Moscow on Sunday recorded the worst daily coronavirus death toll so far for a Russian city, as countries across the Asia-Pacific region extended or reimposed restrictions to tackle fresh waves of infections.
The pandemic has now killed close to 4 million people across the world, but vaccination drives have brought down infection numbers in many wealthy countries, though the Delta strain of the virus remains a concern.
The Delta variant is now in 85 countries and is the most contagious of any Covid-19 strain identified, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite that, in much of Europe and the US, curbs on daily life are easing as vaccination programmes bear fruit.
Moscow on Sunday recorded 144 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, a day after Saint Petersburg set the previous highest figure. Russia has seen an explosion of new infections since mid-June driven by the Delta variant.
The Delta variant is also feeding fresh outbreaks in Southeast Asia and Australia where authorities have brought back or prolonged restrictions. More than 5mn Sydney residents endured their first full day of a two-week lockdown on Sunday to contain the variant. Restaurants, bars and cafes were shuttered and stay-at-home orders were issued.
More than 110 Covid-19 cases have been reported in Sydney since a driver for an international flight crew tested positive in June for the Delta variant.
Australia’s northern city of Darwin also entered a separate snap 48-hour lockdown on Sunday after a handful of cases were linked to a coronavirus outbreak on a remote gold mine.
Similar spikes in infections have recently been seen across Southeast Asia. Thailand will from Monday reimpose restrictions on restaurants, construction sites and gatherings in the capital Bangkok as it tries to contain a wave of infections. The country’s latest wave kicked off in April when a cluster was found in upscale Bangkok clubs.
Indonesia set a new record for daily coronavirus cases on Sunday with a tally of more than 21,000, as hospitals are flooded with patients in Jakarta.
The Bangladesh government said it would impose a new national lockdown from Monday, with offices shut for a week and only medical-related transport allowed.
The announcement prompted tens of thousands of migrant workers to desert the capital Dhaka, where the lockdown will cut off their revenue sources.
