These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
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140,000 more locals hired under Jobs Growth Incentive scheme since Nov 2020
Another 140,000 locals have found new jobs since November last year under a government scheme to help employers expand their local workforce, the Ministry of Manpower said on Wednesday (July 14). As at February this year, there were 270,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents hired by 42,000 businesses. The Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) scheme was introduced in August last year. About half of the 270,000 workers were not employed at the point of hiring and about a third had been out of work for more than six months. Some 60 per cent were previously employed in a different sector. The JGI scheme, which is set to be extended to September this year, aims to spur firms to hire more locals, with $1 billion set aside to provide wage support for these workers. Firms that hire local workers will receive a subsidy of 25 per cent of the first $5,000 of their gross monthly salaries for up to one year. From March 1 this year, those hiring workers aged 40 and above, people with disabilities or former offenders can receive a co-payment of up to 50 per cent of the first $6,000 of their gross monthly income, for up to 18 months. Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said that 99 per cent of the businesses that created new jobs under the JGI scheme were small and medium-sized enterprises. About half of the businesses hired one to two local workers, while the remaining half hired more than two workers. He was speaking to reporters at a virtual briefing after a visit on Wednesday to The Social Kitchen located at Jurong Bird Park. It is a social enterprise that hired people with disabilities and mature workers and received support under the JGI as a result. Dr Tan said the latest figures are very "reassuring, comforting and promising". He noted that a significant number of new jobs had been created in growth sectors such as wholesale trade, professional services, and information and communications. – The Straits Times
Health DG: Malaysia in 'very critical condition'
Malaysia has reached a "very critical condition" in battling the Covid-19 pandemic, with infections hitting an all-time high of 11,079 cases today. Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said it is now crucial for the nation to ramp up its vaccination rate as front liners battling the pandemic are experiencing severe burnout. "We are in a very critical condition and we understand when cases go up, there is moral distress among the front liners. What we are doing now is mobilising our staff from other states to help out and try our best to cope with the situation. This is very important as front liners are our last line of defence. "We hope to continue to provide services as much as we can and supported by additional staffing, equipment and mobilisation. We hope this will be the buffer for the time being but this is not the solution. "The solution is to decrease cases and the only way is to increase vaccination rate," he said at a special press conference at the Health Ministry headquarters here today. Dr Noor Hisham said having a vaccinated population which is protected against the virus was one of the ministry's strategies, which would in turn reduce admission rates to hospitals and intensive care units (ICU). He said the vaccination rate in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya could be pushed up to 40 per cent to yield results, citing the example of the United Kingdom which saw one death in every 50 people in January when its population was unvaccinated. Once vaccinated, the death rate improved to one per 1,000 people, accompanied by a decrease in hospital admissions. "It is important for us to get vaccinated now to cut admission to the hospitals and ICU. This is important so we can live side by side with Covid-19," he said. – New Straits Times
FDA approves over the counter test kits
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now expects Covid-19 antigen test kits to be made available for sale over the counter by next week, after an announcement by the Public Health Ministry authorising over-the-counter sale of this medical device was published on Tuesday in the Royal Gazette. The kits, however, will not be allowed to be sold over the internet, said Dr Paisal Dunkhum, secretary-general of the FDA. Only authorised medical institutions, medical clinics, medical technology clinics and pharmacies with a licensed pharmacist on duty will be allowed to sell the test kits, he said. About seven out of all 24 companies whose products have been registered with the FDA for sale in Thailand have agreed to adjust their Covid-19 test kits to make them suitable for self-testing, he said. Several Covid-19 antigen test kits have already been advertised on various online shopping platforms, most of which are products made in China, South Korea and Indonesia which will be shipped to Thailand in four days to a week, said an informed source. Their prices range from 200 baht to 700 baht apiece, said the source. "Honestly, the FDA is still worried that not all consumers will be able to use the test kits correctly and the fact that the [rapid antigen] test kit may not be as accurate as the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction [RT-PCR] test," said Dr Surachok Tangwiwat, deputy secretary-general of the FDA. Because the rapid antigen test kit works best on people with a high volume of the new coronavirus that causes Covid-19, a repeat test is required three days later if the first test gives a negative result, he said. The difference between the rapid antigen test and the RT-PCR test is the former relies on specimens collected by nasal swabbing while the latter test uses specimens collected in the nasopharynx, which goes deeper into the nasal cavity, he said. Although less accurate, the rapid test kit is important for people with a high risk of contracting the virus who need early detection if infected, said the doctor. The FDA and the Department of Medical Science is speeding up production of a short video clip to be released which is aimed at educating consumers on how to use the rapid test kits correctly, he said. In response to the expected high demand for the Covid-19 rapid test kits, the FDA will be working together with the Ministry of Commerce to ensure these products are sold at reasonable prices, said Dr Paisal. – Bangkok Post
