These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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Step up efforts to jab seniors in S'pore ahead of shift to living with Covid-19: Experts
As Singapore shifts to preparing to live with Covid-19, experts are calling for stepped-up efforts to get older folk vaccinated, to help shield them from the likelihood of being hit by the coronavirus and succumbing to it. Hundreds of unvaccinated seniors could be infected and face life-threatening illnesses in the next 12 months as Covid-19 restrictions are loosened, warned Associate Professor Alex Cook, vice-dean of research at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore. Seniors aged 70 and above were the first age group here to be offered Covid-19 vaccination, but currently have the lowest take-up rate of about 70 per cent - lower even than age groups offered the jabs just last month. Speaking to The Straits Times, Prof Cook said that Singapore already sees hundreds of deaths from the flu every year. "So having hundreds of deaths from Covid-19 isn't too dissimilar... It's just that we have a much better vaccine for Covid-19 than we have for the flu, so we have more op
portunity to prevent those deaths," he said. He added that Singapore has kept its Covid-19 death rate low for the last 18 months by imposing restrictions on all age groups. "If we keep many of the measures in place indefinitely, like no more travel without two weeks of quarantine on either end, mask wearing forever... then yes, we can keep the numbers low indefinitely. But for how long? Until 2025? 2030? Obviously, that would not be realistic," he said. Adding that there may be a rise in cases here once measures are relaxed, Prof Cook said that if this happens, very few of those who are vaccinated will face life-threatening illnesses. "But if 20 per cent of the elderly decide not to be vaccinated, then that is the group in which the deaths will dominate when Covid-19 spreads in the community. That's why I think it's so important to vaccinate as many of the elderly (as possible) in the next month," he said. Health experts here have consistently said that seniors should get vaccinated as they are more vulnerable to severe complications from Covid-19. – The Straits Times
'Pedra Branca is not an island'
Malaysia should remain cautious about Singapore's land reclamation work at Pulau Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Branca, to ensure the latter does not extend its territorial boundaries. Geostrategist Associate Professor Dr Azmi Hassan said Pedra Branca was a rock without any territorial waters and Singapore's sovereign rights to develop the area was limited to a 50m radius. "Pedra Branca is a rock. A rock, similar to a shoal or a reef, does not have any territorial waters. "Islands, on the contrary, have 12-nautical mile territorial waters and the boundaries can be extended to 200 nautical miles under the Exclusive Economic Zone provision of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. "In the South China Sea, China has been reclaiming several reefs, like the Mischief Reef and the Fiery Cross Reef, near the Spratly Islands. "A reclaimed reef or rock cannot be considered as an island. "So, I hope Singapore does not have similar intentions like China when it conducts reclamation work at Pedra Branca," he told the New Straits Times. Azmi questioned Singapore's rationale for reclaiming Pedra Branca, which is supposedly to upgrade the Horsburgh Lighthouse to boost its maritime security. "Modern ships use digital navigation aids and the lighthouse is of minimal use in guiding boats and ships. "In other words, the lighthouse is obsolete. "In my view, Wisma Putra should monitor the development and lodge a diplomatic protest with Singapore." On July 5, Singapore's National Development Ministry gave the green light to reclamation works within 0.5 nautical miles of Pedra Branca and in its territorial waters. The ministry said the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was aware of the reclamation plans when awarding the rock to Singapore in 2008. In May 2008, ICJ awarded sovereignty over Pedra Branca to Singapore, but ruled that Batuan Tengah (Middle Rocks), 1km away from Pedra Branca, belonged to Malaysia. The court said sovereignty over Tubir Selatan (South Ledge) belonged to the state in whose territorial waters it lies. Since August 2017, the Middle Rocks has hosted the Abu Bakar Maritime Base to safeguard Malaysia's sovereign territory and waters and also to conduct marine scientific research. He said the reclamation could affect shipping and navigational security since the sea passage between Teluk Ramunia and Pedra Branca was very narrow. He also said it could also trigger environmental consequences. Senior Fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs, Dr Oh Ei Sun, said the reclamation exercise was not a "hostile act" against Malaysia and should be seen as an opportunity for maritime security cooperation between both countries. "As long as the reclamation exercise does not extend Singapore's territorial sea, it is perfectly within Singapore's right to do so. "Singapore feels the need to step up its security presence in the area, because apart from being strategic, the area is plagued with piracy issues. "In my view, Malaysia and Singapore, in the spirit of neighbourliness, should take this opportunity to patrol the area between the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea together to curb piracy. "At the moment, it is not necessary for Wisma Putra to launch a diplomatic protest." – New Straits Times
