Daily COVID-19 infections in Tokyo reached a record 5,041, surpassing the 5,000 mark for the first time, Kyodo News reported Friday, citing health officials said as a resurgence of the virus puts a strain on the city's medical infrastructure in Japan.
Tokyo, hosting the Olympic games while under its fourth state of emergency over the health crisis, reported a record number for the second consecutive day after registering 4,165 cases.
In Australia, authorities warned the people of Sydney Friday to brace for an increase in infections after the country's biggest city tallied record cases for the second straight day despite weeks-long lockdown to contain a Delta variant outbreak.
Sydney reported a record 278 local infections over the past 24 hours, rising from the previous high of 258 from the previous day.
In China, as Beijing struggles with a deepening outbreak of the Delta variant, a conspiracy theory connecting the origin of the virus to the U.S. military has gained renewed interest.
The totally baseless theory, which alleges that the disease may have been leaked from an American military lab, has been repeatedly promoted by Chinese authorities and government media since March 2020, CNN said.
In the Philippines, the Delta variant has been found in all cities and the lone municipality in the country's capital, Metro Manila, health officials said Friday.
During an online media briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said 16 out of the 17 cities in the national capital region have Delta variant cases as of August 5.
Over in Thailand, officials are facing claims of using lawsuits and new emergency decrees to stave off a growing wave of public ire about the government's handling of the crisis as Thailand's caseload and fatalities continue to reach record peaks.
Authorities said the moves are aimed solely at those spreading misleading information. However, rights organizations stated that the latest decree could allow authorities to block online reports that may incite fear, even if true.
In Malaysia, the country reported 20,888 new infections Friday, topping its record for daily cases for a third straight day.
Malaysia's cumulative number of virus infections now stands at 1,224,594, data provided by the health ministry, show.
Worldwide, there are currently 201 million cases of the virus, with 4.27 million deaths.