PH seen achieving herd immunity in mid-2022
The Philippines would be among the last countries in the region, together with Vietnam and Taiwan, to vaccinate 70 percent of its population and achieve the so-called herd immunity, UK-based think tank Oxford Economics said on Tuesday. Vaccinated people are protected from getting the disease and passing on the virus, thus inoculating such a big number would break the chain of transmission and stop the further spread of COVID-19. Oxford Economics projected that it would take up to the middle of next year for the Philippines to inoculate some 78 million people or 70 percent of its population of 111 million. Across Asia, low vaccination rates, combined with low tolerance to the virus in several places, kept many Asian economies vulnerable to COVID-19 setbacks, Oxford Economics head of Asia economics Louis Kuijs and senior economist Lloyd Chan said in their report titled “Limited vaccination holds back recoveries.” Achieving herd immunity is necessary to allow the reopening of more economic activities. The longer it takes to achieve this, the longer the delay in economic recovery. Oxford Economics said it expected Singapore to reach that threshold in August; China in less than five months from now; Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and South Korea, in a little over five months; Australia, Hong Kong and Thailand, in less than 10 months, and India and Indonesia, in a little over 10 months. As of July 10, Taiwan and Vietnam had the slowest pace of mass vaccination, while the Philippines ranked third to the last among Asia-Pacific countries in the percentage of the population getting vaccinated. The government is hoping to fully vaccinate some seven million individuals by the end of the month, according to National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. This would be equivalent to only 6.3 percent of the country’s population. So far, some 3.5 million individuals are considered fully vaccinated after receiving two doses since the government rolled out its mass immunization drive in March. Galvez said the government was confident of reaching the seven million target this month because it was set to receive a shipment of 3.2 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccines. – INQUIRER.net
Australia to donate 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc thanked the Government of Australia for its pledge to send more than 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines during a meeting with Australian minister of Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan in Ha Noi on Tuesday. The Australian government also said it will give Viet Nam A$40 million (roughly US$30 million) to fund the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme. The minister praised the Vietnamese government for its success in containing the novel coronavirus so far and said the two countries must take measures to strengthen cooperation. Since the two countries upgraded bilateral ties to Strategic Partnership status in 2018, two-way trade and investment has been booming. Despite the pandemic, Viet Nam-Australia's import/export turnover reached $8.3 billion in 2020. Viet Nam has become one of Australia's largest trading partners while the Oceania country is the 19th largest investor with 526 projects, worth a total of $1.92 billion in Viet Nam The President said the two countries should push for greater cooperation in the fields of commerce, energy and industrial manufacturing. Measures must be taken to help remove barriers to markets and boost the export of agricultural products, minerals, rare earth and LNG (liquefied natural gas) as well as tourism and education. As the two countries are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the President said ties are set to grow strong in the future. Earlier, the minister met with Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh. The Deputy Prime Minister said he hoped Australia would become one of Viet Nam’s 10 largest trade partners and vice versa. Welcoming Tehan, Minh spoke highly of Australia’s response to COVID-19 and its adaptation to the new normal, resulting in economic recovery and heightened position on the international stage. – Viet Nam News
Cambodia calls for 21-day interval between first and second doses for Sinopharm and Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines
According to the instructions from the Ministry of Health to provincial capitals, the gap for the first dose and the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines for both the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines be not more than 21 days. This comes in the wake of some vaccination centres closing their first dose vaccination programme and reopening for the 2nd dose after 14 days and soon after, the centres are closed again to enable the health and army officials to move onto other provinces. Health Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine stated in a voice audio message on April 9 that for Sinovac and Sinopharm, the second dose should be taken between 14 to 28 days after the first. World Health Organization’s representative in Cambodia, Li Ailan, was quoted earlier as saying that Sinovac recommended that the second dose of its vaccine be delivered after 30 days “in routine settings,” though the second dose can be given after two weeks “in an emergency context, while Sinopharm advises 21 to 28 days between doses. In early June, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization has issued Interim recommendations for the use of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, Sinovac-CoronaVac, developed by Sinovac/China National Pharmaceutical Group. SAGE recommends the use of Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine as 2 doses (0.5 ml) given intramuscularly. WHO recommends an interval of 2-4 weeks between the first and second dose. It is recommended that all vaccinated individuals receive two doses. If the second dose is administered less than 2 weeks after the first, the dose does not need to be repeated. If administration of the second dose is delayed beyond 4 weeks, it should be given at the earliest possible opportunity. SAGE says that as for Sinopharm, it recommends the use of BIBP vaccine as 2 doses (0.5 ml) given intramuscularly. WHO recommends an interval of 3-4 weeks between the first and second dose. If the second dose is administered less than 3 weeks after the first, the dose does not need to be repeated. If administration of the second dose is delayed beyond 4 weeks, it should be given at the earliest possible opportunity. It is recommended that all vaccinated individuals receive two doses. Thus far, Cambodia has received 16 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines comprising 5,200,000 of Sinopharm; 324,000 of AstraZeneca from the COVAX Facility (CoviShield); and 10,500,000 doses of Sinovac. – Khmer Times
