These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Stay informed with The ASEAN Post.
Finding the true global toll of the Covid-19 pandemic
Covid-19 deaths across the globe have crossed the 4.4-million mark - officially at least. But a recent study that pegged the excess deaths in India at 4.9 million - over 10 times the government-published toll - has cast doubts on the efficacy of the methods being employed by governments to assess the true extent of the pandemic.
The number of excess deaths is the difference between the annual number of deaths in a specific period and the average number of deaths in the same period in previous years.
Separately, a peer-reviewed study by researchers at Hebrew University in Israel on 105 countries publishing data on excess mortality over the course of the pandemic estimated that there were at least a million more deaths than the official tolls across these nations.
If these excess death figures are considered reliable, that would mean the world has already seen 10 million Covid-19 deaths.
Professor Leo Yee Sin, the executive director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, told The Straits Times that "excess mortality is another way to assess the real impact of the disease with an indisputable - death is death - most severe outcome".
"The findings and numbers need to be interpreted and applied in the right context, in addition to understanding the characteristics of the pathogen of concern," said Prof Leo.
"Excess mortality... reflects confirmed Covid-19 deaths as well as deaths that may not have been diagnosed and reported and deaths due to other causes which occur as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.” - Straits Times
'Health clinics can take over the job'
The shuttering and relocation of a number of Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPV) in the Klang Valley, including the Health Ministry's klinik kesihatan (health clinics), will not pose too much problem as these clinics are generally equipped with the required facilities.
Epidemiologist Professor Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said some services at the health clinics, however, would need to be rescheduled or diverted elsewhere until the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) was completed.
He said the vaccination rate would not be greatly affected as some 500 health clinics could administer more than 250,000 jabs a day, thus closing the gap left by the closure of mega PPV.
"A quick look at the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee's website reveals that a number of klinik kesihatan are being used for the vaccination programme.
"If the PPV are shut down in favour of moving the rest of the vaccinations there, this should not pose too much of a problem as all klinik kesihatan are used to vaccinating children as part of the usual immunisation programme," he told the New Straits Times.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry's Independent Covid-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee has said the rationale behind the move could be the high cost of rental and maintenance of PPV. - New Straits Times
Cops arrest at least 35 over clash in Din Daeng
At least 35 protesters were arrested following a clash with riot police at Din Daeng intersection as anti-government protests resumed late afternoon on Sunday.
Youth protesters on motorcycles who called themselves Mob Thalugaz (mob that goes through tear gas) began gathering at the intersection, which has been the focus of rallies in the past week, at 5pm.
They threw ping-pong bombs and firecrackers as they moved towards police who formed a security perimeter around the Royal Thai Army Band Department on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.
Police halted their advance by firing tear gas, leading to a confrontation which left the road's outbound lanes, which lead to the Sutthisan area, impassable by motorists. To disperse the crowd, police deployed water cannons and began making arrests.
At least 35 protesters were detained and their vehicles seized on Sunday. Around 6.15pm, police were finally able to contain the rally at Din Daeng intersection and push back the protesters towards Victory Monument. - Bangkok Post
Over 3K Baguio seniors yet to receive Covid shots
About 3,300 senior citizens have yet to receive their coronavirus shots that would protect them from adverse effects of the virus.
Aileen Refuerzo, Public Information Office (PIO)-Baguio chief, said Monday barangay health emergency response teams are going to every house to convince elderlies get the shot.
"Nagtutulong-tulong lahat para ma-locate at ma-convince 'yung natitira pa na magpa-vaccine (Everyone is helping locate and convince the remaining unvaccinated elderly to be vaccinated)," she said.
Records show that as of August 19, the city has given full vaccine doses to 25,175 senior citizens while 2,234 are waiting for the second dose. The city has about 30,500 elderly populations. - Philippine News Agency
Delivery businesses resume in HCM City, but stymied by Covid restrictions
Delivery businesses are operating at full capacity in HCM City since demand is huge, but many orders are stuck because of Covid-19-related restrictions.
The city has strict travel restrictions and locked down many places, causing demand for delivery services to skyrocket.
Duong Thị Luy of District 5 said she had ordered kitchen items from a District 3 store three days earlier, but was yet to receive them.
The streets are largely empty, but it is easy to spot deliverymen in Grab or Now uniforms driving back and forth or queuing up in front of supermarkets and food stores.
Yet, not only consumers, but also online sellers have been hit by delivery delays, which cause buyers to often cancel orders. - Vietnam News
Cambodia has more than 1,000 Delta Variant infected people, mostly in Phnom Penh
The Ministry of Health of Cambodia announced that as of August 21, 2021, Cambodia has detected a total of 999 cases of Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The Delta Variant has been found in 23 capitals and provinces, with Phnom Penh having the highest number. Only Kep and Kratie has thus far been spared this deadly and highly contagious mutation of COVID-19 virus.
Phnom Penh with the highest number of cases, Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey are the four provinces with the most number of cases out of 23 provincial cities which have been infected.
The Ministry of Health reiterated that the Delta Variant has taken root among communities in almost the entire country and not it is affecting the younger population.
“The lack of discipline in maintaining basic mandatory requirements such as masking up the correct way, maintaining social distancing and avoiding gathering are largely being ignored and this is contributing directly to the spike of both COVID-19 and Delta Variant cases.” - Khmer Times
Covid-19 vaccine was tested on Myanmar military personnel without their consent - sources
Members of Myanmar’s military were given doses of a Covid-19 vaccine imported from India without being informed that it had not yet been approved, according to army sources.
The military’s secret vaccination program, which used the Covaxin vaccine produced by Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech, began in January and continued for three months, the sources told Myanmar Now.
Those who received the vaccine were not told that it was still in the third phase of clinical trials at the time, according to several people who had taken part in the program.
“They said they were going to vaccinate us and then check our immunity two weeks after the jab to see if it had gone up. So you could say it was a test,” said one officer who was among the first batch of test subjects.
The officer, who was stationed at a military hospital in Yangon’s Mingaladon Township, told Myanmar Now that 15 soldiers, including himself, had blood drawn from them three times after each of the two shots they received.
He said the program was later expanded to include more military personnel after the results from the first 15 subjects were examined.
“I thought they were taking blood from everyone. But later we learned it was just us. We even joked that we were being used as lab rats,” he said.
“It’s infuriating, but there’s nothing you can do about it, because this is the army.” - Myanmar NOW
Govt intensifies vaccination to achieve herd immunity: SOE minister
State-owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir asserted that the government would continue to intensify COVID-19 vaccination in a bid to achieve national herd immunity.
"As you can see, the government has done its utmost to speed up vaccination program to achieve herd immunity. We continue to intensify (the vaccination)," Thohir said in a statement obtained here.
The minister has observed three vaccination centers in Central Java and East Java opened simultaneously on Sunday.
The government, he said, has involved the military and police, state-owned enterprises, and local administrations in the vaccination drives.
He called on the public to give positive response to the efforts to stem COVID-19 transmission by participating in the mass vaccination. - AntaraNews.Com