What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Australia's Delta outbreak worsens The prospect of an extended lockdown in Sydney loomed on Monday as Australian health officials reported yet another record daily rise in COVID-19 cases for the year, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Australia's Delta outbreak worsens

The prospect of an extended lockdown in Sydney loomed on Monday as Australian health officials reported yet another record daily rise in COVID-19 cases for the year, fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant. New South Wales state reported 112 new locally transmitted cases, almost all in Sydney, despite the country's biggest city entering its third week of lockdown. Case numbers have been at record levels for at least three days.

There was, however, a glimmer of light as the number of newly-infected people who were out in the community while infectious dropped to 34 from 45 on Sunday. State of emergency begins in Tokyo

Olympic host city Tokyo entered a new state of emergency on Monday, less than two weeks before the Games begin amid worries about whether the measures can stem a rise in COVID-19 cases. Organizers last week announced that spectators would be banned from nearly all venues. Spectators from abroad were already banned months ago, and officials are now asking residents to watch the Games on TV to keep the movement of people, which could spread contagion, to a minimum.

Opinion polls have consistently shown the Japanese public is concerned about going ahead with the Games during the pandemic. South Korea reports 1,100 new cases

South Korea recorded 1,100 new coronavirus cases for July 11, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Monday, as the country's toughest anti-COVID curbs take effect in Seoul in an attempt to quell its worst-ever outbreak. The number was the highest ever recorded on a Sunday, KDCA data showed, though below three consecutive days of peaks leading up to 1,378 on Friday.

Starting on Monday, the government has imposed the strictest level of social distancing in Seoul and neighboring areas for the first time, including a ban on gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m. Thailand to mix Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines

Thailand said on Monday it will use AstraZeneca's vaccine as a second dose for those who received Sinovac's shot as their first dose to increase protection. The plan, if implemented, would be the first publicly announced mix and match of a Chinese vaccine and a Western-developed shot.

Thailand and neighbors like Indonesia have reported breakthrough infections among medical and frontline workers inoculated with Sinovac's inactivated virus vaccine. Taiwan finally getting BioNTech COVID vaccines

Taiwan's Foxconn and TSMC said on Monday they had reached deals to buy 10 million doses of BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, putting the total cost of the highly politicized deal at around $350 million. The Taiwanese government has tried for months to buy the vaccine directly from BioNTech and has blamed China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, for nixing an agreement the two sides were due to sign earlier this year. China denies the accusations.

Last month, facing public pressure about the slow pace of Taiwan's inoculation program, the government agreed to allow Foxconn's founder Terry Gou, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), to negotiate on its behalf for the vaccines.