ASEAN Covid-19 | Omicron | VAX | 2.18.22 | AN UPDATE –
Omicron risk remains very high — WHO
Artist’s rendition of coronavirus
GENEVA, Switzerland — The risk level related to the Omicron variant remains very high, the WHO said late Tuesday, with the numbers of new COVID-19 cases hitting another record high last week.
“Over 21 million new cases were reported, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic,” the World Health Organization said in its weekly epidemiological coronavirus update.
The UN health agency said the number of new infections increased by 5% in the week to Sunday — compared to the 20% rise registered the week before.
“A slower increase in case incidence was observed at the global level,” the WHO said.
Nearly 50,000 new deaths were also reported, it added — a similar figure to the week before.
.
“The current global epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 is characterised by the dominance of the Omicron variant on a global scale, continued decline in the prevalence of the Delta variant, and very low-level circulation of Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants,” the WHO said.
“Countries that experienced a rapid rise in Omicron cases in November and December 2021 have been or are beginning to see declines in cases.
However, “based on the currently available evidence, the overall risk related to the Omicron variant remains very high”.
The WHO said that of samples collected in the last 30 days that have been sequenced and uploaded to the GISAID global science initiative, Omicron accounted for 89.1%.
Delta — previously the world’s dominant variant — now makes up 10.7%.
ASEAN Covid-19 Table – 18 February 2022
Asean as a whole has reported more than 18.4 million COVID-19 cases. Of this, more than 1.45 million are active cases as of February 18.
__________________________________________
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
__________________________________________
1. BRUNEI
Record high daily COVID cases detected
Brunei Darussalam logged a record high of 2,015 new COVID-19 cases yesterday. The cases were detected in 1,148 PCR tests and 867 antigen rapid tests (ARTs).
.
.
.
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
2. CAMBODIA
2.18..22
<>
Children aged 3 to 5 years to be jabbed against C-19, amid surge
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday sanctioned children aged three to five years be vaccinated against the deadly Covid-19 disease, with the Variant of Concern, Omicron, spreading rapidly in the community and even infecting children.
The Premier is mandating this due to the high contagious and rapid spread of Omicron in the community daily with 20% to 25% of the victims being kids and some under five being placed on ventilators due to them having breathing difficulties.
He said that it is better to have them vaccinated than expose them to the risk and a tragic situation.
Mitigation rather than designation key to new normal
Despite the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreading fast in the Kingdom, several government officials have said that designating locations as high-risk will slow the country’s reopening and WHO agrees that mitigation by getting vaccinated and following health measures is the best course for people to learn to live with the virus.
Health Ministry spokesman Hok Kim Cheng said yesterday that the Covid-19 committee is working with the ministry to screen infectious places, however, people need to learn to live with Covid-19 and its variants.
“People should not worry when a location is reported,” Kim Cheng said. “What they should worry about are the priorities and what is important is that people are fully vaccinated, received a booster when it’s their turn and strictly implement health measures to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
__________________________________________
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
__________________________________________
3. INDONESIA
Latest official COVID-19
Confirmed 4,901,328
Deaths 145,455
Recovered 4,349,848
.
Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/.
<>
Bali welcomes back tourists with first international flight
Travelers walk through the international arrivals hall at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban near Denpasar, Bali, on Feb. 16, 2022, after a Singapore Airlines flight arrived following a nearly two-year break due to COVID-19. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
.
.
Bali began a tentative re-opening to foreign tourists on Wednesday with the first international passenger flight to the Indonesian holiday island in nearly two years. The resumption of flights comes as the Southeast Asian archipelago loosens quarantine rules even as it battles a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant. A Singapore Airlines plane carrying 109 international travelers and 47 Indonesians landed in Bali on Wednesday, the island’s governor Wayan Koster told a press conference.
AFP Denpasar, Indonesia ● Thu, February 17, 2022
Click to read: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2022/02/17/bali-welcomes-back-tourists-with-first-international-flight.html.
