People arrive to receive the COVID-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at Lebanon's American University Medical Center in the capital Beirut, on Feb 14, 2021. (ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
BEIRUT / SINGAPORE / YANGON / HANOI – The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health warned on Saturday that the country is facing a new wave of COVID-19, urging the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The warning was issued in a statement by the ministry after its Vaccine Executive Committee held an emergency meeting on the latest epidemiological developments, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.
"We are facing a new wave of the coronavirus, which is expected to be more contagious and the fastest spreading, according to the infection figures in Lebanon and in the rest of the world, which are experiencing an alarming rise," the statement said.
It stressed "the need to receive the vaccine as soon as possible, especially since the percentage of vaccinated people is still low and does not exceed 45 percent in Lebanon."
"The vaccine can be taken free of charge, regardless of the dose (the first, second, third, or fourth), at any of the vaccination centers distributed over all Lebanese territories without a prior appointment," the statement added.
The ministry announced on Saturday the registration of 836 new infections, raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 1,107,602, while two deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 10,458.
Health workers give a first dose of COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine to a woman, part of the 65 years and older tier, at a school being used as a vaccination site in Yangon on Feb 5, 2021. (STR / AFP)
Myanmar
Myanmar confirmed 15 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally in the country to 613,553, according to the Ministry of Health on Saturday.
The ministry said it has tested 5,035 people for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and the daily positivity rate was 0.30 percent.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the country still stood at 19,434 on Saturday as no new deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the past 24 hours, it said.
A notice warning people not to gather in groups larger than five persons as part of restrictions to hald the spread of the coronavirus is displayed at Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on Jan 4, 2022. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 6,168 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total tally to 1,403,242.
Of the new cases, 5,654 were local transmissions and 514 were imported cases. Among the local cases, 450 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 5,204 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
A total of 353 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 10 cases in intensive care units.
No new death was reported due to COVID-19 infection, keeping the death toll at 1,408, 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 657 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, up by 4 from Friday, according to its Ministry of Health.
All the new infections were domestically transmitted in 36 provinces and cities.
The Vietnamese capital Hanoi was the pandemic hotspot with 169 new cases recorded on Saturday, followed by the northern Bac Ninh province with 53 and the northern Phu Tho province with 45.
The infections brought the total tally to 10,742,891 with 43,084 deaths.