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The daily number of COVID-19 cases in Laos returned to the 4-digit level with 1,281 infections reported over the past 24 hours after four days of maintaining the increase rate at the 3-digit level.

The Philippines on January 17 logged 37,070 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths from the disease, bringing the respective figures to 3,242,374 and 52,929.

The Philippine Health Ministry reported on January 15 that the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading in the community in the capital city of Manila, amid a record spike of new COVID-19 cases on third consecutive day.

The national task force against COVID-19 of the Philippines will extend the duration of pandemic prevention and control restrictions imposed in Metro Manila and other provinces until the end of January.

The Philippines has recorded the highest number of daily new COVID-19 cases to date, while Indonesia has licenced five types of vaccines serving the local booster shot administration.

Terrorist threats in Southeast Asian countries declined in 2021, a Singapore think-tank said in its annual threat assessment published last week.

Philippine Secretary of Energy Alfonso Cusi has appealed to Indonesia to lift its coal export ban, saying the policy will be detrimental to economies heavily reliant on the fuel for power generation, Reuters reported.

The Lao Ministry of Health announced on January 9 that the country has recorded 924 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths over the past 24 hours.

Aid officials in the Philippines have warned of a health crisis as millions of people in the country are struggling to secure clean water and food in areas wrecked by a typhoon last month.

Child marriage became illegal in the Philippines starting January 6 as a law banning the practice took effect.

Philippine authorities have cancelled the traditional "Black Nazarene" procession in Manila capital city, in response to the huge spike in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila.

The Philippine House of Representatives has gone into lockdown to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus while Indonesia has reportedly prepared 120,000 hospital beds to cope with outbreaks caused by this new variant.

The Philippine death toll from Typhoon Rai has crossed the 400 mark, the disaster agency said on December 31.

The Philippines will remain under Alert Level 2, the second most-relaxed in its five-tier COVID-19 alert level system, until January 15; while Indonesia aims to produce its own vaccine against the corona virus in the second half of 2022.

The Philippines has banned firecrackers to avoid injuries and deaths during the New Year revelry to welcome 2022, a government official said on December 29.

The United Nations on December 24 raised 107.2 million USD in a campaign to support survivors of super typhoon Rai that hit the Philippines last week.

UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on December 23 announced a 12-million-USD rapid response allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support the response to Typhoon Rai in the Philippines.

The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 23 approved emergency use of a COVID-19 antiviral pill for adult patients at risk of developing severe illness, and a COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of calamity in several regions to speed up relief efforts for victims of typhoon Rai that ravaged central and southern Philippines last week.

Rescue activities in areas affected by typhoon Rai in the Philippines are facing difficulties due to transport disruption and the running out of necessities.