These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Airline crew to undergo more frequent PCR tests and self-isolate after 2 SIA crew members down with Covid-19
Crew members of Singapore carriers will have to undergo stricter Covid-19 control measures with immediate effect following the news of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew member and an SIA pilot testing positive for the coronavirus. Announcing this on Wednesday night (Dec 30), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said it was tightening measures to ensure the safety and well-being of air crew and to safeguard public health in Singapore. "Air crew face considerable risks in the course of their duties. They do so because it is critical for Singapore to maintain air connectivity. Many essential supplies, such as vaccines, can only be delivered by air. Singaporeans overseas and other essential travellers need to be able to travel to and from Singapore," said CAAS in a statement. The first case, a cabin crew member, tested positive on Dec 27. He had last flown to New York on SQ24 on Dec 12, and returned to Singapore on Dec 16 aboard SQ23. He was asymptomatic at the time and was tested on Dec 23 and 25 under the testing protocol for Singapore carriers' air crew when they return from overseas. Both tests were inconclusive but an additional test on Dec 27 returned positive. CAAS said its preliminary investigation showed that the man had adhered to the mandated in-flight and layover measures, including wearing a mask, minimising contact with passengers and locals, and staying in his hotel room. During the layover in New York, he interacted with the immigration officer and hotel check-in staff and collected his meal from a hotel staff who delivered it to his room. All crew members and 16 passengers who were seated in the section of the aircraft cabin served by him have tested negative. The second case, a pilot, tested positive on Dec 29. He had last flown to London on SQ322 on Dec 19 and returned to Singapore on Dec 22. He was tested on Dec 23 and received a negative result on Dec 25. But on Dec 26, he developed a fever and went to a clinic for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on Dec 27, which returned positive on Dec 29. CAAS said its preliminary investigation showed that the pilot had adhered to the same mandated in-flight and layover measures as the first case. He also had no contact with passengers on board the flight. During the layover in London, he interacted with the immigration officer and hotel check-in staff and also collected his meal from a hotel staff who delivered it to his room. CAAS said that after consulting with the Ministry of Health, it will now require air crew on layover to further minimise their contact with locals. – The Straits Times
US bans palm oil imports from Sime Darby Plantation
The United States has banned imports from Sime Darby Plantation, whose products are found in numerous household goods, over concerns that its workers face a litany of abuse. The move against one of the world's biggest palm oil producers marks the second time the US has blocked shipments from a palm oil company in Malaysia in recent months. Palm oil is a common ingredient in items ranging from processed foods to cosmetics, with Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia producing 85 per cent of the world's supply. But activists have long claimed that low-paid workers on plantations face abuse, and also blame the industry for driving destruction of rainforests to make way for plantations. Announcing the ban late on Wednesday (Thursday in Malaysia), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said there was evidence Sime Darby workers face abuses including sexual and physical violence, withholding of wages and restrictions on movement. The ban "demonstrates how essential it is for Americans to research the origins of the everyday products that they purchase," said CBP acting commissioner Mark A. Morgan. The decision, which came into force on Wednesday, means that all Sime Darby palm oil and palm oil products from Malaysia are banned from entering US ports. The company, which supplies major firms like Nestle and Unilever, runs a network of sprawling plantations, and employs migrant workers from countries including Indonesia and Bangladesh. Earlier this year, anti-trafficking group Liberty Shared had petitioned the CBP to ban imports from Sime Darby over concerns about labour abuse. In October, the US banned imports from another Malaysian palm oil producer, FGV Holdings, following a lengthy probe that found indications its workers faced abuse. Sime Darby did not respond to requests for comment. On its website, the company says it believes "we have a responsibility to respect, support and uphold fundamental human rights." – New Straits Times
'Risky' gatherings banned