Calls for booster jabs grow after nurse's death
Calls to give medical workers a booster shot are growing after a 30-year-old nurse died after contracting Covid-19 despite having received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine. News of the death was first shared on Sunday by a Facebook user who goes by the name "Siwakorn Rattanakuntee", who wrote that her cousin "Donut" – a nurse at a group isolation ward – died after contracting the virus from her workplace. "She had received two doses of vaccine that senior public health officials claim can reduce the severity of symptoms and lower mortality. My cousin died today, a week after being infected," she wrote. Ms Siwakorn said her cousin's death raised questions about the safety of frontline medical workers. She asked if her cousin would still be alive had she received a more effective vaccine. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration had insisted two doses of the AstraZeneca and Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines are about 90% effective in preventing severe symptoms from developing, and deaths. However, many have doubts about the efficacy of the Chinese vaccine in particular. Thiravat Hemachudha, Chulalongkorn University's Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases chief, reacted to the post by demanding the government urgently give frontline medical workers a booster shot. He said frontline health personnel face higher risks of infection, and once they are infected, many others will have to be isolated due to the nature of their profession. Dr Thiravat said Sinovac's jabs were found to be most effective against the virus up to 30 days after a second dose. From that point onwards, immunity would begin to drop to 30-40%. He said the booster shot should be a different type of vaccine, citing findings which suggest that another jab confers immunity against more strains, including the highly-infectious Alpha and Delta variants. "We're not VIPs and we don't have privileges. But it will help us carry on with our work and prevent us from infecting others," Dr Thiravat wrote. – Bangkok Post
Robredo on PH’s maritime arbitration case vs China: 5 years of missed opportunities
“Five years of missed opportunities.” This was how Vice President Leni Robredo described on Monday the fifth anniversary of the Philippines’ arbitration victory against China on its territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea. “Today marks five years of missed opportunities regarding the West Philippine Sea,” Robredo said in a statement. Robredo stressed that the Duterte administration has yet to fully utilize the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12, 2016 to pursue the country’s national interests. “Since then, national leadership has yet to fully flex the ruling as an instrument to pursue our national interests, failing to invoke it in strong enough terms in the forums that matter most,” Robredo said. “Our fisherfolk remain unable to enter areas that have been the source of livelihood for generations of Filipinos. Alliances that could have been strengthened were allowed to erode, while those who bully their way into our waters have been treated with deference, and at times, subservience. The dream of a regional architecture founded on respect and mutual prosperity has become even more elusive,” she noted. But the ruling, said Robredo, is already a definitive part of international law. “It cannot be erased from the history books, and cannot be denied despite the unending lies spewed forth by a formidable machinery of disinformation,” she added. She emphasized that “filing the case before the tribunal – standing up for what is right, against the economic and military might of a world power – yielded the admiration and respect of the entire world.” “Today’s commemoration is a reminder, a challenge, and a promise: That if only we can remember, if only we can unite, if only we can rediscover our spirit and once again stand for what is right – we will find, beneath the rubble of cowardice and neglect, our courage, our dignity, and our national pride,” the Vice President said. President Rodrigo Duterte in May called the victory of the Philippines over China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague as a mere “piece of paper,” to be thrown away. He said in Filipino that “that paper, in real life, between nations, is nothing.” – INQUIRER.net
HCM City sets up mobile teams for COVID-19 testing at home, tightens travel from nearby provinces
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged HCM City to work with neighbouring provinces to enforce strict COVID-19 prevention measures, including control of people going in and out of the city while ensuring convenient circulation of goods. Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said during an online meeting on Friday that the city must implement more drastic solutions to cut off infection chains within the next two weeks. Lockdown measures under Directive 16 must be followed, and State agencies, factories and enterprises should continue to maintain production while applying strict preventive measures. Anyone who leaves home without necessary reasons must be strictly punished, according to Dam. The city must use both rapid tests and PCR tests, depending on the situation in each particular area, he said. "Results of COVID tests should be available within 24 hours." HCM City and provinces must prepare treatment facilities according to three severity levels: level 1, asymptomatic to mild symptoms; level 2, moderate to severe symptoms; and level 3, critically ill. More field hospitals should be