Malaysia forecasts peak of COVID-19 in mid-September

Malaysia's daily COVID-19 cases rose to 16,117 on July 27, the second highest daily figure, but the pandemic in the country will yet to peak until mid-September, an official said.
Malaysia forecasts peak of COVID-19 in mid-September ảnh 1A man gets a shot of COVID-19 vaccine in Selangor state of Malaysia on July 21 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

KualaLumpur (VNA) - Malaysia's daily COVID-19 cases rose to 16,117 on July 27,the second highest daily figure, but the pandemic in the country will yet to peakuntil mid-September, an official said.

Thehighest daily number of infections, 17,045, was reported on July 25.

Director-General of Health NoorHisham Abdullah said the COVID-19transmission in Malaysia is predicted to peak in mid-September with 24,000 cases a day.

Basedon projections presented by the Ministry of Health, the infectious rate (RT) isset to be 1.2 (one person can spread the virus to 1.2 others) by then, henoted, adding that casesare projected to continue rising, with an expected toll of 17,000 cases dailyby mid-August, hit the peak of 24,000 cases in September, and then fall below1,000 by October.

The effectiveness of COVID-19vaccine is at 75 percent if 100,000 second doses are administered a day. The effectivenesscan reach 80 percent by October if 150,000 second doses are injected, heexplained.

About 80 percent of the Malaysianpopulation has been vaccinated, with at least one dose, against the disease sofar.

Alsoon July 27, the Philippine Department of Health announced 7,186 new cases - thehighest since June 13, raising the national tally to 1,562,420, including 27,318deaths.

COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila increased by47 percent, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a televised pressconference, adding that the capital posted "a little over 900" newcases per day last week.

InIndonesia, 2,500 tonnes of oxygen are needed each day to meet soaring demandamid an exponential spike in COVID-19 cases.

Health Minister Budi GunadiSadikin said at the Presidential Office on July 26 that the daily oxygenrequirement stood at 400 tonnes before the Eid al-Fitr festivities last May,and now it has climbed to 2,500 tonnes.

Indonesia plans to buy 20,000oxygen concentrators to distribute to all hospitals with isolation rooms, headded.

The official said thedemand for COVID-19 medicine has increased 12-fold since June 1 while thecountry is also facing a vaccine shortage.

Earlier, he had admittedthat there were only about 22 million COVID-19 vaccine doses left in Indonesia,and they were expected to be used up in one month.

Indonesia has so farreceived about 173 million vaccine doses. As of July 26, 64.13 million doseshad been administered to 45,012,649 people./.

VNA

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