HONG KONG, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific countries:

NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry Thursday morning said 334 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 12,881 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 12,237 and the total cases to 366,946.

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

According to ministry officials, so far 194,325 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A hairdresser wearing a face mask works at a salon amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Agartala, Tripura, India, on June 11, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)[/caption]

SEOUL -- South Korea reported 59 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Thursday local time, raising the total number of infections to 12,257.

The daily caseload rose above 50 in six days. Of the new cases, eight were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 1,379.

Small cluster infections were still found linked to religious gatherings, nursing homes, indoor sports facilities, health product retailer and distribution centers.

One more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 280.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A little girl plays at the traditional lantern festival along the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, South Korea, May 28, 2020. (Photo by Lee Sang-ho/Xinhua)[/caption]

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported on Thursday one new case of COVID-19 who was a traveler from Pakistan, after two cases were reported earlier this week, the first in 24 days, with a health official apologizing for the cases that "have upset people and shaken people's confidence."

The new case was a man in his 60s who was in quarantine after arriving from Pakistan on June 13 on Air NZ flight 124 from Melbourne.

The combined number of confirmed and probable cases in New Zealand is 1,507.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] People walk at a park in Wellington, New Zealand, May 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Lei) ■[/caption]