23 a day before -- the highest daily record of the virus since January 30.
In Hong Kong, dozens of companies in the city have launched lucky draws for fully immunized Hongkongers as part of a government program to accelerate inoculations before September. Prizes up for grabs range from taels of gold to free insurance plans.
The Ng Teng Fong Foundation, Chinese Estates Holding, and Sino Group have launched a lucky draw that also offers a grand prize of a HK$10 million apartment to a Hong Kong permanent resident and HK$100,000 worth of credit to 20 other winners.
Over in Indonesia, hospitals across the island of Java are running out of oxygen, beds and medicines as a sharp increase in cases overwhelms the country's health system.
Indonesia is facing one of the worst outbreaks in Asia. On Wednesday, health officials reported 34,379 new infections and 1,040 deaths.
"At worst, it could reach 60,000 to 70,000 cases per day, but I hope that doesn't happen," Senior Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said.
In Singapore, authorities may allow fully immunized people to gather in groups of up to eight instead of five.
Health officials are considering new measures for those who received the vaccine under the national inoculation program.
In Vietnam, 9 million people in Ho Chi Minh City were ordered into lockdown as the commercial hub struggles to contain the country's most serious outbreak so far, state media said Wednesday.
"To quickly control the pandemic, Ho Chi Minh City is determined to be tougher," Nguyen Thanh Phong, HCMC City mayor, said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in India, authorities arrested 14 people in a scheme to administer fake vaccines to unsuspecting patients.
The vaccines, which contained a saline solution, were given to thousands at Mumbai-area vaccination facilities, officials said, according to News Channel 8.
Worldwide, there are currently 185 million cases of the virus, with 4 million deaths.
