These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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More severe cases of Covid-19 likely as numbers triple in 2 weeks: Experts
The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU) here or requiring oxygen supplementation has tripled over the last two weeks, rising from eight in total on July 15 to 25 on Wednesday (July 28), with experts warning the number is likely to grow. But they were quick to add that the healthcare system should be able to cope despite the worrying trend. Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant at the National University Hospital's (NUH) Division of Infectious Diseases, said there has been an increase in the number of unvaccinated people contracting the disease, after almost 1,000 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the last week. "Over that week, the number of unvaccinated cases in the older age groups has more than doubled, so I feel we can expect the numbers of new severe cases to increase significantly," he said. But he added that the rise should still be "well within" the healthcare system's capabilities. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Wednesday that Singapore can open up about 1,000 ICU beds for critically ill Covid-19 patients. But he had also pointed out earlier that it takes only five weeks to overwhelm the hospitals' ICU capacity. Prof Paul Tambyah, a professor of medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, said that with more than half the population here fully vaccinated, he anticipates one or two new severe cases a day if infections remain in the hundreds. This estimate is based on the number of severe cases reported in other countries such as Britain and the United States where significant proportions of the population have been fully vaccinated, said Prof Tambyah, who is also a senior consultant at NUH's Division of Infectious Diseases. Prof Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, noted that the number of infections reported daily is still above 100, with a number of cases among people above 70 years old who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. "These are the ones that are at a high risk to experience severe disease and require hospital care," he said. Two teams from the school have been carrying out modelling to predict which way the numbers might go - one led by Dr Hannah Clapham, an assistant professor at the school, and another by Associate Professor Alex Cook, who is vice-dean of research. Prof Cook noted that vaccine uptake in the older age groups, who are at greatest risk, has risen to about 75 per cent. Taking into account this statistic, as well as the effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing severe disease, the teams predicted that the risk of someone ending up in the ICU with Covid-19 has fallen from around 2 per cent to about 0.2 per cent. This varies across age groups, Prof Cook clarified, as those under 40 have a much lower risk. – The Straits Times
Drone helps Sabah cops nab permit-less inter-district travellers
Drivers of a passenger van and a four-wheel drive were arrested for crossing district lines without permit. During the incident at Kampung Naluyan, here, both vehicles were believed to be traveling from Kota Kinabalu to Sipitang to buy durians. District Police Chief deputy superintendent Champin Piuh said both cars were detected via aerial view using drones in collaboration with the Air Operations Force Base Sabah's drone unit. Initially, he said the unit detected a group of people without face masks gathering at a stall selling fruits by the side of the road near Sipitang town. "When they drove past the roadblock at Kampung Naluyan, the police detained the drivers of the two vehicles. "Further examination later found that both drivers failed to show valid cross-district police permits," he said in a media statement. Champin said the driver and passengers of both vehicles were taken to the Sipitang District Police Headquarters (IPD) for further action. He said all the individuals involved were compounded for cross-district travel without police permits and abusing government agency confirmation letters just to buy durians in Sipitang. Meanwhile, Champin said, since July 15, several villages in the district had been placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) following a sudden increase in Covid-19 infections. "As we face difficulties in conducting overall monitoring in the village areas under EMCO, police received help from the drone unit. "As a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, we would like to advise the community in this district to continue to comply with the SOP set. "People are advised not to leave their homes during this period if there are no important matters until the situation calms down," he said. – New Straits Times
11 nabbed for Bang Sue jab system fraud
Police have charged 11 people with breaking into the vaccination booking system at the Bang Sue Grand Station vaccination centre and selling vaccine booking quotas. Mingkwan Wichaidit, the director of the Institute of Dermatology who is also running the centre, said officials found a suspiciously large number of vaccination bookings – up to 2,000 accounts – in the system. Dr Mingkwan said the officials decided to proceed with 300 of these suspicious bookings to lure people into turning up for their vaccine appointments so police could step in and investigate further. Based on the centre's investigation, people bought vaccine reservation bookings at 400-1,200 baht each. Police investigated the booking system and found 11 system users, volunteers at the centre who entered the bookings into the system. The alleged fraudsters have since been charged by the police. