Southeast Asian nations record more new COVID-19 infection cases, deaths

Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand on February 3 reported 795 new COVID-19 cases - 783 local infections and 12 imported - raising the total to 21,249.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said that of the 783 local infections, 759 new cases were found in communities of Samut Sakhon province, and 24 others were confirmed at hospitals.

Of the 21,249 total COVID-19 cases, 14,001 (65.8 percent) had recovered, including 784 discharged over the past 24 hours, and 7,169 were receiving treatment - 2,085 at established hospitals and 5,084 at field hospitals. The death toll remained at 79.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on the same day that 1,266 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, bringing the Southeast Asian country's total tally to 530,118.

The death toll rose to 10,942 after 68 more patients died from the coronavirus epidemic, the DOH said. It added that 130 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 487,721.

Carlito Galvez, the National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer, told a virtual press conference that the Philippine government plans to administer the first batch of 117,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the World Health Organisation-led COVAX facility to around 56,000 healthcare workers in four government COVID-19 hospitals in Metro Manila.

Galvez said the vaccine to be delivered this month will also be administered to health workers in a public hospital in Davao City in the southern Philippines and another hospital in Cebu City in the central Philippines.

He said the 117,000 doses could only inoculate 58,500 nurses, doctors, and medical workers.

The Philippine government aims to inoculate up to 70 million Filipinos this year, starting with healthcare workers, the elderly, and the poor communities.

The pandemic is also worsening in Malaysia and Indonesia.

On February 3, Malaysia recorded an additional 4,284 COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths, raising the total numbers of infections and deaths to 226,912 and 809, respectively.

Indonesia reported 11,984 new infection cases and 189 deaths, bringing the total figures to 1,111,671 and 30,770. The pandemic has spread to all 34 provinces and cities of the country./.