BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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TEHRAN -- Iran's Health Ministry reported 253 news COVID-19 death cases on Saturday, bringing the total fatality over the epidemic in Iran to 30,123.

According to Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 4,103 new patients were diagnosed over the past 24 hours, raising the total confirmed number in the country to 526,490.

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia reported 869 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, bringing the national total to 19,627.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press briefing that all the new cases are local transmissions.

Four more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 180.

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KABUL -- Afghanistan registered 53 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 40,141, said a statement of Public Health Ministry released here Saturday.

According to the statement, three patients have died over the period, bringing the number of COVID-19 related deaths to 1,488 since the outbreak of the disease in February in the country.

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BEIJING -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has allayed fears over the country's possible use of COVID-19 vaccines developed by China, saying China is a modern and capable country, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Thursday.

"Those of you [who] are asking me if [this vaccine from] China is safe -- well, I can say that China is a modern country ... whose integrity is fully protected by its achievements," Duterte said in a pre-recorded public address on Wednesday, according to the report.

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JAKARTA -- The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 4,301 within one day to 357,762, with the death toll adding by 84 to 12,431, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

According to the ministry, 4,048 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 281,592.

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MOSCOW -- Russia confirmed 14,922 coronavirus cases and 279 deaths on Saturday, following Friday's record daily rise for the nation, the country's COVID-19 response center said.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases for the nation is equal to 1,384,235 and the total death toll is 24,002.

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VIENNA -- Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his spokesperson said Saturday morning.

Schallenberg received the test result on Friday afternoon and has been under home quarantine with no symptoms so far, the spokesperson said. Enditem

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