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the culprits face 3-10 years in prison if found guilty. Mr Chidchob said the suspects allegedly hacked into the system through the mobile system operator connected to the system. They were fraudulently selling bookings to have shots at the Bang Sue Grand Station vaccination centre up to 1,500 people per day, he said. It is not yet clear how many people were involved in the scam. Dr Mingkwan said the centre's officers first detected suspicious actions in the system seven days ago outside operating times. Currently, the vaccination centre has not opened vaccination bookings to organisations except those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which has secured doses for the elderly, so it was rare to have bulk bookings. Pol Maj Gen Amnat Traipot said seven of the 11 accused include officials from the Department of Medical Services and one mobile operator. He said an investigative panel will be set up to further detect suspicious use of information on the vaccination booking system. Previously, the police found a group of people –mostly city office and factory workers – near one of the station's gates who were suspected of being part of a scheme to defraud the vaccine booking system. Investigations are continuing. – Bangkok Post
Metro Manila under ECQ from August 6 to 20
President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the proposal of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and mayors to place Metro Manila under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20, 2021, Malacañang said Friday. “Simula naman a sais ng Agusto, ang NCR ay ma-eescalate sa enhanced communtiy quarantine or ECQ hanggang a bente ng Agusto 2021,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an announcement aired over state-run People’s Television Network. (Starting August 6, NCR will escalate to enhanced community quarantine or ECQ until August 20, 2021.) Roque said Metro Manila will stay under general community quarantine with heightened and additional restrictions this Friday until August 5, 2021 where indoor and al fresco dining will be prohibited. Asked if the government will extend aid to residents and workers affected by the tightened restrictions, Roque replied: “Most likely, but will seek confirmation.” The conduct of COVID-19 vaccinations will also remain unhampered, Roque added. Earlier, Roque admitted he was not sure if the government has funds for aid if Metro Manila will be placed under ECQ. Amid the threat of the Delta variant, Metro Manila mayors had expressed willingness to place the region under ECQ for two weeks to prevent further spread of the disease. “Pero matapos ng matinding debate, kinakailangan magkaroon ng desisyon, masakit na desisyon po natin ‘to dahil alam natin na mahirap ang ECQ pero kinakailangang gawin ito para maiwasan yung kakulangan ng ating mga ICU beds at iba pang hospital requirements kung lolobo po talaga ang kaso dahil nga po sa Delta variant,” Roque said. (After a long debate, we needed to make a decision, it’s a painful decision because we know that it’s tough to be placed under ECQ. But we need to do this to prevent shortage in ICU beds and other hospital requirements should our cases balloon due to the Delta variant.) The Department of Health (DOH), citing projections, said the Delta variant could increase Metro Manila’s daily new COVID-19 cases to up to 11,000 by the end of September if health protocols would not be properly followed. The Philippines has so far detected 216 Delta variant cases. The DOH had confirmed local transmission in the country. – INQUIRER.net
2021 Vietnam Annual Economic Report launched
The 2021 Vietnam Annual Economic Report entitled “Repositioning Viet Nam in the Global Dynamics” was unveiled on July 29 by the Vietnam National University - University of Economics and Business. The report analyses Viet Nam’s competitive edge based on its advantages and engagement in the global supply chain. It also touches on the adverse impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy at large and Viet Nam in particular. The report has been released annually by the university in association with its affiliate the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR) for 12 years. This year, exports and public investment are projected to become a driving force for the Vietnamese economy. With influxes of foreign investment into Viet Nam, exports in the sector will have an important role to play for economic growth in upcoming years. However, the growth rate of exports may strongly rely on the global economy recovery and shipments of traditional commodities, experts warned. Based on results obtained in the first six months and the complexities of the pandemic, the VEPR believes that the economic growth in the remaining months will depend on efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control, vaccination speed and scale and efficiency of support packages, among others. The institute also put forward growth scenarios for the remaining months. If the pandemic is brought under control in late third quarter and Viet Nam reaches herd immunity in the second quarter of 2022, and the economic growth is projected at 4.5 – 5.1 per cent. In other scenario, the pandemic is controlled in the next months and herd immunity is reached by Q1 2022, the national economy may expand between 5.4 per cent and 6.1 per cent. If economic activities will not be able to resume by the fourth quarter of this year, Vietnam may see an economic growth rate of 3.5-4 per cent. – Viet Nam News
Restaurant owners and industry officials cite fight for survival as new round of measures take hold