The government on Wednesday banned all gatherings "posing a risk of disease transmission", effective immediately in Covid-affected zones. The latest clampdown was announced after the country recorded 250 new cases in a single day. The ban applies to any gatherings that pose a risk of spreading the coronavirus, exploit opportunities to compound people's hardship or intend to spread the disease. With the country now designated into zones according to the severity of each area's situation, those gatherings and activities that would draw crowds in "maximum control zones" and "control zones" are prohibited. However, two exceptions were also announced: government activities and gatherings held in private households. Gatherings and activities in government-designated "close surveillance zones" and "surveillance zones" can take place if they receive prior approval from provincial governors. Again, these do not apply provincially for household gatherings and government activities. Provincial governors will announce which areas are designated maximum control, control, close surveillance and surveillance zones. They will also set their own quarantine policies for new arrivals, said Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Violators will face punishment under Section 18 of the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations. The section carries a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht. The new ban was issued by the chief of defence forces, Gen Chalermpol Srisawasdi, in his capacity as the official handling security-related emergency situations. – Bangkok Post
Unpad, Bio Farma team up in two COVID-19 candidate vaccines research
A joint research team of Padjadjaran University (Unpad) and state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma personnel is researching two COVID-19 candidate vaccines. The research is expected to be complete in the next three years. Bio Farma’s project integration manager for research and development, Neni Nuraini, said the candidate vaccines were being developed in anticipation of another pandemic situation in the future. The research aims to develop two candidate vaccines. The first one is a wheat-based recombinant protein vaccine, while the second one, which is funded by the Indonesia Science Fund (DIPI), is a peptide-based recombinant vaccine. The wheat-based vaccine is targeted to be completed by 2022, while the peptide-based vaccine is set to finish in 2023. “Hopefully they’ll already become candidate vaccine prototypes by then,” said Neni, tempo.co reported on Tuesday, adding that the new research was separate from the Chinese-developed Sinovac vaccine. “This vaccine development research is an alternative to various platforms of the Red and White vaccine, which is under preparation,” she added. Researching a vaccine alternative, Neni went on to say, would allow more chances for a successful vaccine development compared with depending on only one candidate vaccine. In a previous report, Unpad’s COVID-19 diagnostic research team coordinator Muhammad Yusuf said they were currently researching three candidate vaccines. The two, in partnership with Bio Farma, are the peptide liposome-based and recombinant candidate vaccines. Meanwhile, the third candidate, in partnership with a private company, is a passive vaccine created out of chicken antibodies. “Out of the three candidate vaccines, the passive vaccine possesses the biggest chance for a pre-clinical trial while the other two are still being developed,” Yusuf said on Tuesday. A group of scientists from the United Kingdom’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) discovered a new variant of coronavirus that has been spreading rapidly in Britain on Dec. 21. The new variant reportedly carries mutations that make children more susceptible to coronavirus infection compared with the previous strains. The Sinovac vaccine research team manager from Unpad, Eddy Fadlyana, said there were not many reports of coronavirus mutation discoveries in Indonesia. “As of now, there are only a few discoveries of coronavirus mutations worldwide. We predict that the vaccine will still be effective in two or three years,” Eddy said on Tuesday. He added that the COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently being developed, was created to combat the existing coronavirus strain before it mutated. “We will observe if the mutation affects low antibody levels, for example, if the cases are still high after the vaccine has been administered to people. If so, we will develop another vaccine to adjust to the situation,” he explained. – The Jakarta Post
NBI to probe unlawful entry, use of Sinopharm vaccine
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said he had ordered an investigation into the use of a locally unregistered vaccine to inoculate presidential guards for COVID-19 as it might have violated several laws, contrary to administration officials’ claims that it was not unlawful. Guevarra said he had directed the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the use of the vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm and how it was brought into the Philippines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that it has not approved any candidate vaccine for COVID-19 and that the use of any unregistered vaccine is illegal. Guevarra said his order to NBI Director Eric Distor was a “general instruction” and was not aimed at the inoculation of troops from the Presidential Security Group (PSG), which had been confirmed by administration officials. “[This is] not zeroing in on the PSG or on any particular incident of unauthorized vaccination,” he said. But asked if the Department of Justice (DOJ) will move for the indictment of government officials and other people behind the use of the unauthorized vaccine on President Duterte’s bodyguards, Guevarra said: “If the NBI finds sufficient factual basis to file a complaint, the DOJ will conduct a preliminary investigation and file a case in court if probable cause has been established.” There had been talk in recent weeks of government officials getting vaccinated for COVID-19, but the FDA had been firm that it had not approved any candidate vaccine for the new coronavirus disease. But President Duterte disclosed the PSG vaccinations during a meeting with health experts in Malacañang last Saturday. He identified the vaccine used as the one developed by Sinopharm, but the FDA said it had not registered it. