COVID-19: Philippines posts record daily infections, Indonesia licences vaccines for booster shots
COVID-19: Philippines posts record daily infections, Indonesia licences five vaccines for booster shots
The Philippines has recorded the highest number of daily new COVID-19 cases to date, while Indonesia has licenced five types of vaccines serving the local booster shot administration.
Vaccination against COVID-19 in Pasay, Philippines. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines has recorded thehighest number of daily new COVID-19 cases to date, while Indonesia haslicenced five types of vaccines serving the local booster shot administration.
On January 10, the Philippines logged 33,169 new COVID-19cases, the highest so far, bringing its total caseload to 2,998,530.
The country’s Department of Health also confirmed 145 deaths,pushing the death toll to 52,293.
Since January 8, the number of new daily COVID-19 cases inthe nation has continuously reached new record highs. Authorities attributedthe increase to people's travel demand during holidays and the neglect of pandemic prevention and control.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and FoodControl (BPOM) issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for five COVID-19vaccine products to be used for administering booster shots.
They are CoronaVac produced by the state-run vaccinemanufacturer PT Bio Farma, Pfizer vaccine, AstraZeneca vaccine, Modernavaccine, and Zifivax vaccine.
Indonesia is expected to launch a booster vaccinationprogramme against COVID-19 on January 12. According to Health Minister BudiGunadi Sadikin, at least 244 districts/cities meet the criteria to be itsparticipants./.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense and Chairman of the National Committee for Organising the 32nd SEA Games 2023 (CAMSOC) to examine the possibility of administering the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to athletes with Pfizer vaccine.
Director General of the Malaysian Health Ministry Noor Hisham Abdullah said on January 6 that the Drug Control Authority (DCA) of the country has given conditional approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty jab for children aged between 5 and 11 years old.
Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has approved a new round of relaxed entry measures for international arrivals to Thailand, opening three more Sandbox destinations of Krabi, Phang-Nga, and Surat Thani from January 11, in addition to Phuket.
A participant in the Malaysia Economic Forum 2025 said despite challenges, there are significant opportunities in AI, digital transformation, and green technologies, requiring the country to balance both risk and potential thoughtfully.
Themed “emerging trends in terrorism and violent extremism”, the event drew over 200 participants from domestic and international agencies, discussing the rapid evolution of terrorism and the need for stronger regional and global cooperation.
Indonesia aims to start nuclear power generation by 2034, with a government roadmap already in place to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) with capacities ranging from 300 to 500 megawatts.
The package, endorsed on June 24, comprises 481 projects designed to boost GDP by an additional 0.4% and generate temporary employment for about 7.4 million people nationwide.
An Indonesian official emphasised that energy security is extremely essential amid global geopolitical and economic fragmentation, highlighting the need for the energy industry to strengthen resilience and responsiveness in the face of fluctuating oil prices and the shift to clean energy.
ASEAN must deepen collaboration through platforms such as the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) to ensure regional responses keep pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
Speaking at the launch of the Indonesia Economic Prospects June 2025 edition on June 23 in Jakarta, Turk noted that Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 4.9% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Anti-dumping duties will continue to be imposed on producers from China and Japan while those on relevant exporters from the RoK and Vietnam will be terminated, starting from June 23.
A specialist police unit has acquired a fleet of off-road vehicles to help officers navigate rough, unpaved terrain – and flood waters – to respond more quickly to public security incidents.
The pact covers goods, services, investments, intellectual property rights, customs facilitation, competition policy, sanitary and phytosanitary, trade and sustainable development, government procurement and economic cooperation.
The talent programmes mark another milestone in the technical partnership between PETRONAS and the Energy Institute, which focuses on three pillars: promoting decarbonisation and operational excellence through innovative solutions, enabling informed decision-making with expert advice, and nurturing the next generation of energy professionals.
The firefighters found an active blaze at the lorry depot located in the city of Pasir Gudang near the state capital of Johor Bahru, with flames spreading quickly due to strong winds and igniting a neighboring disused oil storage area.
Investigators believe the operation is part of a broader scam network involving romance scams, where victims are lured into fake relationships and persuaded to transfer money.
Ambassadors, Consuls General, along with staff and their families, joined traditional sports and cultural activities of Southeast Asia and performances bearing regional identity, thus contributing to strengthening unity and the ASEAN community spirit in New York.
In his post on social media the same day, Hun Manet said energy companies would be able to import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands in the country.
Vaccination against COVID-19 in Pasay, Philippines. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
