A person wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus stands in front of a public awareness notice for COVID-19 protection in Shinjuku district on July 14, 2022, in Tokyo. (EUGENE HOSHIKO / AP)
TOKYO / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / MANILA / HANOI / YEREVAN – An advisory panel for the finance minister on Monday proposed that the Japanese government end free-of-charge coronavirus vaccinations, highlighting concerns over a further increase of its financial strain.
Japan's Ministry of Finance convened a subcommittee meeting on Monday and asked a panel of experts to start discussing possible charges for the COVID-19 shots, like the ones for seasonal influenza and other infectious diseases.
The finance ministry said the free inoculations have put a huge financial burden on the central government, and citizens should shoulder part of the costs for future shots.
According to the ministry, the Japanese government has spent about 17 trillion yen ($116 billion) to aid medical services in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with expenditures including the securing of hospital beds and facilitating the supply of free vaccines.
In fiscal 2021, which ended March this year, Japan has spent 2.34 trillion yen procuring vaccines for medical facilities, with each shot costing around 9,600 yen, compared with 5,000 yen for a flu shot, it added.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference the same day that ending the free rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is something to be considered in the future and that it does not contradict with the government's current vaccination program.
The finance ministry also said COVID-19 antigen testing kits that the government has purchased for distribution free of charge should now be supplied by the private sector.
Armenia
Armenia reported 155 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, taking its total to 445,397, the Ministry of Healthcare said on Monday.
Data from the ministry showed that 153 more patients recovered in the past week, taking the total number of recoveries to 434,441.
During the period, no death case was registered. The death toll stood at 8,709 as of Monday.
Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at Suri Seri Begawan Raja Pengiran Anak Damit Mosque in an effort to counter the spread of the COVID-19 in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei on March 17, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
Brunei
Brunei logged a daily average of 554 new COVID-19 cases in the past week compared to 485 cases per day the week before, an increase for six consecutive weeks, showed official statistics released on Monday.
According to the health ministry's weekly briefing, 39,588 antigen rapid test (ART) test results were uploaded to the government platform within one week, with 9.7 percent of them being positive.
Currently, no hospitalized cases are held in the intensive care unit and only one case requires oxygen assistance, the health ministry said.
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 1,553 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 4,011,026.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases rose to 16,754, while 17 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the death toll to 64,291.
Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 342 new cases.
Vietnam
Vietnam recorded 365 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, up by 124 from Sunday, according to its ministry of health.
All the new cases were locally transmitted, said the ministry.
The newly reported infections brought the total tally to 11,506,214. The country reported no new deaths from the pandemic on Monday, with the total fatalities staying at 43,166.