Southeast Asian nations report surges in COVID-19 infections
The total number of deaths related to COVID-19 in Thailand hit 1,012 after 24 more fatalities were reported on May 30, according to local health authorities.
Medical staff are treating COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: Reuters/VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) - The total number of dℱeaths related to CO𝄹VID-19 in Thailand hit 1,012 after 24 more fatalities were reported on May 30, according to local health authorities.
The country also confirmed 4,528 new infections over the past 24 hours, pushing the national count to 154,307.
Currently, Thai health officials are prioritising the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Bangkok to serve the country’s national vaccination campaign, which aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the capital city’s population in July.
The same day, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health reported that t⛦he country’s total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 29,404, including 209 deaths.
Kandal province, which borders the capital city of Phnom Penh, has announced a number of areas in the list of "red zones" due to the increasing number of infections there.
Meanwhile, Laos reported only three new cases of COVID-19 on May 30, bring its tally to 1,911, including three deaths.
In the Philippines, the Department of Health confirmed 7,058 new cases in the last 24 hours, pushing its total of COVID-19 infections to 1,223,627. The total number of deaths related to the disease in the Southeast Asian country stood at 20,860, 139 higher than a day earlier.
According to the Department of Health, a tota♓l of 12 million people out of 110 million in the country have been tested🍎 since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in January 2020./.
The Cambodian government has introduced a “strategic plan for COVID-19 vaccination campaign to build socio-economic resilience in Cambodia by 2021” in a bid to accelerate the vaccination of all people aged 18 and over in high-priority areas.
Thailand and Indonesia have planned to buy more COVID-19 vaccines, while Singapore decided to stop accepting new entry applications for work pass holders from higher-risk countries or regions amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in many Southeast Asian nations.
The Health Ministry of Cambodia on May 12 announced 472 new COVID-19 cases – the highest-ever number recorded in a single day since the pandemic broke out in the country in January 2020.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Medical staff are treating COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: Reuters/VNA) 
