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April
Thailand reports record COVID-19 cases ahead of national holiday
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Thailand on Monday reported 985 new COVID-19 cases, a record daily jump for a second day in a row, as the country deals with a third wave of infections and a highly contagious variant.
Since the latest outbreak began at the start of April, 4,641 new domestic cases have been added in less than two weeks, bringing the total since last year to 33,610 cases and 97 deaths.
The spike comes ahead of the major national Songkran holidays, known for big street water fights that authorities have now banned for a second year due to the pandemic.
All but five new cases on Monday were local transmissions, including 137 in the capital Bangkok, the epicentre of an outbreak that has spread to most of Thailand’s 77 provinces.
Authorities have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and reduce gatherings to help limit the outbreak, which includes the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant first identified in Britain.
“Although infections are spreading fast and found in many provinces across the country, they are mostly imported there,” Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told reporters.
“Please be careful and avoid crowded places especially during Songkran.”
Nightspots such as pubs and karaoke bars in Bangkok and 40 provinces will be closed until April 23.
The measure should slow down infection rates by nearly a third in the next month, a senior health official said on Sunday, warning that otherwise under a worst-case scenario infections could hypothetically reach over 28,000 per day.
Around 570,000 vaccine doses had been administered from the end of February to April 11, authorities said on Monday, although still only reaching less than 1% of the population.
Last week, some hospitals in Bangkok said they had stopped testing for coronavirus over a lack of kits or bed capacity.
Authorities have said they were working to add more beds using field hospitals or hotel rooms to support a rising number of patients.
Thailand has nearly 20,000 beds available across the country, not including about 3,000 in Bangkok, authorities said. (Reuters)
April
South Korea to resume wider use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, exclude people under 30
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. South Korean authorities said on Sunday they will move ahead with a coronavirus vaccination drive this week, after deciding to continue using AstraZeneca PLC’s vaccine for all eligible people 30 years old or over.
South Korea on Wednesday suspended providing the AstraZeneca shot to people under 60 as Europe reviewed cases of blood clotting in adults.
People under 30 will still be excluded from the vaccinations resuming on Monday because the benefits of the shot do not outweigh the risks for that age group, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement.
Three vaccinated people in South Korea are reported to have developed blood clots, with one case determined to be correlated to the vaccine, Choi Eun-hwa, chair of the Korea Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices, told a briefing.
That case was a type of blood clot considered less serious than the type being examined by European authorities, she said.
For most people, the risks of coronavirus are far worse than the rare possibility of side effects from the vaccines, Choi said, adding that the best way to end the pandemic was to vaccinate everyone who can receive it.
But she said, “the benefits are not as great for those under 30 years old, so we will not recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for them.”
The AstraZeneca shot’s benefit-to-risk ratio rises the older people get as the risk of serious harm due to vaccination falls and ICU admissions prevented by vaccination rise sharply, according to the University of Cambridge’s Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication.
The drugmaker has said its studies have found no higher risk of clots because of its vaccine, millions of doses of which have been administered worldwide. The World Health Organization has said the benefits outweigh the risks.
Global controversy over the efficacy and side-effects of some COVID-19 vaccines has caused some delays in South Korea’s vaccination campaign, which kicked off in late February with the goal of reaching herd immunity in November.
The second-quarter vaccination programme includes special disability school teachers and vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities and the homeless, the KDCA said. (Reuters)
April
China, Russia undermine international Myanmar response, EU's top diplomat says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday Russia and China were hampering a united international response to Myanmar’s military coup and that the EU could offer more economic incentives if democracy returns to the country.
“It comes as no surprise that Russia and China are blocking the attempts of the U.N. Security Council, for example to impose an arms embargo,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a blog post.
“Geopolitical competition in Myanmar will make it very difficult to find common ground,” said Borrell, who speaks on behalf of the 27 EU member states. “But we have a duty to try.”
Security forces have killed more than 700 unarmed protesters, including 46 children, since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb. 1 coup, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.
That included 82 people killed in the town of Bago, near Yangon, on Friday, which the AAPP called a “killing field”.
“The world watches in horror, as the army uses violence against its own people,” Borrell said.
China and Russia both have ties to Myanmar’s armed forces, as the first and second largest suppliers of weapons to the country, respectively.
The U.N. Security Council last week called for the release of Suu Kyi and others detained by the military but stopped short of condemning the coup.
