Coronavirus Virus waves in South Asia, South-east Asia
Pressure builds as cases soar
A growing number of nations in South Asia and South-east Asia are grappling with their worst Covid-19 outbreaks since the pandemic began. The surging cases have put the healthcare systems in many countries - from India and Nepal to Thailand and Malaysia - under enormous pressure.
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Thailand
BANGKOK • Thailand expects to offer the Moderna vaccine to most of its population soon as it steps up the roll-out of its Covid-19 vaccination campaign, a health official said yesterday.
The latest drive comes amid growing public criticism of the slow roll-out of free vaccinations, which stand at 1.73 million shots so far - less than 1 per cent of its population.
Thailand has so far approved the vaccines of Sinovac Biotech, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
REUTERS
Philippines
MANILA • The Philippines reported 6,979 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, bringing the total number of cases to 1,094,849.
The death toll climbed to 18,269 after 170 more patients died from the disease, the Department of Health said.
The country last Friday began to impose a 14-day quarantine on inbound travellers, up from a week previously, as the authorities try to contain the more infectious coronavirus variants.
Variants found in the country include those first detected in Britain and South Africa.
XINHUA
Laos
VIENTIANE • The Laos government is seeking to help poor families and vulnerable individuals who have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
The authorities have begun collecting data on them before extending aid, said a notice issued by the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare last Thursday.
Laos is under a lockdown until May 20 as it faces a second wave of infections. Covid-19 cases in the country totalled 1,205 last Friday, with 1,083 people undergoing treatment in hospitals.
XINHUA
Bangladesh
DHAKA • Bangladesh has detected its first cases of a highly infectious coronavirus variant first identified in India.
The variant, named B1617, was detected in two people screened at a hospital in the capital Dhaka, Dr Nasima Sultana, Additional Director-General of the country's health directorate, said at a press briefing yesterday.
Bangladesh detected the cases of the highly infectious virus variant weeks after imposing a ban on the entry of travellers from India via land ports.
XINHUA
Pakistan
ISLAMABAD • Pakistan yesterday began a nine-day shutdown affecting travel and tourist hot spots in a bid to prevent a surge in Covid-19 cases during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Already battling a third wave of infections and increasingly nervous about the crisis across the border in India, the government has imposed the most severe restrictions since a one-month lockdown in April last year.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Sri Lanka
COLOMBO • Sri Lanka yesterday approved Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in Sri Lanka, as the island nation battles a third wave of the virus, while suffering a restricted supply of vaccines from neighbouring India.
Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle, the minister overseeing the fight against the epidemic, said in a statement that the government would order five million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
REUTERS
