Commuters wearing face masks wait for their trains at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea on Feb 23, 2022. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / AP)
SUVA / MANILA / HANOI / SINGAPORE / JAKARTA / SYDNEY / MANILA / SEOUL / BENGALURU / ULAN BATOR – South Korea's health authorities said Monday that it will administer COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5-11 later this month to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant.
The two-dose vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, will be given to the minors from March 31, with a lower dose of 10 micrograms than 30 micrograms for those aged 12 or above, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The KDCA noted that the vaccination aimed to prevent hospitalizations and deaths in the age group of around 3.07 million, strongly recommending the inoculation for the high-risk minors with underlying diseases.
Teenagers aged 12-17, who completed the two-dose vaccination at least three months earlier, will be allowed from Monday to receive a third booster shot.
Schools here reopened earlier this month, fueling worry about cluster infections among students.
South Korea reported 309,790 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 6,866,222, the KDCA said Monday.
The daily caseload was down from 350,188 in the previous day due to fewer tests over the weekend, but it hovered above 300,000 for the third consecutive day, according to the KDCA.
Staff check a client at a drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on Jan 8, 2022. (MARK BAKER / AP)
Australia
Australian authorities on Monday warned the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots could unleash a new wave of infections amid the threat from the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant of the Omicron coronavirus strain.
Australia battled record cases and hospitalization rates during the initial Omicron wave, but they have steadied over the past six weeks. Most states have been easing social distancing rules, with mask requirements being rolled back at indoor venues and businesses asking staff to return to offices.
But daily infections could likely double in the next four to six weeks as the new sub-variant looks set to become the dominant strain, New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard told broadcaster ABC on Monday, leaving "more people in hospital and more people possibly to pass away sadly."
Around 20,000 new cases were reported in Australia by midday on Monday with two states due to report later, while four deaths were registered. More than 3.1 million cases and 5,590 deaths have been recorded since the pandemic began.
According to official data, just over 57 percent of people above the age of 16 have received a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in New South Wales, home to a third of Australia's 25 million people, trailing the national average of 65 percent. Around 95 percent have received two doses.
"There is a degree of confusion," Hazzard said, admitting there was "a big problem" with people coming forward to get their boosters. More than two million people in the state – with a total population of eight million – are currently eligible for their booster dose but have still to get the shot.
The World Health Organization, based on initial data, said last month that the BA.2 variant appears to be more transmissible than the original BA.1 sub-variant.
Indian teens wait to receive their vaccination for COVID-19 at a government school, in New Delhi, India on Jan 3, 2022. (MANISH SWARUP / AP)
India
India will start administering COVID-19 vaccinations to 12- to 14-year-olds from March 16, the country's health ministry said on Monday, as schools reopen across the country with standard restrictions amid a significant fall in cases.
The government also decided to remove the condition of co-morbidity for people above 60 years to receive a booster shot, the ministry said in a statement.
India has so far been vaccinating children aged 15 and above. According to government figures, more than 90 million children aged between 15 and 17 have been inoculated, mainly using Bharat Biotech's homegrown shot Covaxin.
India's third wave of COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant has receded, with the country reporting 2,503 infections on Monday compared to more than 300,000 in late January.
The health ministry said children in the age group of 12 to 14 years would be inoculated using vaccine maker Biological E. Ltd's Corbevax, which received an emergency use approval in February for 12- to 18-year-olds.
A worker walks past a mural as he sprays disinfectant amid fears of another wave of the coronavirus outbreak at a low income neighborhood in Jakarta, Indonesia, Feb 5, 2022. (DITA ALANGKARA / AP)
Indonesia
Indonesia on Sunday confirmed 11,585 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 5,890,495, the country's health ministry said.
The ministry registered 215 more deaths from the pandemic, taking the death toll to 152,166. An additional 25,854 people have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 5,395,433, according to the ministry.
Mongolia
Mongolia reported 92 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, below the benchmark of 100 for two consecutive days since Dec 27, 2021 when 83 daily cases were reported, the country's health ministry said Monday.
The latest confirmed infections were all locally transmitted, bringing the country's COVID-19 tally to 468,062, the ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Asian country has reported no new deaths from the viral disease for the fourth consecutive day by Monday, with a death toll at 2,105.
A health worker prepares a dose of Sinovac vaccine at a vaccination site in Manila, Philippines on Mar 31, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Philippines
The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration has granted the emergency use authorization for China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for children, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on Monday.
Duque said the government would soon administer the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, or the inactivated CoronaVac vaccine, to children aged six and above. "We are just looking at the operational details to implement this. But it will not take long," Duque added.
CoronaVac is the second COVID-19 vaccine allowed to be administered to children in the Philippines. The FDA earlier granted emergency use of Pfizer vaccine for children.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 564 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,670,739.
The DOH said 169 more people died from COVID-19 complications, taking the coronavirus death toll to 57,610. The number of active cases has dropped to 46,537 in the country.
The DOH has reported under 1,000 daily new cases since March 2 as the current wave of infections triggered by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which peaked in mid-January, was ebbing.
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 9,701 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 939,436.
Of the new cases, 1,271 were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 8,326 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the new cases, 9,597 were local transmissions and 104 were imported cases.
A woman (center) carries a refilled gas container in the center of the capital Nuku'alofa ahead of the country's first lockdown on Feb 2, 2022, after COVID-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from the deadly Jan 15 volcanic eruption and tsunami. (MARY LYN FONUA / MATANGI TONGA / AFP)
Tonga
Tonga's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has been in home isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
Sovaleni, with mild symptoms, will be isolated at home for a period in line with the COVID-19 health protocols in the Pacific island country, Tonga's news website Matangi Tonga Online reported on Sunday, citing a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.
The prime minister will continue working during the isolation period of 13 days as required by Tonga's health authorities for the COVID-19 infected people with symptoms, according to the report.
Sovaleni, who has received his booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, has urged the public to get vaccinated and receive the booster shot while remaining vigilant against the pandemic and observing the COVID-19 health protocols, according to the report.
Tonga has a population of more than 100,000. Currently, about 89 percent of Tonga's target population have received their second dose, 97 percent have received their first dose, and 41 percent have received their booster shot.
Currently, there are more than 900 active cases recorded in Tonga. The country now has two COVID-19 hotspots, which are Sia'atoutai and the Hu'atolitoli Prison, both located in Tonga's main island of Tongatapu.
Vietnam
Vietnam reported 166,968 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, a decline of 1,751 cases from Saturday.
The health ministry said the new infections, logged in 62 localities nationwide, included 166,953 domestically transmitted and 15 imported.
Newly recorded infections in the country brought the total tally to 6,112,648 with 41,385 deaths.