Indonesia posted a record daily COVID-19 death toll on July 16, while the Philippines reported the first cases of Delta variant infection in the community.

Indonesia confirmed 1,205 COVID-19 deaths on July 16, the highest since it was hit by the pandemic. The country’s new cases of coronavirus infections, meanwhile, reached 54,000, the third highest number to date.

The new infections and deaths brought Indonesia’s tally and death toll to 2,780,803 and 71,397.

On the same day, the Philippines warned of the risk of an outbreak after recording first cases of the Delta variant infection in the community. More than 3 million people in related areas are under a lockdown till the end of July.

The nation, on July 16, logged 5,676 new cases and 162 deaths, pushing its total numbers to 1,496,328 and 26,476, respectively.

In a bid to limit the number of new infections, Singapore will tighten its rules on social gatherings from July 19 until August 8. This includes limiting dining in at food and beverage (F&B) outlets to two people, down from five people currently.

However, fully vaccinated individuals will continue to be able to dine in groups of up to five at eateries with systems to verify customers' vaccination status.

About 2,480 people are under quarantine in Singapore after contacting COVID-19 patients.

Also on July 16, the Cambodian Ministry of Health confirmed an additional 889 COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths, raising the country's totally and death toll to over 65,000 and 1,052, respectively.

Source: VNA