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año confirmed the vaccinations on Monday, saying Cabinet officials were inoculated, too. He did not name the vaccine or its source. On Tuesday, Año revised his statement and said only one Cabinet member had been vaccinated, though he did not name the official. He again did not identify the vaccine, but said it had emergency use authorization from its country of origin. FDA Director General Eric Domingo said on Tuesday that the agency would investigate how the vaccinations happened, while Assistant Customs Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla said an investigation would be launched to determine how supplies of the vaccine were brought into the country. – INQUIRER.net
Digital transformation in the health sector to better serve people, says health minister
Digital transformation in the health sector aims to better serve people and help patients access more convenient and high-quality medical services, said Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long at the Ehealth Vietnam Summit 2020 on Wednesday in Hà Nội. "Digital transformation in the medical sector includes the comprehensive application of information technology, with a special focus on modern digital technologies, leading to a positive change in all medical activities of the health sector. We do not set a target on quantity but the main goal is to better serve the people, to access more convenient and high-quality medical services," said Long. Long said that despite having to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the health sector still has made efforts in digital transformation and has gained encouraging results in the past year. In the administrative field, 100 per cent of procedures were provided with online public services at level 4, 100 per cent of documents at the health ministry have been processed online and applied digital signatures. The ministry will also operate an application for tracking the progress and handling bottlenecks in processing. This will be the driving force for units under the Ministry of Health to perform their duties, according to the report of the health ministry. “In the future, we commit to cut 30 per cent of administrative procedures to create better conditions for people and businesses,” said Long. In November, the Ministry of Health also launched the medical public portal that publicises all medical services provided by the health sector. At the moment, people can access and monitor over 62,000 pharmaceutical products, more than 17,000 pieces of medical equipment and materials, more than 93,000 bidding results and prices for medical services announced by more than 1,400 medical facilities. In the near future, the health ministry will publicise all retail pharmaceuticals and supplement food prices, helping people easily look up drug prices and compare prices at stores for the most suitable choice. In COVID-19 pandemic prevention, information technology has contributed greatly to help Việt Nam control the pandemic. Việt Nam is also one of the first countries to apply electronic medical declarations, Bluezone tracing applications and COVID-19 safety maps. “Up to now, Việt Nam is one of the most successful countries in the fight against COVID-19 with the most economical and effective models," said the Minister of Health. Việt Nam has launched a remote health examination and treatment network with more than 1,500 medical facilities, helping patients at lower levels access quality services by doctors of upper levels. By 2025, 100 per cent of the country’s medical facilities will participate in the network, including private health facilities. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia’s COVID-19 positive cases increase to 366, two migrant workers from Thailand tested positive
Two more cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported; bringing the tally to 366. The new cases were detected on Cambodian migrant workers coming from Thailand. The two, both female in their 30s arrived in Cambodia on Dec. 28 and 29. They have been admitted to Battambang Provincial Referral Hospital. These two represents the first two cases of migrant workers tested positive after leaving Thailand where there is a sudden explosion of cases and one new death. The 366 confirmed cases in the Kingdom include 244 Cambodians, 45 French, 18 Chinese, 13 Malaysians, 12 Americans, 10 Indonesians, 6 British, 3 Vietnamese, 3 Canadians, 3 Indians, 2 Hungarians, 2 Pakistanis, 1 Belgian, 1 Kazakhstani, 1 Polish, 1 Jordanian, and 1 Japanese. Meanwhile, there is no new recovered case; therefore, the total number of cured patients remain at 361. The two new cases also meant the several days of recoveries with no new positive cases has been shattered with these cases and no recoveries, leaving those in hospital receiving treatment numbering 5. – Khmer Times