__________________________________________
4. LAOS
Asean FMs discuss Covid response, recovery efforts
The Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat kicked off in Phnom Penh on Thursday in a hybrid format to discuss issues ranging from the Covid-19 response to economic recovery and the 10-nation bloc’s relations with dialogue partners.
.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay Kommasith led the Lao delegation attending the meeting hosted by Cambodia.
.
The gathering is the first foreign ministers’ meeting under the Cambodian chairmanship of Asean and takes the theme “ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together”.
By Times Reporters
(Latest Update February 18, 2022)
<>
Restaurants closed for breaking Covid rules
By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update January 28, 2022)
__________________________________________
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
__________________________________________
5. MALAYSIA:
Malaysia records 26,701 new Covid-19 cases
2.18.22
;
PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry reported 26,701 Covid-19 cases yesterday.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of the 26,701 new cases, only 118, or 0.44 per cent, were in Categories 3, 4 or 5 at the time of diagnosis.
Selangor reported the highest number of cases up to midnight yesterday, with 5,858 Covid 19 cases, followed by Sabah with 4,794, Kedah with 3,243, Johor with 2,856, Penang with 1,999, Kelantan with 1,783, Kuala Lumpur with 1,419 and Pahang with 1096.
The total number of infections now stands at 3,138,215.
He also said there were 19 clusters reported yesterday.
<>
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
.
4. MYANMAR
Myanmar’s Omicron cases rise to 146
People wait at a COVID-19 health check station in Yangon, Myanmar. PHOTO: XINHUA
.People wait at a COVID-19 health check station in Yangon, Myanmar. PHOTO: XINHUA
ANGON (XINHUA) – The number of Omicron cases has risen to 146 after 28 new cases were reported in Myanmar, according to a statement from its Ministry of Health on Thursday night.
The ministry said the Omicron variant was found in 11 samples of returnees from Malaysia, six from the Philippines, three from Thailand, four from Singapore, two from India and one each from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia.
According to the ministry’s figures on Thursday, the number of COVID-19 infections has increased to 533,732 in Myanmar after 128 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the past 24 hours.
With one more death, the death toll has reached 19,307 as of Thursday.
A total of 511,798 patients have been discharged from hospitals.
Myanmar detected its first two COVID-19 positive cases in March 2020.
<>
__________________________________________
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
__________________________________________
7. PHILIPPINES
This puts the total caseload to 3.65 million, of which 96.7 percent or 3.52 million, have recovered from the virus.
Positivity rate is at 9.7 percent on 29,392 samples received by the DoH from all but three of its accredited laboratories,
Of the active cases, nearly 61,000 are mild or asymptomatic, 309 are critical, and 1,428 are severe.
The death toll is at 55,330
READ MORE: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/02/18/latest-stories/ph-logs-2196-new-covid-19-cases/1833401
<>
HEADLINES
‘Mask mandate to remain until end of pandemic’
A boy walks past a mural at SSS Village in Marikina City yesterday. The government says wearing face masks will still be required even if the country is placed under Alert Level 1.
>
MANILA, Philippines — The mandatory wearing of face masks in public places will remain as the government policy until the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates, the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 said yesterday.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., NTF chief implementer, said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has yet to discuss whether the policy should be lifted or not.
READ MORE: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/02/18/2161657/mask-mandate-remain-until-end-pandemic
____________________________________________________________________
8. SINGAPORE
Tracking Covid-19 cases in Singapore
A summary of those hospitalised, requiring oxygen or in the ICU
| Currently in hospital | Require oxygen supplementation | Critically ill in ICU |
|---|---|---|
|
611
|
49
|
12
|
There are currently 49 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation. Among them are 41 seniors aged 60 or older.
There is particular concern for those aged 60 or older
850 people have died
There were no new deaths from Covid-19 complications, according to MOH data released on Jan 27.
Rate of vaccination remains largely stagnant as booster shots increase
As at Jan 26, 88 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and 91 per cent have received at least one dose.
In addition, the Health Ministry reported that 91 per cent of the eligible population have completed their full regime, or received two doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
Those eligible for booster doses are also being invited to receive their third shots. So far, 57 per cent of Singapore’s population have received boosters.
