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)
HANOI / SINGAPORE / YANGON / MANILA – Vietnam recorded 2,983 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up by 1,288 from Monday, according to its Ministry of Health.
This was the highest number reported in the last 96 days, said the ministry.
All the new cases were locally transmitted, according to the ministry.
The newly reported infections brought the total tally to 11,370,462. The country reported two new deaths from the pandemic in the northern provinces of Dien Bien and Quang Ninh on Tuesday, bringing the total fatalities to 43,100.
Nearly 251.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country, including over 216.4 million shots on people aged 18 and above, said the ministry.
Vietnam has already recorded COVID-19 infections with the Omicron BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75 and BA.2.12.1 sub-variants and is accelerating the inoculation of its people with a fourth vaccine dose.
Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry the body of a victim of the coronavirus to a cemetery in Hlegu Township in Yangon on July 10, 2021. (YE AUNG THU / AFP)
Myanmar
Myanmar reported the second death from COVID-19 in more than four months, bringing the death toll in the country to 19,436, according to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday.
One death case was reported on Aug 11, the first since April 7.
The country logged 49 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 614,456, the ministry said.
The ministry added that it tested 8,699 people for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and the daily positivity rate was 0.56 percent.
Myanmar reported its first COVID-19 cases on March 23, 2020, and its first death from COVID-19 on March 31, 2020.
A child receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 as a performer dressed as superhero character Spider-Man looks on at a gym in San Juan City, suburban Manila on Feb 7, 2022. (TED ALJIBE / AFP)
Philippines
The Philippines reported 2,633 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,838,062.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases fell to 36,190, and 49 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 61,127.
Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 846 new cases.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the cases "in all areas are on a plateau" and severe and critical cases remain below 1,000.
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 5,202 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 1,801,936.
Of the new cases, 407 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 4,795 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 380 were local transmissions and 27 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 4,529 local transmissions and 266 imported cases, respectively.
Five deaths were reported from COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 1,565, the ministry said.