World

COVID-19 updates in Southeast Asia

Malaysia on February 18 reported a new daily high of 25 COVID-19 deaths, taking the total fatalities in the country to 1,030.
COVID-19 updates in Southeast Asia ảnh 1People seen wearing masks while walking the street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysia on February 18 reporteda new daily high of 25 COVID-19 deaths, taking the total fatalities in thecountry to 1,030.

The country also confirmed 2,712 new coronavirus cases, puttingthe national tally at nearly 275,000.

In Indonesia, 9,039 new COVID-19 cases and 181 relateddeaths were logged on the same day, raising the total infections and death tollin the country to 1,252,685 and 33,969, respectively. Indonesia remains as thehardest-hit by the pandemic in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines, meanwhile, recorded 1,744 new cases,bringing the total number of infections in the country to 555,163. The death tollclimbed to 11,673.

The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, hastested over 7.9 million people since the outset of the viral disease early lastyear.

World Health Organisation Representative in the PhilippinesRabindra Abeyasinghe stressed the need to carefully study the plan to ease the lockdownrestrictions next month to revive the pandemic-hit economy and address thegrowing hunger rate.

Though the number of cases has plateaued, the transmission hasnot flattened yet, he said, urging the country to be conscious of the fact thatthere is a relatively high-level of transmission now there in the community,and the presence of new variants complicates that situation./.
VNA
#COVID-19 #Malaysia #Indonesia #Philippines #highest daily deaths #death toll #total infections #Vietnam News Agency #Vietnamplus Indonesia Malaysia Philippines
Follow VietnamPlus

Related News

Hai Duong province puts five outbreaks under control

Hai Duong province puts five outbreaks under control

The northern province of Hai Duong - Vietnam's current largest COVID-19 hotspot - had basically managed to put under control five big outbreaks by February 18, said the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.

See more

Malaysia establishes ‘war room’ to ensure water security

Malaysia establishes ‘war room’ to ensure water security

The establishment of the war room reflects the Malaysian government’s commitment to shift from a reactive approach to a more proactive, data-driven one in managing national water challenges, particularly amid increasingly unpredictable weather conditions caused by global climate change

Indonesia diversifies supply sources to ensure energy security

Indonesia diversifies supply sources to ensure energy security

Indonesia is facing significant supply pressure as crude oil consumption reaches approximately 1.6 million barrels per day, much lower than the domestic production at only around 600,000 barrels per day, forcing the country to rely heavily on imports.

Indonesian-branded cosmetic and personal care products are available at supermarkets and shopping malls (Photo: VNA)

Indonesia aims to master cosmetics industry value chain

Key drivers include its large population, expanding middle class, and rapidly rising demand for beauty products, especially among young consumers. The market has reached billions of US dollars and is projected to maintain strong growth in the medium term.

The Anthropic logo is seen in this illustration taken on Mar 1, 2026. (File photo: Reuters)

Singapore warns of cyber risks from Frontier AI models

According to CSA, advanced AI models – among the most cutting-edge systems today – can significantly shorten the time needed to identify system vulnerabilities and develop exploitation tools, reducing the process from months to just hours.

Helicopter carrying eight reported missing in Indonesia

Helicopter carrying eight reported missing in Indonesia

Indonesian authorities are urgently conducting a search and rescue operation after receiving reports that a helicopter carrying eight people suddenly lost contact on the morning of April 16 in West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

Malaysia’s job losses surge 47% in the first quarter of 2026 (Photo: AFP)

Malaysia's layoffs rise 47% in first quarter

The report, based on figures from Malaysia’s Social Security Organisation, showed layoffs peaked in January with around 10,700 cases before easing to 7,500 in February and 5,900 in March. Despite the slowdown toward the end of the quarter, the total remained significantly higher than the roughly 16,500 layoffs recorded in the same period of 2025.