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HONG KONG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Asia-Pacific countries kept on high alert on Monday as Thailand reported a new high of coronavirus infection of 745 new cases.

Of the total new cases, 729 were local infections, 577 of which were Myanmar migrants in Samut Sakhon province, where the pandemic has spread since late last month, and 16 others were detected from quarantine facilities, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Thailand has so far reported 8,439 cases of infection, 6,379 of which were reported as domestic infections while 2,060 others referred to those who had returned from abroad, according to CCSA.

India's total tally rose to 10,340,469 as 16,504 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 149,649 as 214 COVID-19 patients died since Sunday morning.

There are still 243,953 active cases in the country, while 9,946,867 people have been discharged from hospitals after medical treatment.

The confirmed cases in Indonesia rose by 6,753 within one day to 772,103, with the death toll adding by 177 to 22,911, the Health Ministry said.

According to the ministry, 7,166 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 639,103.

Malaysia reported 1,741 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said, bringing the national total to 120,818.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press briefing that eight of the new cases are imported and 1,733 are local transmissions.

Another seven new deaths have been reported, pushing the death toll to 501.

South Korea recorded 1,020 more cases, raising the total number of infections to 64,264.

Of the new cases, 324 were Seoul residents and 260 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

Thirty-five were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 5,497.

Nineteen more deaths were confirmed, leaving the death toll at 981.

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported 959 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number in the country to 478,761.

The death toll climbed to 9,263 after six more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 26 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 448,279.

The DOH said the low daily number of cases reported on Monday "is due to a decrease in the number of patients seen in COVID-19 laboratories during the New Year." Enditem