Coronavirus: Week of July 4 to July 10, South Korea reports third consecutive record of new cases

Nikkei Asia is tracking the spread of the coronavirus that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Cumulative global cases have reached 186,015,939, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The worldwide death toll has hit 4,017,782.

For more information about the spread of COVID-19 and the progress of vaccination around the world, please see our interactive charts and maps.

-- Global coronavirus tracker charts

-- Status of vaccinations around the world

-- World map of spreading mutated strains

-- Distribution, duration, safety: challenges emerge in vaccine race

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Saturday, July 10 (Tokyo time)

10:29 a.m.  Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, reports its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 so far this year, as total infections in the latest outbreak approach 500. There are 50 new cases of community transmission, compared with 44 a day earlier, the previous 2021 record high. Of Saturday's cases, 26 of the patients spent time in the community while they were infectious, state Premier Gladys Berejiklian tells a televised briefing.

9:55 a.m.  South Korea posts its highest-ever number of new daily COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the third consecutive day of record highs. Starting on Monday, coronavirus curbs will be tightened to the strictest level possible in Seoul and neighboring regions for the first time, the government said on Friday, as the streak of record new cases fanned concern. The country reported 1,378 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Friday, up from Thursday's previous record of 1,316.

Friday, July 9

9:15 p.m. Indonesia plans to give booster Moderna shots to health workers, amid its struggles to contain the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. The country's chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto and health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced the decision on Friday. The third shots will cover 1.47 million health workers.

6:30 p.m. Indonesia will impose emergency restrictions in some areas outside Java and Bali islands to curb the spread of COVID-19, a senior minister says. The curbs will be similar to those in place on Bali and Java and will impact 15 cities in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua, chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said. Medical workers will also be given booster vaccination shots, he added. Indonesia reported 38,124 new coronavirus cases and 871 fatalities on Friday.

5:10 p.m. Malaysia reports a new daily record of 9,180 cases, bringing the country total to 817,838 infections. The country's previous record was on May 29 when it saw 9,020 cases.

2:30 p.m. Vietnam aims to vaccinate 50% of people aged 18 or older by the end of this year and 70% by the end of March 2022, the health ministry says, as tighter coronavirus curbs were imposed in more cities, including Ho Chi Minh City, the country's commercial hub. Vietnam on Friday began movement restrictions in the city after imposing new curbs in the capital Hanoi after the country's daily infection rates hit record highs above 1,000 four times this month.

1:25 p.m. India reports 43,393 new infections in the last 24 hours, down slightly from 45,892 the previous day, bringing the country's total caseload to 30.75 million. Deaths rose by 911 to 405,939.

11:03 a.m. Japan's blue-chip Nikkei Stock Average index tumbles over 650 points, or 2.3%, on Friday morning. The index at one point hit its lowest level in almost two months following a fall on Wall Street, with investors turning more nervous about the spread of the delta coronavirus variant and its impact on the global economy. Japan will put Tokyo under its fourth state of emergency, which will run for the duration of the Tokyo Olympics, as infections rise.

10:11 a.m. South Korea will impose its strictest social distancing rules in greater Seoul for two weeks from Monday as daily cases hit a new record high of 1,316 -- up from 1,275 a day ago -- bringing the country total to 165,344 with 2,036 deaths. A night curfew will go into effect under the Level 4 curbs, with gatherings of three or more people banned after 6 p.m. in Gyeonggi Province, which includes greater Seoul, and the port of Incheon. The benchmark Kospi fell 1.55% in the morning.

9:15 a.m. China reports 23 new cases for Thursday, compared with 17 cases a day earlier. Eight of the new infections were local cases. China also reported 22 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 10 a day earlier.

8:30 a.m. The Olympic flame enters the final leg of its journey to the opening ceremony on July 23. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike received the torch as it arrived in the capital. The torch relay kicks off at noon and continues until the day of the opening ceremony.

6:23 a.m. Pfizer plans to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine within the next month, the drugmaker's top scientist says, based on evidence of greater risk of reinfection six months after inoculation and due to the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

A new study published in Nature found that one dose of certain vaccines had little effect against the delta variant of the coronavirus.   © Reuters

1:00 a.m. The delta variant of the coronavirus can evade antibodies that target certain parts of the virus, according to a new study published in Nature. The variant, first identified in India, is believed to be about 60% more contagious than alpha, first detected in the U.K.

