These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Quick, efficient self-administered Covid-19 swab tests conducted at centres across Singapore
Quick test centres have been running like well-oiled machines ahead of Covid-19 rostered routine testing becoming mandatory for workers in higher-risk settings from next Thursday (July 15). Those who work in such settings, including facial spas and dine-in eateries, which have unmasked customers, will have to undergo a fast and easy test (FET) every 14 days. They can get tested at any of the five quick test centres island-wide, or do self-swabs under the supervision of a trained staff member from their workplace. This is as more Covid-19 safety measures are set to ease from next Monday. FET uses tests such as antigen rapid tests. At quick test centres, which were rolled out on June 21 ahead of the mandatory regime kicking in, people also administer their own swabs under supervision. The centres are at Yishun bus interchange, Bishan Sports Hall, Jurong West Sports Centre, Pasir Ris Sports Hall and in Tekka Lane. At quick test centres that The Straits Times visited on Thursday, the people who showed up for swab tests were mostly hawkers and sports coaches. Each test was completed within 20 minutes. Many said the process was easy and efficient. They had received an SMS about two weeks ago instructing them to register for an appointment. They also received SMS reminders telling them what time to show up at the centres. Quick test centres are open from 10am to 5pm daily, and tests are by appointment only. For some such as hawker Nurfizah Atamo, 53, getting tested at a quick test centre was a practical choice. "I have to set up my stall early in the morning and the pharmacies selling self-test kits may not be open at this time," said Ms Nurfizah, who was among the first to arrive at the Bishan centre at 10.15am. "I have no time to queue and buy self-test kits either, so I thought it would be easier to get tested (at a quick test centre)." She welcomed the need to get tested regularly. "For stall owners like us, people come to our stalls every day and could possibly spread the virus to us, so there is the need to get tested," she said. The quick test centres were set up to support small businesses that are unable to organise supervised self-swab tests on their own. While the test is self-administered, quick test centre personnel are present on site to offer assistance. – The Straits Times
Covid-19: Selangor activates field hospitals, increases bed capacity
All hospitals in Selangor are receiving high numbers of Covid-19 cases especially involving category three and above continuously since late last month, said State Health director Datuk Dr Sha'ari Ngadiman. Subsequently, he said the department was increasing the number of beds through the activation of a field hospital by the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and emergency procurements of medical equipment at the Selangor Health Department (JKNS) level. "Health personnel from outside of the Klang Valley are also being mobilised, (they are) medical officers, nurses and assistant medical officers," he said in a statement uploaded on the JKNS Facebook page. Dr Sha'ari was explaining the current status of hospitals in Selangor following viral pictures of the emergency departments at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang and the Shah Alam Hospital. In the meantime, he said that the hike in the admission of acute patients at the emergency department of the Shah Alam Hospital was because the hospital had now been turned into a non-Covid-19 major specialist hospital giving acute treatments to non-Covid-19 patients in the Petaling district. "For HTAR, most of the patients have been treated first at the emergency department while waiting for a bed in the wards. As such, the increase in beds had to be done outside of the HTAR emergency department temporarily. "HTAR and Shah Alam Hospital are in the process of increasing the respective capacities of their beds," he said. – New Straits Times
New curbs go to CCSA meet
The government is set to impose tougher measures to slow the rising rate of Covid-19 transmissions, including restricting people's movements, as new daily cases topped 7,000 on Thursday. Approval for the measures, proposed by the Public Health Ministry, will be sought from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) today. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he was following the Covid-19 outbreak with concern and wanted to come up with suitable containment measures. "We may have to take stricter measures to restrict movements to prevent crowd gatherings and close additional premises. "As the director of the CCSA, I will chair the CCSA meeting to consider proposals submitted by the parties involved. I will inform you of the outcome immediately," the prime minister wrote on Facebook. "The government and I will do our best to bring the situation under control as quickly as possible," he said. Speaking after the meeting, Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, said the proposal, which will be imposed for 14 days in at-risk provinces including Bangkok and neighbouring provinces, includes restrictions on people's movements to discourage them from going out, except for buying food and