Illustrative photo (Source: AFP/VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – Laos has confirmed 207 new cases of COVID-19 on August 17, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 10,648, according to the Ministry of Health.
Of the new cases, 23 are community infections and the rest are imported ones.
The same day, the ministry said that the two cases of Delta plus variant of COVID-19 were detected among workers returning from neighbouring countries.
Laos' Central Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that the country will continue to strictly implement preventive measures that were issued previously while studying other solutions suitable to the actual situation.
The committee has requested relevant agencies to mobilise human resources, especially health workers, to support provinces with many new infections.
The Ministry of Technology and Communication was asked to study the feasibility of applying home quarantine monitoring and scanning QR codes to verify vaccinations in accordance with actual conditions.
Meanwhile, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng issued a public health notice requiring people in 15 provinces to wear masks and follow social distancing measures from August 16 until further notice due to the emergence of community infections.
He requested the authorities at all levels take measures to ensure strict mask requirements in public and social distancing are observed to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.
According to Cambodia’s Ministry of Health, in the past 24 hours, the country recorded 14 more deaths and 556 cases of COVID-19, including 167 imported cases and 389 community infections. As of August 17, Cambodia detected a total of 86,597 cases of COVID-19, of which 81,918 have recovered and 1,718 have died./.