French researchers tested the ability of antibodies produced by natural infection and by vaccines to neutralize the alpha, beta and delta variants. The beta variant was first identified in South Africa.

Blood samples from just 10% of people immunized with one dose of the AstraZeneca or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were able to neutralize the delta and beta variants in laboratory experiments. But a second dose boosted that figure to 95%. There was no major difference in the levels of antibodies elicited by the two vaccines.

"A single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca was either poorly or not at all efficient against beta and delta variants," the researchers concluded.

12:30 a.m. The Tokyo Olympic committee says spectators will not be allowed at venues in the capital and three surrounding prefectures as the city is expected to remain under a state of emergency during the games. Spectators will be allowed with capacity limits at stadiums in Fukushima, Miyagi and Shizuoka prefectures.

Thursday, July 8

9:00 p.m. Indonesia's daily infections hit a new record for the fourth consecutive day, with 38,391 cases in the past 24 hours, up from 34,379 the day before. The country's daily death toll drops to 852, from 1,040 deaths on Wednesday.

Indonesia has now reported a total of 2,417,788 cases -- the most in Southeast Asia -- and 63,760 deaths.

8:00 p.m. Malaysian authorities report 135 new deaths -- the highest daily count yet, surpassing the previous record of 126. New infections reach 8,868, up from 7,097 on Wednesday, as officials struggle to contain the virus with tight restrictions. The worsening outbreak comes as a key party's withdrawal from the ruling coalition shakes the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

6:15 p.m. Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline have received approval from Indian authorities for a late-stage clinical trial of their protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, the drugmakers say. France's Sanofi and Britain's GSK in May kicked off global trials to include more than 35,000 adults to test the vaccine. They hope to get approvals by the end of 2021 after early-stage results showed the vaccine produces a robust immune response.

5:22 p.m. Tokyo reports 896 new cases, following a 920 jump a day earlier, as the central government decides to declare a fresh state of emergency for the capital which will run during the Olympics through Aug. 22.

4:15 p.m. Vietnam wants Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces to take more aggressive measures against a wave of coronavirus infections sweeping the country's southern commercial hub. The central government in Hanoi sent a document to authorities in those regions Wednesday, calling for actions including lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19.

3:20 p.m. Thailand's health ministry says it has proposed new travel curbs and tighter restrictions in high-risk areas to contain the virus as the country reports a daily record of 75 COVID deaths. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is due to consider the new restrictions in a meeting on Friday.

1:44 p.m. India reports 45,892 new cases in the last 24 hours, up from 43,733 the previous day, bringing the country's total to over 30.7 million. Fatalities jumped by 817 to 405,028.

1:00 p.m. Thai consumer confidence dropped to a record low in June, dented by the country's biggest coronavirus outbreak, a slow vaccine rollout and a sluggish economic recovery, a survey shows. The consumer index of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce fell to 43.1 in June from 44.7 in May.

12:30 p.m. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach arrives in Japan for the Games. He meets tonight with Tokyo 2020 organizers and officials from the national and city governments to decide on whether to ban all spectators from the games as the capital enters a fourth COVID state of emergency

A COVID-19 victim is interred in a Muslim burial area provided by the Indonesian government in Jakarta on July 7.   © Reuters

11:30 a.m. The global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed the grim milestone of 4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, as many nations face new outbreaks involving more infectious variants amid slow vaccine rollouts. The U.S. leads the world with 606,215 deaths even though its daily numbers have decreased. Brazil has recorded 528,540 fatalities, followed by India, where the total has topped 404,000.

11:00 a.m. Thailand reports 75 new deaths from the coronavirus, a new daily record, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 2,462. It also reports 7,058 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 308,230.

10:30 a.m. South Korea reports its highest-ever number of new infections in a single day as officials consider tightening restrictions. The 1,275 cases in the 24 hours to midnight on Wednesday exceeded the number of daily cases reported at the peak of the country's third wave in December.

10:20 a.m. China reports 17 new cases for Thursday, compared with 57 a day earlier. Two were confirmed locally transmitted cases, both in Yunnan Province. The rest were imported. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, stood at 10.