visiting the doctor, and receiving vaccine shots. Inter-provincial travel will also be banned. Other measures include shuttering at-risk premises and locations where people gather for certain activities. Supermarkets, fresh markets, and premises that are essential to daily lives will remain open. The measures will be enforced in areas known as "buffer zones" for at least 14 days, Dr Kiatiphum said, adding the CCSA will determine in which provinces the measures will be enforced. "The Public Health Ministry wants to present measures to curb transmissions so the public health system will be better able to take care of patients," Dr Kiatiphum said. Asked if the tougher measures are tantamount to a lockdown, he said: "We don't want to create confusion because a lockdown, which was imposed previously, also included a ban on foreigners visiting Thailand. But the main thrust of the new measures will be to restrict people's movements and close at-risk premises," he said. He said the new measures will be as tough as those enforced in April last year. Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman for the CCSA, said officials from the Interior Ministry and the Defence Ministry will set up checkpoints to reduce interprovincial movements. She said the Public Health Ministry also proposed a maximum degree of working from home for both the government and private sectors. Businesses would be asked to change their operating hours to discourage people from going out, she said, referring to department stores, convenience stores and night-shift markets and eateries. "The Public Health Ministry did not mention any lockdown measures, but discussed changes to operating hours of businesses and services in specific areas and provinces," Dr Apisamai said. Meanwhile, a record 75 Covid-19 fatalities and 7,058 new cases were reported on Thursday, as the continuing surge in Covid-19 cases spread to provinces throughout the kingdom. There were new 6,990 cases in the general population and 68 among prison inmates, the Ministry of Public Health said. Bangkok logged 2,212 new cases, followed by 565 in Samut Prakan, 517 in Samut Sakhon, 290 in Chon Buri, 229 in Pathum Thani, 213 in Songkhla, 180 in Nonthaburi, 175 in Pattani, 150 in Prachuap Khiri Khan and 146 in Yala. – Bangkok Post
World Bank apologizes over report on PH education
The World Bank apologized Friday over its report indicating the poor performance of Filipino students, saying that the report was “inadvertently published earlier than scheduled.” The World Bank issued an apology after the Department of Education (DepEd) demanded them to apologize over the report that, the education department said, “insulted” and “shamed” the Philippines. “We deeply regret that the report on education was inadvertently published earlier than scheduled and before the Department of Education had enough chance to provide inputs,” the World Bank said in a statement. “This was an oversight on our part, and we conveyed our personal apologies in our communication with the government. Recognizing the inadvertent release of the report, we have taken steps to temporarily remove it from the website,” it added. The World Bank said that they have likewise reached out to Education Secretary Leonor Briones “and look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Department of Education on the opportunities and challenges in the education sector. We are aware of the Department’s various efforts and programs to address the challenge of education quality,” the World Bank said. “We agree with the Department that the issue of quality has a long historical context, and support its demonstrated commitment to resolve it decisively,” it added. In the World Bank report, poor learning results were observed among students in the country as 80 percent of them fell below minimum levels of expected proficiency. The report was based on three assessments the country previously joined – the Program for International Student Assessment in 2018, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study in 2019, and the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics also in 2019. Briones earlier said that the World Bank failed to follow the proper protocol in releasing its Philippine education study and supposedly released “old data.” – INQUIRER.net
Viet Nam welcomes sharing of COVID-19 vaccines, resources and technology: Foreign ministry spokesperson
Viet Nam welcomes the sharing of COVID-19 vaccines, information and technology to aid the fight against the pandemic, spokesperson for the foreign ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said. She made the statement in response to recent announcements of vaccine donation, two million doses of Moderna from the US via COVAX Facility, and additional one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Japanese Government. UNICEF Viet Nam, which administers the delivery of vaccines under COVAX initiative, confirmed with Viet Nam News that the shipment from the US is slated to enter the country via Noi Bai International Airport in Ha Noi early Saturday morning. The remaining doses from Japan is due to arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on Friday morning, according to the health ministry. “Viet Nam welcomes and appreciates the sharing of COVID-19 vaccines, and the