These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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GPs see surge in number of patients over CNY holidays, some with respiratory infection
General practitioner (GP) clinics that remained open over the Chinese New Year holiday saw a surge in walk-in patients, some with acute respiratory infection (ARI).
Chief executive of Northeast Medical Group, Dr Tan Teck Jack, told The Straits Times that one of the eight clinics it operates saw more than 10 positive antigen rapid test (ART) cases on Wednesday morning (Feb 2).
"The safe management measures need to be in place and respected to prevent a further surge in Covid-19 cases," added Dr Tan.
Parkway Shenton Medical Group said three of its clinics that were open on Tuesday (Feb 1) and Wednesday - the first and second day of Chinese New Year - saw three times as many patients as they did in early January.
Medical director of Parkway Shenton, Dr Edwin Chng, said: "The GP clinics saw much longer queues and an influx of patients with ARI cases.
"In fact, our clinic in Punggol ran out of ART kits and we had to move stocks from other clinics.
"The surge in numbers was probably due to closure of most other clinics during Chinese New Year."
Clinics reported long queues even as the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Saturday that 988 GP clinics will be operating from Monday to Wednesday. – Straits Times
'Take extra care to curb cases among children'
Children are one of the groups most vulnerable to the Covid-19 Omicron variant, especially the unvaccinated.
Experts said besides immunising children, the government should put in place added protective measures and ensure schools comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
They said schools should encourage children and staff to double mask, or use KN95 or N95 masks, which provided more protection against Covid-19; observe 1m to 2m of physical distancing; and maintain good ventilation in classrooms.
Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, a molecular virologist at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Monash University Malaysia, said despite the fact that 90 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 were vaccinated, a steady surge in cases was expected with the Omicron wave, with education clusters contributing a significant number.
He said the Omicron variant (both BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants) was capable of evading immune responses mounted by vaccines at a much better rate than the highly pathogenic Delta strain, hence the chances of reinfection in the vaccinated was higher than the previous waves.
"While vaccines offer protection from disease severity and mortality, it alone will not be enough to stop the chain of transmission. – New Straits Times
Test & Go gets off to good start
More than 23,000 travellers registered for entry under the Test & Go programme on Tuesday, the first day the suspended travel scheme resumed.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said that a total of 29,194 foreigners applied for the Thailand Pass on Tuesday.
Of them, 23,660 registered for the "Test & Go" scheme and the number of registrations is expected to increase, he said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed agencies involved to coordinate efforts to welcome back foreign tourists while following Covid-19 precautions to resuscitate the tourism sector, the spokesman said.
The premier also attached importance to using soft power to promote tourism and culture, and placed emphasis on wellness tourism to attract health-conscious tourists, Mr Thanakorn said.
The Test & Go programme for fully vaccinated travellers resumed on Tuesday with travellers required to take two tests, one on the first day of arrival and another on the fifth. – Bangkok Post
Almost 76% of PH’s target population now fully vaxxed
A total of 59,120,367 individuals nationwide or 75.7 percent of the target population are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), according to the National Task Force Against Covid-19.
In an interview Wednesday night, National Task Force Against Covid-19 consultant Dr Maria Paz Corrales said the number is 53 percent of the total Philippine population.
More are expected to receive the life-saving shots as the national government further ramps up its vaccination campaign, expanding it to children aged 5 to 11 years old starting February 4, and in provinces badly hit by Typhoon Odette last year.
Corrales said a total of 780,000 doses of reformulated Pfizer vaccine for this age group would arrive February 3.
She added that the government is planning to hold another round of the national vaccination days for the young age group that would also cover booster doses.
“We are planning a national vaccination day that will cover the paediatric population, that’s 5 to 17, and then for the senior citizens, and the booster. We have to ramp up the three so the government is planning to have national vaccination days to increase the number of vaccinations. We hope to achieve 90 million by June,” Corrales said.
In areas stricken by "Odette", Corrales said the use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson and the Sputnik Light vaccines are recommended since they get protected against the disease immediately, without having to return for a second dose. – Philippine News Agency
VN businesses must be more professional to expand in French market
The Viet Nam Trade Office in France has revealed that supermarkets and retail distribution chains in France have plans to increase the percentage of Vietnamese goods in their distribution system.