10:10 a.m. Australia's state of New South Wales reports its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases for the year so far as total infections in the latest outbreak near 400. Thirty-eight new local cases were reported in the state, compared with 27 a day earlier. Of Thursday's cases, 26 people were either in isolation throughout or for part of their infectious period, while 11 spent time in the community while they were infectious.

Tokyo is set to fall under its fourth state of emergency due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. (Photo by Koji Uema)

9:30 a.m. Japan's government is set to declare a state of emergency for the Tokyo area through Aug. 22 amid a new wave of infections, says Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is heading the government's coronavirus response. Tokyo's fourth state of emergency, beginning on July 12, will cast a shadow over the Olympic Games, which will run from July 23 to Aug. 8.

8:55 a.m. Chinese authorities in the southwestern province of Yunnan report two new confirmed locally transmitted cases for Wednesday, of which one was previously identified as an asymptomatic case. This compares with 15 the previous day, which were all identified in the city of Ruili, bordering Myanmar.

2:06 a.m. Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan resigns amid a storm of criticism of the government's handling of the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

1:34 a.m. The U.S. is sending 1 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses to Bolivia and 1 million to Paraguay, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki tells reporters.

Wednesday, July 7

A vial of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine: Singapore is not counting people who receive the shot in its official inoculation tally.   © Reuters

7:00 p.m. People who receive Sinovac Biotech vaccines are excluded from Singapore's count of total COVID-19 immunizations, officials in the city-state say, amid heightened concern over the delta variant.

"We don't really have a medical or scientific basis or have the data now to establish how effective Sinovac is in terms of infection and severe illnesses on delta," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told reporters, according to Reuters.

The national vaccination program currently uses only the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots, though the authorities have allowed Sinovac to be administered by private clinics under a special access system.

6:15 p.m. Indonesia's daily death toll from COVID-19 crossed the 1,000 mark for the first time as 1,040 people died from the virus in the past 24 hours, up from the previous record of 728 the day before. Daily infections also reached a new high, 34,379, up from 31,189 on Tuesday. Indonesia now has reported 2,379,397 total cases and 62,908 deaths.

3:26 p.m. Indonesia expands movement restrictions to cover the entire country. Tough curbs will be enforced through July 20 in 43 areas outside Java and Bali islands, the majority being on Sumatra island. The measures include a 75% work-from-home requirement for non-essential sectors, closure of mosques and churches, and a closing time of 5 p.m. for malls and restaurants, except for takeout. Areas outside "Level 4" emergency zones will have looser restrictions. Officials have cited "significant increases" in daily infections and active cases, with hospital bed occupancy rates for COVID-19 patients in Lampung, Riau Islands, West Sumatra, East Kalimantan and West Papua provinces exceeding 60%.

Jakarta's Menteng Park is closed as Indonesia imposes emergency measures due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.   © Reuters

2:09 p.m. India reports 43,733 infections in the last 24 hours, up from 34,703 the previous day, bringing the country total to 30.66 million. Deaths rose from 553 a day before to 930, bringing the total to 404,211.

11:02 a.m. The Australian state of New South Wales orders a weeklong extension of Sydney's hard COVID-19 lockdown as new cases of the delta variant continue to emerge. Sydney, home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million people, went into lockdown on June 26 as a delta variant outbreak persuaded officials to tighten restrictions in a country that has been slow to vaccinate. Strict stay-at-home orders were due to end on Friday but now remain in place until July 16.

9:53 a.m. China's Sinovac Biotech is seeking to amend its Philippine emergency use authorization to include children aged 3 to 17 years old, according to Food and Drug Administration Director-General Eric Domingo. "Our vaccine experts are now taking a look at the data, asking questions ... and getting more information," Domingo said in televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines last month approved Pfizer jabs for children aged 12 years and above.

9:44 a.m. New Zealand health regulator Medsafe has given provisional approval for a coronavirus vaccine developed by Janssen, the pharmaceutical unit of Johnson & Johnson. The Janssen vaccine was approved for individuals 18 years of age and older, COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The medical evidence shows Janssen is a very safe and effective vaccine. It is a great addition to our vaccine options," Hipkins says, adding that the country had secured 2 million doses of the vaccine through an advance purchase agreement last year.

