The number of COVID-19 cases surged in some countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia on Friday as India reported the highest single-day spike and Indonesia recorded 1,041 new cases.

India's federal health ministry on Friday morning said 336 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 13,586 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 12,573 and total cases to 380,532.

This is the highest single day spike in terms of number of new COVID-19 cases in the country so far.

Bangladesh reported 3,243 new COVID-19 cases Friday, dipping from Thursday's high of 3,803.

Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a media briefing on Friday afternoon that 45 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across the country.

"The total number of positive cases is now 105,535 and death toll stands currently at 1,388 with the fresh fatalities of 32 men and 13 women," she added.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,041 within one day to 43,803, with the death toll adding by 34 to 2,373, Achmad Yurianto, a Health Ministry official, said at a press conference.

He also said that 551 more people had been discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 17,349.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 28,459 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 661 more infections on Friday.

The DOH said in its bulletin that the number of recoveries further rose to 7,378 after 288 more patients have survived the disease.

The death toll also increased to 1,130 after 14 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, the DOH added.

Afghanistan reported 346 new COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours on Friday, bringing the total tally to 27,878 cases, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed.

Two COVID-19 patients succumbed to the virus, taking the number of people who lost their lives due to COVID-19 to 549 since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

As of Friday afternoon there had been 7,409 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia.

A third day of inflated new COVID-19 cases in the Australian state of Victoria on Friday has caused concern over a plan to reduce social distancing restrictions along with the rest of the country starting from Monday.

The government of South Australia (SA), however, has announced a further easing of coronavirus restrictions. Steven Marshall, the Premier of SA, on Friday announced that the state's borders would be re-opened to travelers from Queensland as of midnight on Friday night.

South Korea reported 49 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Friday local time, raising the total number of infections to 12,306.

The daily caseload stayed between 30 and 60 for the past weeks. Of the new cases, 17 were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 1,396.

A total of 23 new imported COVID-19 cases were reported in Myanmar on Friday morning, bringing the total number of infections to 286 in the country, according to figures released by the Ministry of Health and Sports.

The newly confirmed cases are returnees who were under quarantine after their recent arrivals from Thailand and Malaysia.

Malaysia reported six new COVID-19 cases, pushing the national total to 8,535, the Health Ministry said.

No new death has been reported, leaving the total deaths at 121.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who coordinates the implementation of restrictive measures, told a separate press conference the government has decided to partly open the country's international borders.

New Zealand reported no cases of COVID-19 on Friday after three active cases had been reported this week.

The number of tests conducted on Thursday increased greatly, with 6,273 tests carried out due to the extensive testing of people related to the latest three cases and their flights and quarantine, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference.

The combined number of confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand is 1,507, with three active cases, according to the ministry. 

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