BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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JAKARTA -- As many as 38 more doctors died of COVID-19 in Indonesia from Jan. 1 to 16 this year, bringing the death toll of this group during the pandemic to 278, the Indonesian Medical Association said on Monday.

Of the 278 doctors, 156 were general practitioners, 117 were specialists and five were residents.

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JAKARTA -- The number of Indonesians overseas infected with COVID-19 rose to 2,820, as four more new cases were registered within the past 24 hours, according to the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

Amongst the four new cases, two were reported in Britain, one in Kuwait and one in the United Arab Emirates.

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TOKYO -- Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso vowed Monday to revive the country's economy badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and boost structural reforms for the future.

The remarks were made in his speech on the first day of this year's ordinary parliamentary session. Aso said the government will prevent the number of COVID-19 infections from increasing further "while supporting employment and business."

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MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Monday reported 2,163 new daily confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the highest in more than two months in this Southeast Asian country.

The last time the daily new cases in the Philippines exceeded Monday's number was on Nov. 8, 2020, which stood at 2,442.

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SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday that the country will be able to achieve faster herd immunity against COVID-19 than other countries under the planned vaccination program.

Moon told a New Year's press conference that the preliminary vaccinations, scheduled to begin in February, are planned to be completed by September and expected to generally form a herd immunity.