COVID inoculation campaign for children begins in Pakistan

A health worker inoculates a student with a dose of the Pfizer vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus, at a school in Lahore on Sept 19, 2022. (ARIF ALI / AFP)

ISLAMABAD / YANGON / SINGAPORE / MANILA / HANOI / BISHKEK / KUALA LUMPUR – Pakistan launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Monday for children aged five to 11 in order to inoculate a maximum number of individuals to control the spread of the disease, the country's health ministry said.

In the first phase of the campaign, children will be vaccinated in the selected districts of the country's southern Sindh and eastern Punjab provinces along with the federal capital Islamabad, according to a statement released by the ministry.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony here, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said that vaccinators would be going door to door in communities to vaccinate a maximum number of children in the country.

Patel said that children will be vaccinated after approval from their parents.

ALSO READ: Australia announces US$941m in additional COVID-19 funding

A medic prepares to administer a dose of China's Sinopharm vaccine to a patient in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on March 29, 2021. (VLADIMIR VORONIN / AP)

Kyrgyzstan 

Kyrgyzstan reported 78 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, from Sept 12 to 18, the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance said Monday.

Of the 78 COVID-19 cases, 13 patients have been hospitalized and the remaining 65 are receiving treatment at home, it said.

In total, 205,998 cases have been registered in Kyrgyzstan since the beginning of the pandemic.

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 1,307 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Monday, bringing the national total to 4,820,197, according to the health ministry.

There are four new imported cases, with 1,303 cases being local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.

Another five deaths have been reported, pushing the death toll to 36,317.

A staff member transfers China-donated COVID-19 vaccines at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Sept 9, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Myanmar

Myanmar has confirmed 269 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the tally to 619,167, according to the country's Ministry of Health on Monday.

The ministry said in a statement that the death toll from COVID-19 in the country rose to 19,448 on Monday as two new deaths were reported.

ALSO READ: COVID: Philippine capital back to moderate risk

A man shops for face masks in Divisoria, a local shopping district in Manila on May 17, 2022. (JAM STA ROSA / AFP)

Philippines

The Philippines reported 3,119 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,923,727.

The Department of Health said the number of active cases rose to 27,686, while 38 patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 62,587.

Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 1,374 new cases.

Singapore Airlines stewardesses walk past a giant lollipop candy display at Changi International Airport in Singapore on April 1, 2022, as Singapore reopened its land and air borders to travelers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. (ROSLOAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore reported 1,309 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total tally to 1,876,584.

Of the new cases, 158 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 1,151 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

Among the PCR cases, 145 were local transmissions and 13 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 1,074 local transmissions and 77 imported cases.

One new death was reported from COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 1,608, the ministry said.

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 1,778 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, up by 113 from Sunday, according to its ministry of health.

All the new cases were locally transmitted, said the health ministry.

The newly reported infections brought the total tally to 11,460,227. The country reported two new deaths from the pandemic in the northern Dien Bien province and the central Binh Thuan province on Monday, bringing the total fatalities to 43,14