set up using available resettlement apartment buildings and factories to treat asymptomatic COVID patients or those with mild symptoms. When the symptoms worsen, the patients must be immediately transferred to a higher level of treatment facility, he said. It is paramount to prevent cross-infection at centralised isolation facilities, which have become overloaded due to surging cases. The city should be ready to isolate F1 cases (direct contacts of confirmed cases) at home under guidance of the health ministry, according to Dam. On Friday HCM City reopened 12 pandemic checkpoints at city gateways to ensure that drivers have a negative COVID test before entering the city. The city Department of Transport has asked provincial Departments of Transport to work with staff at the checkpoints and road forces to ensure smooth circulation of goods during the lockdown period. Speaking at another meeting on Friday afternoon, Deputy Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Phan Van Mai said the city has set up 2,500 mobile teams for COVID testing at people’s homes. During the lockdown period, districts and Thu Duc City will send mobile teams to each household to take large-scale screening samples. People with symptoms like cough and fever should call local medical staff, and a mobile team will come within 30 minutes to an hour to take samples for testing. “If there is no emergency, there is no need to go to the hospital for testing. The city will test 100 per cent of households in very high-risk areas over the next 15 days,” he said. Test results for a single sample must be returned within eight hours and pooled samples within 12 hours from the time of receipt of the sample. Nguyen Thanh Long, Minister of Health, said: “It’s impossible to ask people to come to a designated place for testing because no gatherings are allowed to prevent the spread of the virus.” There are 2,500 teams composed of two medical staff each, with a total capacity of testing 350,000 - 400,000 samples a day. The city should increase the number of sampling teams to meet demand in coming days, Long said. The Department of Health plans to add 1,000 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds to treat severely and critically ill COVID-19 patients at the city’s four highest-level hospitals, Cho Ray Hospital (300 ICU beds), Hospital for Tropical Diseases (300), 115 People’s Hospital (250) and Gia Dinh People’s Hospital (150), as requested by the Health Ministry. The city has prepared for a scenario for treatment of 20,000 COVID patients. In addition to available hospitals, the health department has set up four field hospitals for COVID treatment. They include a 4,000-bed field hospital (which has been converted from a dormitory at Viet Nam National University in HCM City), a 2,000-bed field hospital (from a resettlement apartment building in Tan Thoi Nhat Ward in District 12), a 3,000-bed hospital field hospital (from resettlement housing in Thu Duc City), and a 3,000-bed field hospital (from resettlement housing in Binh Chanh District). The city will also use part of Thuan Kieu Plaza in District 5, known as the Garden Mall, as a field hospital. Two of the 33-floor towers have been requisitioned for treating COVID with a capacity of 1,000 beds. It is slated to open next week. HCM City, home to about 13 million people, on Friday applied lockdown under Directive 16, the highest level of prevention which was enforced nationwide during the early days of the pandemic last year. This year, the city has faced more serious challenges due to the highly contagious Delta variant that has caused infections in hospitals, industrial parks, residential areas and wholesale markets in the city. The city has recorded more than 11,400 locally transmitted cases since the outbreak began in late April. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia reaches 61,000 case total as daily imported cases hit record levels
Cambodia passed 61,000 total COVID cases – as Secretary of State Or Vandine and the World Health Organisation spoke of their ‘serious concern’ that Cambodia may be reaching the ‘red line’ – with red flags being raised by a massive number of new imported cases. The Kingdom today announced 911 new COVID cases as the ‘surge’ of high case figures, high deaths and high imported cases continues This means the COVID case total for Cambodia is now 61,870 cases – a far cry from before the February 22nd incident where Cambodia had only 500 cases in total. Cambodia also announced 23 new deaths, bringing the total to 925 direct deaths from COVID-19 in Cambodia. There has been an ‘explosion’ in reported deaths in the last 2 weeks with over 30% of Cambodia’s deaths coming in this period. This prolonged period of high case numbers has led observers to conclude that the Government must soon take decisive action, otherwise Cambodia may soon face even greater numbers like its neighbours in Vietnam and Thailand. Of special concern are the large number of imported cases that are accruing daily. This was emphasised by the 319 imported cases reported today – raising fears of the ‘Alpha’ and ‘Delta’ COVID variants that these imported cases may bring. Details have not yet been announced regarding the source of these imported cases, however with Cambodia’s neighbours reporting their own surges in COVID, the prognosis does not look good. This means that the total number of Community Cases is 56,997 with 4,873 cases being imported. In some good news, 1002 new recoveries were announced today – meaning that the active case total dropped slightly to 7,461. However, active cases have risen from around 5,000 two weeks ago to over 7,000. – Khmer Times
