This picture taken on May 17, 2022 and released from the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency on May 18 shows a doctor promoting pandemic control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Pyongyang. (STR / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)
SEOUL / PHNOM PENH / HANOI / SUVA / NEW DELHI – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said on Tuesday it was witnessing a "stable" downward trend in its first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, reporting less than 200,000 new patients with fever symptoms for a third consecutive day on Tuesday.
At least 134,510 people newly showed fever symptoms as of Monday evening, taking the total number of such cases to 2.95 million since late April, the official KCNA news agency reported. The death toll stood at 68.
KCNA said the country was reporting "successes" in the fight against the COVID outbreak.
"In a few days after the maximum emergency epidemic prevention system was activated, the nation-wide morbidity and mortality rates have drastically decreased and the number of recovered persons increased, resulting in effectively curbing and controlling the spread of the pandemic disease and maintaining the clearly stable situation," KCNA said.
The DPRK said it was expanding the production of essential medicine supplies, though it did not elaborate exactly what types were being produced.
The country also said authorities were distributing food and medicine across the country, with military medics deployed to help distribute drugs and conduct exams.
This handout photo taken and released by the Cambodia National Assembly on Oct 25, 2021 shows Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sits during a parliament session in Phnom Penh. (HANDOUT / CAMBODIA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY / AFP)
Cambodia
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has said that vaccines remain the "key strategic weapon" for the Asia-Pacific region and the world in the battle against COVID-19.
He made the remarks in a pre-recorded video delivered to the opening ceremony of the 78th annual session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), which was held in Bangkok via video link on Monday under the theme: "A Common Agenda to Advance Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific."
Hun Sen said the COVID-19 crisis and other emerging challenges have not only disrupted the process of achieving sustainable development but also reflected the necessity to further enhance and strengthen international cooperation.
"In the context that the COVID-19 situation has improved, but not yet been completely overcome, the main priority of the common agenda in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the whole world, is still the overcoming of the battle against COVID-19 by using vaccines as the key strategic weapon," he said.
"In this regard, Cambodia highly appreciates the culture of mutual assistance, especially the sharing of COVID-19 vaccines, aimed at building full herd immunity worldwide," he added.
Cambodia had fully resumed its socio-economic activities and reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers without quarantine since November last year after most of its 16 million population have been inoculated against the COVID-19. China's Sinovac and Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines have been widely used in the Southeast Asian nation.
Fiji
Fiji has recorded 57 new COVID-19 cases in recent days, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the South Pacific island country to more than 64,000.
According to the Fijivillage news website on Tuesday, Fiji's Health Ministry confirmed that of the 57 new COVID-19 cases recorded since last Friday, 20 cases were reported in the central part of the country, 33 in the western part and four in the northern part.
India
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 43,140,068 on Tuesday with 1,675 new cases registered in the past 24 hours across the South Asian country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 31 new deaths from the pandemic registered nationwide since Monday morning took the death toll to 524,490.
Passengers wait for transportation outside the arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on March 15, 2022, as Vietnam announced the return of a visa exemption policy for 13 countries in an effort to kickstart its tourism sector. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)
Vietnam
Vietnam recorded 1,179 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, down by 140 from Sunday, according to its Ministry of Health.
All the new infections were domestically transmitted in 43 provinces and cities.
The infections brought the total tally to 10,710,066 with 43,076 deaths.