Thailand’s daily COVID-19 tolls top 100 for third consecutive day

A man wearing a face mask to protect against COVID-19 walks around Wat Pho temple in Bangkok on Feb 24, 2022. (JACK TAYLOR / AFP)

TOKYO / YANGON / JERUSALEM / SEOUL / KUALA LUMPUR / BANGKOK / JAKARTA / SUVA – Thailand's daily COVID-19 related deaths surpassed 100 for the third consecutive day, official data showed on Tuesday.

Thailand logged 101 deaths over the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 26,298. The country recorded 108 fatalities on Sunday, the highest daily tally in nearly six months.

As the majority of deaths during the current wave are among unvaccinated and vulnerable people, the health authorities are introducing measures to speed up the vaccination of these groups.

The daily COVID-19 infections dipped slightly to 19,982 on Tuesday, the lowest in 28 days. However, the authorities and experts warned of a possible surge in infections during the upcoming Songkran holidays.

Indonesia

The Indonesian government has decided to extend the implementation of the community activity restrictions (PPKM) outside Java and Bali from April 12 to April 25, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Tuesday.

The implementation of PPKM outside Java and Bali is improving with the number of the level 3 status of the four-tiered community activity restrictions declining from 110 to 43 districts and cities, and the level 1 status increased from 26 to 84 districts and cities, the senior minister said in an official statement.

The number of districts and cities with the level 2 status also rose from 250 to 259, according to Hartarto who is also the coordinator for the PPKM implementation outside Java and Bali.

Based on the evaluation of the level assessment, the transmission of confirmed cases continues to decline and no province is at the level 4 status, he said, adding that the death rate also continues to be under control in all provinces with the level 1 status.

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health on Monday reported 4,178 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total infections to 4,000,602.

The newly reported cases were the lowest in Israel since March 12, when 3,971 new cases were reported.

Meanwhile, 17 more people lost their lives to the disease, bringing the national death toll to 10,584.

The number of active patients in Israel stood at 41,034, with 256 remaining in serious conditions, according to the ministry's data.

Passengers wait in line before moving onto their temporary housing for quarantine as they come out of an arrival gate for international flights at the Narita International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, on Dec 2, 2021. (HIRO KOMAE / FILE / AP)

Japan

The Japanese health ministry on Monday reported the country's first case of coronavirus variant XE, in a woman who arrived at a Narita airport from the United States on March 26.

Malaysia

Malaysia recorded 7,739 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Monday, bringing the total tally to 4,333,557, according to the health ministry.

They included 23 new imported cases and 7,716 local transmissions, data released on the ministry showed.

Another 19 deaths have been reported from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 35,311.

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 issued guidelines for incoming international travelers ahead of the resumption of international flights, according to the Ministry of Health on Monday.

All incoming travelers must present proof of vaccination with an MoH-approved vaccine and a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report of a test conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, children below the age of 6 who are traveling with fully vaccinated parents or guardians are exempted from these requirements, it said.

The ministry said in the guidelines that foreigners shall present COVID-19 medical insurance purchased from Myanmar Insurance before entering Myanmar.

As per the guidelines, each passenger shall also submit a health declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise.

All incoming travelers shall stay at designated hotels to wait for the RT-PCR test result sent by the health ministry within 24 hours, it said.

Samoa, Vanuatu

The two South Pacific island nations of Samoa and Vanuatu have reported more COVID-19 related deaths in recent days.

According to the newspaper Samoa Observer, Samoa's Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday that Samoa recorded two more COVID-19 related deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities in the island nation to nine.

Samoa also reported 427 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 48 hours, bringing the cumulative total of COVID-19 cases to 4,029.

In Vanuatu, the country's Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday two new COVID-19 related deaths, both are elderly females who were unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.