Police were out in force in popular expat areas on Thursday night well ahead of a countrywide curfew in major cities taking hold. The government is taking action to stop the spread of the highly-contagious Delta variant of the Coronavirus. As such it has ordered cities to institute a curfew between 9am and 3am, prohibited dine-in eating and put alcohol sales on hold for two weeks. On Street 308 in Phnom Penh’s Tonle Bassac district, local authorities, accompanied by 30 police office officers, patrolled the street in vans with loud speakers, instructing restaurants to close and telling patrons to go home. One restaurateur told Khmer Times, “We’ve checked and checked, and to our best understanding we can serve delivery, take out and allow dining-in if we follow the ‘rule of ten’. We have several staff at a monthly salary cost of $3,000. They rely on us to survive. How long can we survive in this situation?” The president of the Cambodia Restaurant Association, Arnaud Darc, told Khmer Times the association was not consulted about the measures and Wednesday’s announcement was “totally unexpected”. “With these new measures, more will close. We are at a critical path. We can talk also of a ‘life and death’ moment of our entire industry. The last 16 months have been very challenging and this last straw could be fatal to many years of development if no support is provided” Darc said. – Khmer Times
Volunteers in flood-hit Hlaingbwe carry bodies of Covid-19 victims to cemetery on boats
Volunteers in the flood-hit Karen State town of Hlaingbwe are carrying the bodies of Covid-19 victims to the local cemetery on boats and have received no help from junta-controlled authorities in dealing with deaths from the virus. “It’s really hard to get to the cemetery as the water is as high as our chests,” a spokesperson for the Myanmar Rescue Organization Hlaingbwe told Myanmar Now. “Since we can’t just carry the bodies on our shoulders, we have to use boats.” As well as difficulties with transportation, the volunteers are also facing a shortage of protective suits, said the spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons. The group has delivered six bodies of Covid-19 victims since July 24, when the flooding started. A total of 20 people have died of the disease in the town since early July. The military council has helped to resettle flood victims and provided food supplies but has not given any assistance for Covid-19 cases, the spokesperson said. Rescue workers in other parts of south-eastern Myanmar say they have received no help from the junta in responding to the floods. The floodwaters in Hlaingbwe have not let up for five days and houses in three neighbourhoods have been completely submerged. Camps for those who have left their homes have been set up in three neighbourhoods where the flooding is less severe. The National Unity Government’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has warned people to expect heavy rains in Mon State and Tanintharyi Region until August 1. – Myanmar NOW
Increase COVID-19 command posts in villages, regions urged
Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, has urged regional administrations to increase the number of COVID-19 command posts at the village level to assist the first handling of patients. "One of the important roles in the first handling of residents affected by COVID-19 is (played by) neighbourhood units (RT) and community units (RW) administrators. During this pandemic, the RT/RW are helping village and community health centers (Puskesmas) officials to handle COVID-19," he said at a press conference at Graha BNPB, monitored virtually from Jakarta on Thursday. RTs and RWs are playing a role in monitoring and registering cases as well as monitoring compliance with health protocols and recording and supporting vaccination programs, he added. The role of RTs and RWs must be supported through good coordination with other elements, he said. It is important that there is a command post (Posko) at the village level to serve as a liaison between various elements of the community and a coordinator who can report on performance, Adisasmito said. "Unfortunately, there are still many villages in Indonesia that have not established (COVID-19) command posts. As of July 25, 2021, only 27 percent of villages in Indonesia have formed such command posts," Adisasmito noted. There are still 58,687 villages that have not yet established such command posts, he said. Most of the areas that have not yet established Posko are located in North Sumatra, Papua, East Java, Central Java, South Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, West Java, Lampung, and Southeast Sulawesi, he added. In seven of the 10 provinces that do not have COVID-19 handling posts, most of the regencies/cities have not implemented level 4 public activity restrictions (PPKM), he said. Thus, the implementation of Micro PPKM in their respective regions should be strengthened, he added. "For this reason, I ask the sub-district heads from the listed sub-districts to immediately instruct their villages to form a post right now," he said. Public compliance with health protocols has increased in nearly every province of Indonesia, head of the behaviour change division of the Task Force for COVID-19 Handling, Sonny Harmadi, had said earlier. "The scores of public compliances with health protocols have increased in almost all provinces," he said at an online discussion of the Merdeka Barat 9 forum, held here on Wednesday. According to the task force, during the period between September 7, 2020 and July 20, 2021, compliance with the rule on wearing masks was 84.77 percent, social distancing and avoiding crowds was 87.11 percent, while the compliance score for the rule on hand washing using soap in running water was 7.65 out of 10. The increasing public compliance with health protocols to prevent transmission of the coronavirus has partly been aided by behaviour change ambassadors, Harmadi noted. – AntaraNews.Com