9:39 a.m. China reports 57 new COVID-19 cases in the mainland for July 6, up from 23 a day earlier. It is the highest daily tally of infections since Jan. 30. Fifteen of the new cases were local infections, all of which were located in the city of Ruili in Yunnan Province. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, rose to 41 from 25 cases a day earlier.

9:10 a.m. South Korea reports more than 1,200 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily count since late December, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum tells a COVID-19 response meeting. Kim says social distancing measures will be extended for the next few days and officials will consider whether to toughen existing rules as the country battles a fourth wave of the pandemic, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.

People celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Buddha in South Korea on May 19. The country will extend social distancing measures as it battles a fourth COVID wave.   © Reuters

7:00 a.m. The World Health Organization recommends using arthritis drugs Actemra from Roche and Kevzara from Sanofi with corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients after data from some 11,000 patients showed the drugs reduced the risk of death. A WHO group evaluating therapies concluded that treating severe and critical COVID patients with these drugs "reduces the risk of death and the need for mechanical ventilation."

2:51 a.m. The Biden administration will send 1.5 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to Guatemala and 2 million to Vietnam, White House press secretary Jen Psaki says.

12:20 a.m. European Union countries have ordered nearly 40 million additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson, a spokesman for the EU Commission said, despite the company's supply shortfalls in the first half of the year, reports Reuters.

The move is a sign of confidence in the single-dose vaccine but it also shows a cautious approach as the order placed is far below what was possible under the contract.

Tuesday, July 6

9:28 p.m. South Korea says it will receive 700,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine from Israel on loan this week, in an attempt to speed up immunization following a surge in infections around the capital Seoul.

6:19 p.m. Indonesia's daily infections top the 30,000 mark for the first time with 31,189 new cases in the past 24 hours. Daily deaths also hit a new high with 728 fatalities. The latest figures break previous records from the day before of 29,745 cases and 558 deaths. In total, Southeast Asia's largest economy has reported 2,345,018 cases and 61,686 deaths.

5:00 p.m. Tokyo reports 593 new infections, up from 342 a day earlier. The seven-day average of new cases in the capital is now 602, up 21.7% from a week ago.

3:00 p.m. Tokyo 2020 announces that two staff working at the Olympic Village tested positive last week. The staff and two other contractors who also work at the village had eaten at the same table. The contractors were determined to have had close contact with the two staffers but later tested negative.

2:00 p.m. Israel reports a decrease in the effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in preventing infections and symptomatic illness but said it remained highly effective in preventing serious illness. The decline coincided with the spread of the delta variant and the end of social distancing restrictions in Israel. Vaccine effectiveness in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease fell to 64% since June 6. At the same time the vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations and serious illness from the coronavirus.

1:50 p.m. India reports 34,703 new cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest single-day rise since March 18, bringing the country's total to 30.62 million. Fatalities jumped by 553 -- the fewest daily deaths in three months -- to 403,281.

After donating 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine to Taiwan in June, Japan now will ship another 1.13 million.   © Reuters

12:30 p.m. Japan will ship 1.13 million more doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine to Taiwan on Thursday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says. In June, Japan donated 1.24 million doses to the island, which had struggled to secure vaccines while battling an unexpected domestic outbreak. Taiwan reported 28 new domestic cases on Monday, down from 37 a day earlier, as infections ease.

12:10 p.m. South Korea reports 746 new infections, up from 711 a day earlier and the seventh straight day with more than 700 cases. The country's culminative total reaches 16,1541 cases, with 2,032 deaths.

11:30 a.m. The number of imported vehicles in Japan soared by 45.2% from a year earlier in June to 30,851, almost recovering to the pre-COVID level, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. The number -- excluding those made by Japanese companies -- was 98.8% of the level in June 2019. Purchases of luxury cars such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW led the way. Ferrari and Bentley posted the highest sales for a June since 1988.

10:30 a.m. Australia's state of New South Wales reports 18 locally acquired cases as authorities battle to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious delta variant in the state capital, Sydney. Of the 18 people, 16 were in isolation for some or all of their infectious period, but two spent time in the community while infectious.

