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 India recorded more than 4,000 COVID-19 deaths for a second day in a
row on Thursday, while infections stayed below 400,000 for a fourth
day, though the virus has become rampant in rural areas where cases
can go unreported due to a lack of testing.
Experts remain unsure when numbers will peak and concern is growing
about the transmissibility of the variant that is driving infections
in India and spreading worldwide.
Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of epidemiology at the University of
Michigan, said most models had predicted a peak this week and that
the country could be seeing signs of that trend.
Thailand reports record infections
Thailand announced a daily record in new cases on Thursday after
nearly 3,000 inmates in two jails were infected, among them a leader
of anti-government protests held while awaiting trial for insulting
the king.
Authorities reported 32 COVID-19 deaths and a record 4,887
infections after 2,835 prisoners were added to the tally following
the mass testing of thousands of inmates in two Bangkok jails.
A corrections department official said those infected included
Panupong "Mike Rayon" Jadnok, 24, who has been held since March 8 on
charges that include sedition and insulting King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Singapore reports most cases in eight months
Singapore's health ministry on Thursday reported 24 locally
transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number since
mid-September, with 17 of the new cases linked to a cluster at Chang
Airport.
Authorities started testing all workers at the airport a few days
ago after detecting the cluster. They have also restricted access to
terminals to passengers with tickets and essential workers for two
weeks from Thursday.
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 Following months of reporting
few new local cases, infections in Singapore
have been climbing, prompting authorities to
tighten social distancing rules from last week.
Taiwanese cities tighten restrictions
Taiwanese cities are tightening restrictions on
access to public venues such as gyms and
libraries after a rare rise in domestic
infections.
Early and effective prevention steps, including
largely closing its borders, succeeded in
shielding Taiwan from the worst of the pandemic.
It has reported just 1,231 infections so far.
But markets and the government have been on edge
since renewed domestic outbreaks began late last
month, with 16 new domestic cases announced on
Wednesday, a record daily high.
England's infections halved since March
The prevalence of coronavirus infections in
England has halved since March helped by the
swift rollouts of vaccines, but new variants
remain a threat, according to the findings of a
closely watched survey released on Thursday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday
gave the green light to hugging and the serving
of pints inside pubs from next week after months
of strict restrictions as he set out the next
phase of easing the pandemic lockdown.
The REACT study, run by scientists at Imperial
College London, found that the number of
infections has fallen again with an average of
only one in 1,000 people infected.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by David
Clarke)
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