Asean sees slightly lower number of new Covid cases
The number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia crossed 11.65 million, with 60,416 new cases reported on Wednesday, slightly lower than Tuesday’s tally of 61,942. Asean also saw 1,095 additional deaths, an increase from Tuesday’s 1,089, taking total coronavirus deaths to 255,324 so far.
Laos reported 222 new cases on Wednesday, bringing cumulative cases in the neighbouring country to 19,952 patients and a total 16 deaths. Laos’s Public Health Ministry announced it is planning to give Covid-19 vaccines to children aged 12-17 soon to prepare for the reopening of schools in Vientiane and other provinces that had been ordered shut since the new Covid-19 wave.
Meanwhile, Malaysia announced it had fully vaccinated 80 per cent of its adult population, and is moving on to inoculating teenagers and rolling out booster shots for high-risk groups. The country’s Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccines Supply will now focus on tracking down the remaining 20 per cent of adults who are yet to be vaccinated to achieve 100 per cent adult vaccination by the end of October.
The country reported 14,990 new cases and 334 deaths on Wednesday, bringing cumulative cases to 2,142,924 patients and a total 24,078 deaths.