information and technology necessary to aid the fight against the pandemic,” spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, Le Thi Thu Hang said. “Amid the complicated nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, Viet Nam hopes that countries and international organisations will be united and fulfil their responsibilities to the global community,” Hang said. To date, Viet Nam has received four different types of COVID-19 vaccines from Japan, China, Russia, and the US, along with purchases. COVAX has also pledged to give priority to Viet Nam in its future distribution. Viet Nam itself has also contributed US$500 million to the global vaccine sharing initiative which aims to ensure equitable access to the vaccine, despite itself struggling to get enough vaccines for its population of almost 100 million amidst serious recent spike in COVID-19 infections. As of July 7, 3,960,956 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Viet Nam, and 241,913 people have been given two full doses, according to a report Thursday from the health ministry. Previously on June 20, Viet Nam received some 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines along with 502,400 single-use syringes as aid, and the bilateral agreement is understood as to give them to will be given to Chinese nationals living in Viet Nam, Vietnamese people who intend to go to work or study in China and residents in the border region with China. Hang also affirmed that these doses will be used in line with Government Resolution 21 dated February 26, 2021 on the purchases and uses of COVID-19 vaccines, in response to questions over recent reports from China complaining that Viet Nam's allocation decisions have not been in line with the two countries' original plan. "Per China’s request, Viet Nam will also carry out the vaccination of Chinese citizens working in the country,” the spokesperson said. The Vietnamese health ministry has announced its distribution plan for the vaccine doses which states that nearly all will be used for the three above-mentioned groups in the nine northern provinces. This, however, has sparked concerns in China that Chinese nationals in other localities of Viet Nam are missing out. – Viet Nam News
A good choice: Cambodia’s use of Sinovac may turn out a blessing
Cambodia’s decision to inoculate the majority of the population with the Sinovac vaccine may be the shot in the arm the Kingdom needs to battle the virus scourge. Recent studies in Thailand have shown the vaccine’s efficacy to be as much as 99.4%. China’s Sinovac Biotech has also applied for an amendment of its emergency use authorisation (EUA) for its Covid-19 vaccine to be used on children aged three to 17 in Thailand. Bangkok Post yesterday quoted Chulalongkorn University virology specialist and chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology Dr Yong Poovorawan as saying that the Sinovac vaccine provides as much as “99.4% immunity against Covid-19 a month after the second dose”. He was citing a study on immunity by the centre and Banphaeo General Hospital in Samut Sakhon. Researchers studied the immunity of people before and after they received two doses of the Chinese vaccine, administered three weeks apart. “People who received the vaccine have 99.4% immunity against the Covid-19 spike protein, while it was 92.5% for patients who had already been infected,” Dr Poovorawan said. He said the centre was conducting a long-term study on immunity in a bid to predict the chance of Covid-19 infections. “We already know that patients who have been cured can be infected by Covid-19 again, but the severity is likely to be less severe than the first time,” he said. The Manila Times reported Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) director general Rolando Enrique Domingo said Chinese drug firm Sinovac Biotech had applied for an amendment of its emergency use authorisation (EUA) for its Covid-19 vaccine to be used on children aged three to 17. “The Sinovac, just this afternoon (July 6), applied for an amendment of their EUA to include children. In this case, children from three to 17 years old,” Domingo said in a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday. “So, this is another potential vaccine that can be used for the paediatric age group. Our vaccine experts are now taking a look at the data and of course, asking questions among proponents and getting more information. So, we are studying this within the month to see if we will be able to allow the use of Sinovac on children,” he added. The Sinovac-CoronaVac product is an inactivated vaccine. Its easy storage requirements make it very manageable and particularly suitable for low-resource settings. Chinese researchers conducted a randomised, double-blind, controlled phase 1/2 clinical trial in Zanhuang County, China. The vaccine was given to more than 500 healthy children and adolescents, 96% of whom developed Sars-CoV-2 antibodies. The majority of adverse effects were either mild or moderate, researchers said and were most likely to be pain at the injection site. “CoronaVac is well tolerated in children and adolescents aged three to 17 years and induces a strong immune response, which is very encouraging. We will further carry out large-scale, multi-ethnic population studies in order to provide valuable