A summary of cases – those locally transmitted and those imported
The number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore has grown to 333,071, with 5,469 new cases reported on Jan 27.
Of the total cases, 1,898 were detected through polymerase chain reaction tests – comprising 1,537 local cases and 361 imported cases.
Another 3,571 cases were detected through antigen rapid tests and assessed by a doctor to have mild symptoms and of low risk. Of these, 3,553 were local and 18 were imported.
Meanwhile, another 3,109 patients were discharged. So far, a total of 311,589 patients have recovered from Covid-19.
The weekly infection growth rate is at 2.37.
______________________________
9. THAILAND:
Covid infection rate steady with 8,444 new cases Sunday
PUBLISHED : 30 JAN 2022 AT 08:27
A devotee wearing a face mask visits Wat Mangkon Kamalawat in Bangkok’s Yaowarat on Saturday ahead of Chinese New Year. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)
The government on Sunday announced 8,444 more Covid-19 cases, maintaining the range of 6,000-9,000 infections per day since Jan 7, along with 12 new fatalities.
This compared with the 8,618 new cases and 19 fatalities reported on Saturday morning.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said on Sunday afternoon that the 12 new fatalities were between the ages of 55 and 83, all Thai nationals.
Bangkok logged the most new deaths at two, followed by one each in Samut Prakan, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan, Chumphon, Yala and Ayutthaya.
Of the local infections, 8,133 were confirmed at hospitals, 54 via mass testing and 21 among inmates. A further 236 infections were imported from abroad.
Bangkok had 1,271 new cases, followed by Samut Prakan (783), Chon Buri (408), Nonthaburi (403), Phuket (360), Si Sa Ket (224), Ubon Ratchathani (216), Pathum Thani (174), (Nakhon Ratchasima) 166, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Si Thammarat (162).
(Screenshot from https://epidemic-stats.com/coronavirus/thailand)
On Saturday, 84,542 people received Covid-19 treatment at hospitals, including 546 seriously ill patients and 109 dependent on ventilators.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 2.6 million in 24 hours to 373 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 7,647 to 5.6 million. The United States had the most cases at 75 million, up 192,028, and the most deaths at 906,861, up 1,127.
On Saturday, 7,829 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus.
Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 2,432,534 Covid-19 cases, including 209,099 cases this year, with 2,325,835 complete recoveries to date.
The accumulated death toll stood at 22,157 since the beginning of the pandemic.
The highest number of Covid-related fatalities in a 24-hour period was 312 recorded on Aug 13. The highest number of cases was 23,418 on Aug 18.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 2.6 million in 24 hours to 373 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 7,647 to 5.6 million. The United States had the most cases at 75 million, up 192,028, and the most deaths at 906,861, up 1,127.
Thailand ranked 30th with its accumulated 2,432,534 cases.
THAILAND SITUATION
THAILAND SITUATION
-
Total cases:2,432,534
-
Recovered:2,325,835
-
Daily New Cases:8,444
-
Deaths:22,160
-
Rank:30
___________________________
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
__________________________________________
10. VIET NAM
Việt Nam reports 15,150 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday
Việt Nam reports 15,150 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including 50 imported and 15,100 local cases.
.
Việt Nam reports over 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam reported 15,150 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including 50 imported infections.
The new transmissions bring the national tally to 2,233,287.
The capital city of Hà Nôi still topped the country in terms of new cases with 2,806.
With an additional 115 COVID-19 related deaths announced on Saturday, Việt Nam’s COVID death toll is now 37,547 cases.
The country also announced that 12,353 patients made a full recovery, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,962,597.
Việt Nam has so far administered over 180.8 million doses of vaccines, including more than 79 million first doses and over 74 million second doses.
The country started a nationwide rapid vaccination campaign on Saturday. The drive, targeting all children and adults who still need vaccinations, will last through February 28. — VNS
__________________________________________
Ads by: Memento Maxima Digital Marketing
@[email protected]
SPACE RESERVE FOR ADVERTISEMENT
