Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.straitstimes.com/) Vientiane (VNA) – The Lao Ministry of Health on January 5 confirmed additional 836 COVID-19 cases and eight more fatalities over the last 24 hours, lifting the country’s total infections and deaths to 14,787 and 409, respectively.
The ministry said most of the new infections are locally transmitted.
The Southeast Asian nation has not recorded any cases related to the Omicron variant. However, the country's authorities still keep close watch on the development of the pandemic in order to take timely response measures.
Singapore has also recorded the increasing number of new COVID-19 infections.
According to the Singaporean Health Ministry, the country has so far detected 438 new Omicron cases, including 347 imported ones.
Singaporean Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that the number of Omicron infections is increasing, accounting for about 17 percent of the total cases in the country.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has found 94 new COVID-19 infections related to the Omicron variant as of January 5.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the same day issued an order not allow patients tested positive for Omicron variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 to be treated at home regardless of their wealth and age.
Earlier this month, kindergartens in Cambodia were allowed to reopen. The decision was made on the basis of the decreasing number of community infections and the high rate of vaccination against COVID-19 in the country.
As of January 2, Cambodia has given booster shots to about 3.6 million people, equivalent to 21.25 percent of the Southeast Asian country's population./.