Transport of food, medicine restricted despite temporary ceasefire extension in Mindat
A temporary ceasefire between local resistance forces and the military in Mindat, Chin State, has been extended until July 14, but locals say the junta continues to impose restrictions on the transportation of basic necessities into the area, contributing to food shortages and insufficient healthcare access. The Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in Mindat and the military coup council had agreed to a temporary ceasefire from June 23 until July 4 in the town and then extended it 10 more days. Rice is being transported to Mindat from Pakokku, in Magwe Region, but the junta is only allowing 10 bags of rice – each weighing around 45kg – to be brought in per day, according to the Mindat People's Administration. “This rice is not enough, even for the town. Most of the people have bought millet and corn to eat,” a Mindat resident said. Each household is additionally restricted by the military authorities from buying more than one bag of rice per month, a town elder and member of the bilateral negotiating team told Myanmar Now. He speculated that the aim of the junta’s restrictions on rice may be an attempt to cut off the food supply route for the CDF in Mindat. An official from the management committee for Mindat’s internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) camps said that the town was running out of medicine and basic healthcare necessities because the junta had declared medicine a “banned item.” “Medicines are not allowed to be transported to Mindat. The junta’s forces arrest anyone who brings medicine, so no one dares to carry it. There are still a lot of sick people in the mountainous areas,” the committee official explained. Myanmar Now tried to contact the junta’s information officers to inquire about the restrictions, but the calls were unanswered. Fighting between local forces and the military began in Mindat in April. Since May 12, clashes have intensified, and more than 20,000 people have fled the area. A two-week ceasefire agreement was reached in June after the town elders and religious leaders held talks with the military for one week. The temporary ceasefire agreement bans both sides from firing their weapons, harassing or threatening civil servants – particularly those involved in the anti-coup Civil Disobedience Movement – and states that vehicles transporting food may be inspected but must be allowed into Mindat. During the 10-day temporary ceasefire extension, representatives from both forces have reportedly agreed to communicate by phone, and to contact the negotiating committee if necessary. Some IDPs have returned to their homes during this period, but others are reluctant to go back to the town, citing a lack of security and ongoing difficulties procuring basic needs, such as access to healthcare. “The military council’s side runs an outpatient clinic, from 8 am to 10 am. But some people think the medical care in the town is now inadequate, so they do not come here,” the Mindat town elder and negotiating team member said. The junta’s health ministry announced on July 2 that there was one new case of Covid-19 in Mindat town. “If the town is locked down because of the Covid-19 pandemic, people will face more difficulties getting food. Commodity prices will be higher. The situation in Mindat will not be easy at all,” the elder said, adding that he feared his community would “disappear” due to these struggles. During a one-month period between May and late June, a total of seven people, including pregnant women, infants and the elderly, died while fleeing the ongoing instability in Mindat, according to the Mindat IDP camps’ management committee. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia sets Sinopharm complete vaccination price at Rp879,140
The government has set the price for Sinopharm complete vaccination at Rp879,140 per person, Spokesperson of the Health Ministry's COVID-19 Vaccination Siti Nadia Tarmizi said. The price was set based on the Health Ministerial Decree No.HK.01.07/MENKES/4643/2021 on the purchasing price of Sinopharm vaccine and maximum service fee in Gotong Royong vaccination drive, Tarmizi said here on Sunday. Based on the decree, the Sinopharm vaccination fee was set at Rp439,570 per person. It comprises the maximum price per dose which is set at Rp321,660, and maximum administration fee at Rp117,910, she said. "As each person will need two doses of vaccines. Thus, the total price will be Rp879,140," she said. Previously, Professor of pulmonology and respiratory medicine of the University of Indonesia Prof Tjandra Yoga Aditama said in an online discussion that the more people get vaccinated, the better. "If possible, more people should be vaccinated in whatever way, and the faster the vaccination is conducted the better," he said. In fact, Indonesia has started vaccination program, not only for COVID-19, since years ago. "Free vaccine can be obtained in Public Health Centers (Puskesmas). In hospitals, we can get paid-vaccination," he said. However, in some countries, vaccination is free of charge, he said. The self-funded Gotong Royong vaccination campaign was launched on May 18, 2021. Based on the Indonesian Health Ministry's Regulation No.10/2021 on the Gotong Royong Vaccination Scheme, all vaccine costs will be borne by participating companies under the program. The government-funded vaccination program is using Sinovax vaccines bought from China and AstraZeneca vaccines received through the WHO-coordinated COVAX Facility. – AntaraNews.Com