These opportunities also present challenges for Vietnamese businesses. Those who want to succeed must have a professional approach and long-term strategy, focusing not only on buying and selling, said Vu Anh Son, head of the Viet Nam Trade Office in France.
To penetrate deeper into the French market, Son said that within a Ministry of Industry and Trade project on foreign distribution networks, the trade office had developed a suitable approach.
For partners who are large distribution corporations that do not have a development policy in Viet Nam, the trade office has applied a practical approach, bringing benefits to all parties.
For example, on January 20, 2022, the French retail group Carrefour held Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet) Week at its supermarket chain to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to French consumers.
"Through this event, Vietnamese goods' brand and image have been promoted in the French market through more than 3,400 Carrefour supermarkets, especially 216 hypermarkets across France," said Son.
A weakness in building the image of Vietnamese goods and penetrating deeper into the French market is businesses only targeting Vietnamese and Asian customers in France, Nhat Thanh Khiem, general director of TT Foods Import Export Co., told Viet Nam Economic Times. – Vietnam News
Controversy expected as replica of world renown Angkor Wat built in Da Nang’s theme park
An Angkor Wat “replica” in the centre of Da Nang, Vietnam, is trying to attract international tourists to visit Vietnam without having to “cross the border” to visit the real Angkor Wat in Cambodia because they built a copy the architectural model of Angkor Wat of Cambodia as the original version, which is the most unique historical-cultural archaeology.
On January 29, 2022, a Facebook account called Phnom Rithi posted a video of Vietnamese television and wrote “In the future, it will be easier for the Khmer Krom to not spend time crossing the country to visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap because the Vietnamese have the right to build the Khmer temple of Angkor in the theme park in Da Nang province.
The same Facebook account states that Vietnam has already asked for permission from the Ministry to help spread the culture and complete the construction and was reportedly already inaugurated for tourists.
In a Vietnamese TV video, the male host said, “Do you know what the temple is behind me?” That is the temple of Angkor Wat copied from Cambodia, but this temple is not located in Cambodia, it is located in Da Nang. The host then took a tour of the replica and said that if visitors had actually visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia must have known about this construction well. The host also recommended to visit the replica temple in Da Nang. – Khmer Times
NUG’s forces carry out bomb attacks across Yangon on coup anniversary
The National Unity Government’s (NUG) Yangon Division Command launched attacks against 24 junta targets across the former capital on Tuesday, as Myanmar marked the anniversary of the military coup with a nationwide silent strike.
The attacks covered 11 townships including Sanchaung, Insein, Dala, Hlaing Tharyar and Hlegu, targeting an air force lieutenant colonel, soldiers, security posts, administration offices, CCTV controllers and regime informants with remotely detonated explosives, according to a statement from the command.
They were the latest in a wave of bombings and shootings across Yangon and the surrounding regions that the NUG has dubbed Operation Pyan Hlwar Aung.
There have now been 46 attacks, carried out in collaboration with guerrilla forces, as part of that operation in Yangon between January 22 and February 1.
A group called the Hlaing Tharyar Region Force said it detonated two bombs at a security outpost of Light Infantry Battalion 532 on the Yangon-Pathein highway in at 5am on Tuesday.
“I don’t think there were any fatalities… we left the area immediately after carrying out the attack,” a member of the group told Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity. – Myanmar NOW
Digital identity infrastructure being developed to secure transactions
The Communication and Informatics Ministry is trying to secure electronic transactions by developing digital identity as well as data authentication infrastructure along with Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK), an official has said.
"For optimizing the benefits of the implementation of digital identity in Indonesia, we are attempting to establish a national digital system and electronic transaction governance along with other ministries and institutions," director general of information application at the ministry, Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, informed during a webinar on Wednesday.
Six efforts are being made to support the development of secure electronic transactions and a digital identity ecosystem in Indonesia, he added. "In the future, the ministry will prepare more regulatory frameworks regarding the development of digital identity in Indonesia, build a trust-based digital ecosystem, and strengthen our digital human resources," Pangerapan said.
The current regulatory framework supporting digital identity development in Indonesia includes the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (UU ITE), Government Regulation (PP) Number 71/2019, as well as Regulation of Communication and Informatics Minister Number 11/ 2018, he noted. – AntaraNews.Com