A nurse administers a Pfizer vaccine to an elderly woman in her house in rural Sabab Bernam, central Selangor state, Malaysia, Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (VINCENT THIAN / AP)
YANGON / SINGAPORE / HANOI / MANILA / NEW DELHI / ISLAMABAD / SEOUL / KUALA LUMPUR – The number of deaths in Malaysia rose 34.5 percent to 224,569 in 2021 from 166,970 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed Thursday.
The crude death rate also recorded an increase from 5.1 deaths in 2020 to 6.9 deaths in 2021 per 1,000 population, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement.
All age groups recorded an increase in the number of deaths except the group aged 0-14 which saw the number decrease from 4,288 to 4,115 in 2021.
The number of deaths for the group aged 41-59 years recorded the highest increase by 44 percent, rising from 36,318 in 2020 to 52,282 in 2021.
Besides that, the number of deaths for people aged 15-40 years, and those aged 60 years and over also recorded an increase, rising from 13,070 to 17,953, and from 113,294 to 150,219, respectively.
Meanwhile, the number of live births in Malaysia was 439,744 in 2021, a decrease of 6.7 percent as compared to 471,504 births in 2020. This was the highest decrease in a decade.
ALSO READ: Brunei virus deaths mostly put down to non-infectious diseases
India
India's daily COVID-19 caseload on Thursday increased to 2,786, officials said.
According to federal health ministry data released Thursday morning, 2,786 new cases of COVID-19 were reported during the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 44,621,319 in the country.
The cases reported on Thursday marked an increase in comparison to the daily caseload of Wednesday which stood at 2,139.
With the reporting of fresh cases, India's active caseload currently stands at 26,509.
The country also logged 12 related deaths during the past 24 hours, pushing the overall death toll to 528,847 since the beginning of the pandemic, the ministry said.
A staff member transfers China-donated COVID-19 vaccines at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Sept 9, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Myanmar
Myanmar has vaccinated more than 37.2 million people for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, showed data released by the Ministry of Health.
The vaccinated group includes more than 6.6 million people aged under 18 years, the ministry said on Wednesday.
Myanmar has a population of more than 54 million
The health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 346 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 627,328.
It added that health authorities tested 11,350 people for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and the daily positivity rate was 3.05 percent.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the country reached 19,468 on Wednesday after one new death was reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
Pakistan
Pakistan reported 57 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the country's ministry of health said on Thursday.
The overall tally of infected people increased to 1,573,221 after adding the new cases, according to the data released by the ministry.
A total of 30,620 people had died of COVID-19 in Pakistan, with no new death reported in the country during the last 24 hours, according to the ministry.
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 1,623 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,973,091.
The Department of Health said the number of active cases dipped to 24,283, while 34 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 63,363.
Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 581 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. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 9,611 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state's total tally to 1,979,259.
Of the new cases, 827 were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 8,784 through ARTs (antigen rapid test), according to statistics released by the country's Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 802 were local transmissions and 25 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 8,519 local transmissions and 265 imported cases.
Two new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 1,636.
ALSO READ: Visa-free travel brings fears of COVID-19 rebound in Japan
South Korea
South Korea reported 26,957 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Wednesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the country's total number of infections to 25,052,677, the health authorities said Thursday.
The daily caseload was down from 30,535 in the previous day and lower than 28,635 tallied a week earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
For the past week, the daily average number of confirmed cases was 20,188.
Among the newly recorded infections, 71 were imported cases, lifting the total to 68,593.
Twenty-five more deaths were confirmed from the pandemic, taking the death toll to 28,748. The total fatality rate was 0.11 percent.
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 1,196 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, down by 30 from Tuesday, according to its ministry of health.
Among the new cases, two were imported and the rest were all locally transmitted, said the ministry.
The newly reported infections brought the total tally to 11,489,881. The country reported a new death from the pandemic in the capital Hanoi on Wednesday, bringing the total fatalities to 43,155.
As of Wednesday, there were 47 severe cases in need of assisted breathing in the Southeast Asian country, according to the ministry.