Regime aims to resume late-night household inspections
Junta-appointed authorities in Yangon have ordered local administrators in the city to resume late-night inspections of homes suspected of having unregistered guests, according to an order-letter seen by Myanmar Now. The letter, dated July 2 and sent by the North Yangon District General Administration Department, instructs administrators to inspect homes and vehicles in their respective wards and report back to higher authorities by the 8th of each month. Soon after seizing power on February 1, the military reinstated a law requiring households to register overnight guests that had been revoked by the ousted civilian government. Through an amendment to the Ward or Village-Tract Administration Law, the junta authorized late-night inspections in a bid to tighten control over the civilian population. Raids were frequent in the first few months after the coup, but have been less common since late April, when armed resistance groups began targeting local administrators for assassination. On June 12, a new order was issued reiterating that all overnight guests, including those staying at Buddhist monasteries, must be registered with the authorities. However, that order does not seem to have resulted in a resumption of efforts to enforce the rule. “They carried out a lot of raids and late-night inspections when protests erupted shortly after the coup, but they haven’t been so active in the past month,” said a resident of the Yuzana Garden City housing complex in Yangon. But the regime appears to be using the outbreak of a third wave of Covid-19 that began earlier this month to renew its efforts to impose restrictions on free movement. On Saturday, the General Administration Office in Mandalay’s Pyigyidagun Township announced that a permit would be needed to move around within the township due to the pandemic, a local resident told Myanmar Now. The office also ordered residents to register overnight guests. However, no immediate measures were taken to ensure that the rules were being followed, the resident added. “Last night, they did not inspect household-lists in our area. But as usual, soldiers gathered,” he said. Similarly, Yangon residents said that, despite the junta’s orders, late-night inspections have so far failed to materialize in most neighbourhoods. “They didn’t come, and we haven’t registered any overnight guests,” said a landlord in Yangon’s Thaketa Township. In Hlaing Tharyar Township, which has been under martial law since March, inspections have continued as usual, according to local residents. “They mostly focus on dormitories. There are a lot of people from the countryside working here, so everyone in the area has to register overnight guests,” said one resident. A resident of Thamine in Yangon’s Mayangone Township said that regime forces charged with enforcing the guest-registration rule seem to regard it chiefly as an extortion opportunity. “If the person is not someone they really want to arrest, they just order him to sign a pledge and then they release him after taking some money,” said the resident. – Myanmar NOW
Indonesia gets over 3 million AstraZeneca shots via COVAX
A total of 3,476,400 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, procured through the multilateral vaccine-sharing COVAX facility, arrived in the Indonesian capital on Tuesday. “Indonesia once again receives shipment from COVAX Facility multilateral platform, with (the arrival of) 3,476,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines,” Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, announced at an online press conference upon the arrival of the shipment on Tuesday. With the eighth shipment from COVAX arriving in the country, Indonesia's vaccine procurement through the multilateral scheme has reached 14,704,860 vaccines as of July 13, 2021, she noted. On July 12, 2021, Indonesia received 10,000,280 doses of the Sinovac vaccine in the form of bulk or raw materials, which will be processed domestically into ready-to-use shots, she said. On Tuesday (July 13, 2021), the country also received another 1.408 million Sinopharm shots, she added. “With these arrivals, Indonesia has secured and received a total of 137,611,540 vaccine doses, both in the forms of raw materials and ready-to-use shots,” Marsudi informed. She further stated that in the coming days, Indonesia will receive an additional batch of Moderna vaccines, procured via a multilateral dose-sharing scheme, from the United States of America. Shots procured under bilateral dose-sharing schemes will also arrive from Japan and the United Arab Emirates, she added. Minister Marsudi reiterated Indonesia’s firm support for equitable access to vaccines, highlighting the gap in the percentage of vaccinated populations across the globe. “In North America and Europe, for example, 75 percent of the population has received vaccinations, whilst in Africa the number has only reached 4.03 percent, and 16.3 percent in the ASEAN region, from the total number of its population,” she noted. She echoed the statement made by director-general of the World Health Organization that an additional 350 million doses are needed to vaccinate at least 10 percent of the population in every country by 2021. Furthermore, 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate 70 percent of the global population by mid-2022. “This is not an insubstantial challenge… However, through cooperation and collaboration, and solidarity, this challenge can be addressed together,” Marsudi remarked. – AntaraNews.Com