A health worker waits amidst empty stools at a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccination centeR for youths between the age of 12 to 17 in Hanoi on Nov 23, 2021. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)
HANOI / SYDNEY / KUALA LUMPUR – Vietnam reported 10,365 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, down 795 from Friday, according to its Ministry of Health.
The new infections, which were recorded in 59 provinces and cities, were all domestically transmitted.
The new infections, which were recorded in 59 provinces and cities, were all domestically transmitted
The Vietnamese capital Hanoi remained the epidemic hotspot with 978 new cases on Saturday, followed by the northern provinces of Phu Tho with 753 and Bac Giang with 556.
ALSO READ: Vietnam starts COVID-19 vaccination for ages 5 to 11
The infections brought the total tally to 10,544,689 with 43,004 deaths. Nationwide, 9,081,494 COVID-19 patients, or 86 percent of the infections, have recovered.
Nearly 212 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country, including over 194.3 million shots on people aged 18 and above, said the ministry.
Vietnam has gone through four coronavirus waves of increasing scale, complication, and infectivity. As of Saturday, it has registered more than 10.5 million locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since the start of the current wave in April 2021, said the health ministry.
Australia
Authorities of Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) announced COVID-19 plan for schools across the state as colder season is approaching.
The COVID smart plan for schools unveiled on Saturday came after the state eased the isolation requirement for those close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Under the new rules that took effect last Friday, close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case will not have to isolate, as long as they have no symptoms.
ALSO READ: Australia to move away from reporting daily COVID deaths
But those close contacts still have to notify their employer or educational facility about their status, and comply with guidelines including not visiting aged care and hospitals unless a special exemption applies, undertaking daily rapid antigen tests (RATs) before coming into close contact with people outside their household, avoiding contact with elderly and immunocompromised persons, and wearing a face mask in indoor settings outside the home.
In line with the updated rules, teachers and students who are household contacts, but do not have COVID-19 or any symptoms, can return to school, according to the COVID smart plan for schools.
They must, however, notify the schools that they are household contacts, and do a daily rapid antigen test before school and wear a face mask indoors in the next five school days after their household confirmed positive.
More free RATs are expected to be provided to school staff and students to support compliance with these new rules. The authorities also pledged to provide good ventilation for schools with additional air quality measures.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the removal of isolation requirements for household contacts will support continuity of teaching and learning in schools.
However, the transmission of virus in local schools is still alarming. According to local media The Sydney Morning Herald, attendance among the state's 823,000 public sector students dropped to about 86 percent in mid-March, compared with almost 92 percent during the same period last year. The fall equates to more than 45,000 students.
On Sunday, the state recorded 11,107 new cases, and 1,588 people are being treated in hospitals with 64 in intensive care.
Thai women walk with luggage by the Sadao border checkpoint to travel into Malaysia from Thailand's southern Songkhla province on April 1, 2022, as Thailand reopened the southern checkpoint following years of closure due to the pandemic. (TUWAEDDANIYA MERINGING / AFP)
Malaysia
Malaysia reported 5,624 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Saturday, bringing the total tally to 4,427,067.
Among the new infections were 17 imported cases and 5,607 local transmissions, data released on the ministry's website showed.
A further nine deaths have been reported from the pandemic in the Southeast Asian country, bringing the death toll to 35,491.
The ministry also reported 10,041 new recoveries, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients cured and discharged to 4,310,599.
Currently there are 80,977 active cases recorded in the country, with 89 of them held in intensive care and 57 of them in need of assisted breathing.
The country reported that 73,767 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Saturday, and that 84.8 percent of the population have received at least one dose, 81.2 percent are fully vaccinated and 49 percent have received booster jabs.