Laos rolls out measures to curb COVID-19 spread in community

Locals having vaccine administrated by health workers in Vientiane, Laos. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Laos recorded 247 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 103 ones in the community, the Ministry of Health announced on August 27.

The ministry said the number of locally-transmitted cases remains high, primarily in Savannakhet with 42 and Bokeo with 29.

It has been prepared to respond to the surge of new infections, as hospitals for COVID-19 treatment have been set up to receive thousands of patients. 

In addition, quarantine facilities will be opened for Lao workers returning from Thailand. 

The ministry will continue to work to raise public awareness of vaccination to fulfil set targets.

To date, Laos logged a total of 14,351 COVID-19 cases, with 12 fatalities.

In Cambodia, as COVID-19 vaccination progress has slowed down over the last few weeks, Prime Minister Hun Sen has placed the onus on provincial governors to get the campaign back on track, ordering them to report to him directly on the issue and take responsibility before the government.

In a message to all provincial governors, Hun Sen singled out Ratanakkiri province for praise because their target for vaccinations was 120,000 people and they had already reached 130,000.

He told the governors to set aside all non-essential tasks and make combating COVID-19 their top priority because vaccinations are a matter of life or death for the nation.

He stressed that Cambodian people and foreigners alike who are residing in Cambodia can get vaccinated for free anywhere in the country.

As of August 25, Cambodia had vaccinated 62.95 percent of its population of 16 million.

On August 27, 411 new cases and 17 deaths were reported in Cambodia, raising the total to 91,369 and 1,858, respectively.

Meanwhile, 87 percent of the population in Bangkok capital of Thailand has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine jab, and 27 percent have been fully vaccinated.

The COVID-19 situation in Bangkok is improving due to a high vaccination rate, proactive screening and isolation of patients with the virus from their communities, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang as saying.

People have a better understanding about the home/community isolation programme and have quicker access to care and treatment via the programme, he added.

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration Bangkok will consider easing of restrictions in Bangkok and some other provinces.

In the past 24 hours, Thailand documented 18,702 infections and 273 deaths, bringing the figures to over 1.13 million and 10,587./.