Pandemic still complicated in Southeast Asia as more infections, deaths recorded

While Thailand is setting up checkpoints to restrict mobility in 13 provinces in a bid to prevent COVID-19 from spreading from the dark-red zone, the pandemic situation has also yet to ease in other Southeast Asian countries.

People wait for their turn to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 16

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesman for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration of Thailand, said on July 19 that the checkpoints are being built and more security personnel will man all roads linking the 13 provinces with their neighbours.

He confirmed the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s announcement that domestic flights out of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports will stop from July 21. Besides, the capacities of other public transport modes will be halved from the same day.

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Thailand continued to hit a new record of 11,784 on July 19, raising the tally to 415,170. The country also saw an additional 81 patients succumbing to the disease in 24 hours, adding up to the total fatalities of 3,422.

Cambodia is reportedly facing a growing risk of the spread of the Delta variant posed by people entering the country from Thailand.

Its Ministry of Health said Cambodia found 75 imported cases infected with this highly contagious variant between March 31 and July 14.

The large number of Cambodian workers returning from Thailand, many of whom have contracted the coronavirus disease, has been putting great pressure on the healthcare infrastructure in the provinces bordering Thailand.

Despite the concern over the high number of imported cases, Cambodia on July 19 reported less than 800 new infections in 24 hours for the first time since June 28. They included 209 imported cases and 581 domestic infections, raising the total to 67,971.

Besides 1,087 recoveries, the Health Ministry also announced 22 deaths on the day, bringing the COVID-19 fatalities in Cambodia so far to 1,128.

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus infections in Indonesia has topped 2.9 million after 34,257 new infections were confirmed on July 19, the lowest daily number since July 6. The fatalities reached 74,920 after 1,338 more deaths were recorded.

The same day, the Philippine Department of Health reported 5,651 new cases, raising the total to 1,513,396. The number of related deaths rose to 26,786, including 72 recorded on the day.

This country has found 35 cases infected with the Delta variant, including 11 domestic infections./.

VNA