9:30 a.m. Japan's household spending in May rose 11.6% from a year earlier, following a 13.0% spike the previous month, as it continued to rebound from a slump last year caused by the pandemic, government data shows. Average spending by households with two or more people in real terms stood at 281,063 yen ($2,500).

8:50 a.m. Authorities in China's southwestern province of Yunnan report three locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for Monday, all from the city of Ruili, bordering Myanmar. Yunnan had reported three locally transmitted cases for Sunday as well, and on Monday began preventing individuals from leaving or entering Ruili without special permission.

7:00 a.m. Myanmar reports 2,969 cases and 42 deaths, according to an announcement by the junta-appointed health ministry on state-owned Myawaddy TV. This is the highest number of daily cases so far, bringing the country's total to 168,374 cases, with 3,461 deaths. Of the 11,024 laboratory samples tested within the past 24 hours, the rate of positive results was 27%.

2:01 a.m. Japan is set to extend its coronavirus quasi-state of emergency in Tokyo and three nearby prefectures a little more than two weeks ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games, Nikkei has learned. A recent jump in infections has prompted the government to postpone ending the voluntary restrictions on business and other activities in the capital and neighboring Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba. The measures were were originally set to end on July 11.

2:00 a.m. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirms the government aims to end restrictive measures on July 19, with a final decision to be taken next week. He said the step would eliminate formal limits on social contact, the instruction to work from home and mandates to wear face masks.

1:15 a.m. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is in a serious but stable condition after contracting COVID-19 and will remain in the hospital for the time being, the government says.

Monday, July 5

9:46 p.m. Indonesia's COVID-19 crisis further deepens amid reports of people dying during self-isolation and overloaded hospitals struggling with oxygen shortages.

One woman contacted by Nikkei Asia told of several deaths recently among colleagues and other people she knew.

"My colleague, a 35-year-old man, died last week after his family went to several hospitals before they could finally get him admitted to a hospital [in another city]. He died shortly after," the woman said. Read more here.

Workers load an ambulance with empty coffins for delivery to a hospital in Jakarta as the country battles another wave of COVID infections.   © Reuters

7:35 p.m. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha will isolate himself for a week, after being in a selfie at a Phuket reopening ceremony on Thursday with Surin Chamber of Commerce Chairman Veerasak Pisanuwong, who on Sunday tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The prime minister's test came out negative, but he will perform his duties from home, according to government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.

6:30 p.m. Indonesia reports a record 29,745 new COVID infections and 558 deaths, according to the health ministry. The figures bring the country's total number of cases to 2,313,829 and deaths to 61,140.

5:15 p.m. Tokyo reports 342 new infections, down from 518 a day earlier. But the seven-day average of new cases in the Japanese capital stands at 585, up 19.8% from a week ago.

1:00 p.m. A group of infrastructure investors has proposed a 22.26 billion Australian dollar ($16.7 billion) buyout of Sydney Airport Holdings, the operator of Australia's biggest airport, taking a longer-term view on the pandemic-battered travel sector. The purchase, with an enterprise value of AU$30 billion including debt, would allow them to reap financial benefits when borders reopen and travel demand rebounds.

A man in a face mask walks past the Sydney Opera House: The state of New South Wales says the next two days will be "absolutely critical" in deciding whether to extend a two-week lockdown.   © Reuters

12:10 p.m. Australia's state of New South Wales says the next two days will be "absolutely critical" in deciding whether a two-week lockdown in Sydney, set to end on July 9, will have to be extended amid rising delta variant cases. The state reports 35 locally acquired cases, matching the biggest daily rise in infections so far this year, recorded two days ago. Total infections in the latest outbreak have topped 300.

11:50 a.m. South Korea reports 711 new cases, down from 743 a day earlier, bringing the country total to 160,795 cases. South Korea also logged two more deaths, taking the total to 2,028.

9:00 a.m. Australia will take 472 athletes to the Tokyo Olympics, the Australian Olympic Committee announces, the country's second-largest team for an overseas summer games. Some of the 254 women and 218 men who will compete in 33 sports are already in Japan making their final preparations for the Games, which were postponed for a year because of the global health crisis.