data for immunisation strategies for children and adolescents,” Gao Qiang, general manager of Sinovac, said. The vaccination of children and adolescents would, experts argue, lessen the need for booster jabs and diminish transmission rates. The virus rarely has severe effects on the young but research has shown they play a crucial role in boosting its transmission. Earlier in June, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved CoronaVac for emergency use. In China, the vaccine was already approved for use among three-year-olds, while the US has started vaccinating children as young as 12 using the Pfizer jabs. In a related development, the Ministry of Health yesterday authorised the use of rapid testing for Covid-19 at home and in private companies to contribute to the prevention and control of the spread of the virus more effectively. According to the Ministry of Health’s decision to implement the Code of Conduct for the Use of the Covid-19 Rapid Test, those who suspect they are infected with Covid-19 can use the rapid test on their own while following the ministry’s guidelines. – Khmer Times
Jewellery store owned by junta minister bombed in Yangon
A bomb targeting a jewellery store owned by a member of Myanmar’s ruling junta exploded in downtown Yangon on Thursday, according to sources in the area. One employee of the Shwe Nan Daw jewellery store, located at the intersection of Mahabandoola and Lanmadaw roads in Lanmadaw Township, was injured in the attack, staff at neighbouring shops told Myanmar Now. The Shwe Nan Daw jewellery store is owned by Thet That Khine, the regime’s minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement. It was the second time in less than a month that a property linked to the minister has been bombed. On June 17, C4 explosives were used to damage the foundation of the 68 Residence condominium building, a high-end development project owned by members of her family. An urban guerrilla group claimed responsibility for that attack, which it said had done substantial damage to the building. It was still unclear at the time of reporting who carried out Thursday’s attack. The regime has not released an official statement regarding the incident. Thet Thet Khine was appointed as one of the regime’s few civilian members soon after the military seized power on February 1. She was previously a member of the Pyithu Hluttaw, elected in 2015 to represent Yangon’s Dagon Township as a National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate. She later left the NLD over differences with its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and formed her own party, the People’s Pioneer Party (PPP), which failed to win a single seat in last year’s election. There have been almost daily attacks on junta-related businesses in Yangon in recent weeks, including explosions at four different locations on July 3, the birthday of coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The People’s Defence Force of Yangon has confirmed that it carried out those attacks, which targeted Music Zone KTV, a Mytel showroom, and a Shwe Man Thu bus, all businesses linked to the regime. A police station in Yangon’s Kamaryut Township was the fourth target. – Myanmar NOW
Action will be taken against those disrupting COVID drug supplies
The Indonesian government will take strict action against anyone found disrupting the supply of COVID-19 drugs, coordinator for emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) for Java and Bali, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said. The government will also sternly deal with producers and distributors found selling drugs at high prices or hoarding them, Pandjaitan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, said in a written statement released on Thursday. "Check the cases of importers or producers and distributors causing scarcity at drug stores," he told the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department, the Attorney General's Office, and the Public Prosecutor's Office. The minister said the government is working hard to ensure the availability of COVID-19 drugs. "We will augment drug supplies. We are working hard for this," he assured. He said the government has also formulated treatment standards for COVID-19 patients based on the severity of their symptoms. To anticipate risk
s, the government will also focus on the treatment of COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms, he added. Earlier this week, spokesperson for the Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Ministry, Jodi Mahardi, had appealed to citizens to not indulge in speculation or hoarding of medicines, medical gear, and oxygen cylinders. Regional administrations have formed task force units to ensure the availability of medicines, medical gear, and equipment, he told an online press conference that ANTARA joined from Jakarta on Monday (July 5, 2021). "Community members may report anybody found hoarding and selling medicines above standard prices. Those dancing on the sufferings of other people commit a crime against humanity," Mahardi said. The Indonesian government has set a retail price ceiling (HET) on 11 types of medicines amid the COVID-19 pandemic and is trying to ensure the availability of medical oxygen supplies, he added. – AntaraNews.Com