Thailand reports a record 23,557 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.79 million. 2022-02-24
Russia reduces the mandatory isolation period for close-contact COVID-19 patients to seven days amid an unprecedented increase in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant cases with the country reporting a record for the fifth consecutive day of 67,509 new COVID-19 cases. 2022-01-25
Sri Lanka approves the emergency use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the country faces its third wave of the pandemic and the highest number of active cases since the pandemic began. The minister overseeing the situation says that Sri Lanka will try to secure five million doses of the vaccine as India has restricted the supply of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. 2021-05-8
Ukraine reports its first cases of the Lineage B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom in two people from Ivano-Frankivsk. 2021-03-4
Chancellor Angela Merkel announces that after meeting with leaders of the 16 states, a hard lockdown will occur from December 16 to January 10. Non-essential shops and schools will be closed. New Year's Eve events, including the sale of fireworks and public consumption of alcohol will be banned. 2020-12-13
Victoria reports a new case in a person currently quarantining in a hotel. It is the first time that the state has reported a COVID-19 case in more than 40 days. 2020-12-12
Malaysia surpasses 50,000 total confirmed cases of COVID-19. 2020-11-18
After new cases reaches a record 8,099 cases in a single day, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announces new restrictions in Warsaw and other major cities that considered a "red" zone from October 17. All secondary schools in those areas will be closed, restaurants will close at 9 p.m. local time, weddings will be banned and there will be stricter limits on the numbers of people allowed in shops and on public transport and at religious services. 2020-10-15
Iran temporarily frees 85,000 prisoners, including political ones and British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. A judiciary spokesman says all of those freed were serving less than five years in prison, while all other prisoners serving heavier sentences remain in jail. 2020-03-17