A member of the Myanmar armed forces receives a coronavirus vaccine on Jan. 30.   © Reuters

12:30 a.m. Myanmar's health ministry reports a daily record of 2,318 new cases as well as 35 deaths. A new outbreak has grown rapidly in the country, where the health system and anti-coronavirus measures have foundered since a Feb. 1 military coup. The rate of positive tests, at more than 22%, was also higher than during the previous peak in case numbers late last year.

12:15 a.m. Indonesia will bar foreign visitors not vaccinated against COVID-19 from entering the country, a government task force says, aiming to check the highly transmissible delta variant. Foreigners entering the country will need to show a vaccination certificate and a negative PCR test. The visitor will then undergo an eight-day quarantine -- up from the previous five -- and will need two negative PCR tests during that time.

Sunday, July 4

10:16 p.m. Thailand's national COVID-19 task force has agreed to ease curbs on construction projects where they could cause damage or danger, the government says on Facebook. It cites underground projects, scaffolding and those related to traffic safety as examples. Construction projects related to control of the disease, such as field hospitals, will also be allowed to go ahead.

The movement of construction workers will be allowed for outbreak containment, such as health screening and vaccinations, the government says, with further details to be announced later.

But construction sites and workers' camps in Bangkok -- the epicenter of Thailand's outbreak -- and five surrounding provinces will mostly be closed until late this month to contain infections and deaths.

7:50 p.m. Wearing face coverings in England will become a personal choice, and the data that will determine whether restrictions can be lifted this month is looking "very positive," says Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government.

"It will be a different period where we as private citizens make these judgments rather than the government telling you what to do," Jenrick tells Sky News.

Restrictions are due to be removed July 19 under the government's road map. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out more detail on the national policy on some of the restrictions in the coming days, Jenrick says.

6:50 p.m. The United Arab Emirates approves the Moderna vaccine for emergency use, the health ministry says, making the shot the fifth vaccine to receive the green light from the Gulf Arab state. The UAE has had one of the world's fastest vaccination campaigns, but daily new cases have remained around 2,000.

3:03 p.m. A member of Serbia's Olympic rowing team has tested positive upon arrival in Japan, public broadcaster NHK reports. The man in his 30s, one of the five team members, was screened at Haneda Airport on Saturday night. The Serbian team is the second country's delegation with a confirmed case, according to NHK, after two members of the Ugandan delegation tested positive in Japan last month.

Saturday, July 3

9:30 p.m. A million donated doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will arrive in Malaysia on Monday, White House officials say, with plans for more shipments to Southeast Asia soon. The doses come from an initial batch of 80 million American vaccine doses that the Biden administration pledged in June to share with the world.

8:31 p.m. Vietnam's health ministry reports 922 new cases, the highest daily total in the year and a half since COVID-19 was first detected in the Southeast Asian nation. Most cases were in the business hub of Ho Chi Minh City, where restrictions were already in place. Vietnam has logged a cumulative 19,043 cases and 84 deaths.

7:20 p.m. Tokyo confirms 716 new cases, the most in more than five weeks, as Japan considers extending pandemic restrictions in the capital less than a month before it hosts the Olympics. Tokyo and three nearby prefectures are among areas under a "quasi" state of emergency set to run through July 11, but Japan may extend the measures by two weeks or more on a recent uptick in infections.

5:28 p.m. South Africa has approved China's Sinovac vaccine, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority says, as a third wave of cases overwhelms hospitals and lifts the death toll past 60,000.

1:04 p.m. Phase 3 trials of a vaccine made by India's Bharat Biotech show it was 93.4% effective against severe symptomatic COVID-19, the firm says, a finding that could boost people's acceptance of Covaxin.

The data demonstrated 65.2% protection against the delta variant, first identified in India, that led to a surge in infections in April and May, and the world's highest daily death tolls.

12:57 p.m. Indonesian police put up roadblocks and more than 400 checkpoints on the islands of Java and Bali to ensure hundreds of millions of people stay home on Saturday, the first day of stricter curbs on movement to limit the spread of COVID-19.

As it battles one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, the world's fourth-most-populous nation has seen record new infections on eight of the past 12 days, with Friday bringing 25,830 cases and a high of 539 deaths.

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To catch up on earlier developments, see the last edition of latest updates.