The EU is preparing fresh sanctions on individuals and companies owned by the Myanmar military. The bloc in March agreed a first set of sanctions on 11 individuals linked to the coup, including the commander-in-chief of the military.
While EU economic leverage in the country is relatively small, Borrell said the EU could offer to increase its economic ties with Myanmar if democracy is restored. That could include more trade and investments in sustainable development, he said.
EU foreign direct investment in Myanmar totalled $700 million in 2019, compared with $19 billion from China.
The military says it staged the coup because a November election won by Suu Kyi’s party was rigged. The election commission has dismissed the assertion.
In Myanmar, protest groups are calling for the boycott of the Thingyan Water Festival this week, one of the most important celebrations of the year, because of the killings.
“(With) Thingyan approaching, we mourn the senseless loss of life in Bago & around the country where regime forces have reportedly used weapons of war against civilians,” the U.S. Embassy in Yangon said on Twitter.
“The regime has the ability to resolve the crisis & needs to start by ending violence & attacks.” (Reuters)
April
China considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines to boost protection rate
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. China’s top disease control official has said the country is formally considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines, as a way of further boosting vaccine efficacy.
Available data shows Chinese vaccines lag behind others including Pfizer and Moderna in terms of efficacy, but require less stringent temperature controls during storage.
The currently available vaccines “don’t have very high rates of protection”, Gao Fu, the director of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a conference in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday.
“Inoculation using vaccines of different technical lines is being considered,” he said.
Gao said that taking steps to “optimise” the vaccine process including changing the number of doses and the length of time between doses was a “definite” solution to the efficacy issues.
China has developed four domestic vaccines approved for public use and an official said on Saturday that the country will likely produce 3 billion doses by the end of the year.
A COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac was found to have an efficacy rate of slightly above 50% in Brazilian clinical trials. A separate study in Turkey said it was 83.5% effective.
No detailed efficacy data has been released on a vaccines made by China’s Sinopharm. It has said two vaccines developed by its units are 79.4% and 72.5% effective respectively, based on interim results.
Both vaccine makers have presented data on their COVID-19 vaccines indicating levels of efficacy in line with those required by the World Health Organization, a WHO panel said in March.
China has shipped millions of its vaccines abroad, and officials and state media have fiercely defended the shots while calling into question the safety and logistics capabilities of other vaccines.
“The global vaccine protection rate test data are both high and low,” Gao told state tabloid Global Times on Sunday.
“How to improve the protection rate of vaccines is a problem that requires global scientists to consider,” Gao said, adding that mixing vaccines and adjusting immunisation methods are solutions that he had proposed. (Reuters)
China considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines to boost protection rate
April
Philippines, U.S. to begin 2-week joint military drill on Monday
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Philippine and U.S. soldiers will conduct a two-week joint military exercise from Monday, resuming the annual training event after last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic, the Philippine military chief said on Sunday.
The announcement came after the two countries’ defence secretaries held a phone call to discuss the drills, the situation in the South China Sea, and recent regional security developments.
Unlike previous exercises, however, this year’s “Balikatan” (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) drills to test the readiness of their militaries to respond to threats such natural disasters and militant extremist attacks, will be scaled down.
Only 1,700 troops -- 700 from the United States and 1,000 from the Philippines -- will participate, unlike previous exercises which involved as many as 7,600 soldiers, said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana.
“There will be physical contact but it is minimal,” he said.
The Philippines has protested against the presence of the Chinese boats inside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone at Whitsun Reef in the strategic waterway, repeatedly asking China to move the vessels away.
Chinese diplomats, however, have said the fishing boats were just sheltering from rough seas and no militia were aboard.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam have competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.
In the phone call on Sunday between Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Austin also reiterated the importance of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the two countries, according to a statement issued by Lorenzana’s department.
Lorenzana committed to discussing the matter with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte last year unilaterally cancelled the two-decade-old VFA in an angry response after an ally was denied a U.S. visa. The agreement provides the legal framework under which U.S. troops can operate on a rotational basis in the Philippines.
The VFA withdrawal period, however, has been twice extended, creating what Philippine officials say is a window for better terms to be agreed.
Relations between Washington and its former Asian colony have been complicated since 2016 when Duterte, who has criticised U.S. foreign policy while befriending China, rose to power.
Duterte has said Washington must pay more if it wants to maintain the VFA.
Lorenzana also sought the assistance of Austin in speeding up the delivery of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna that the Philippines has ordered.
Austin “would look into the issue and bring it to the attention of the office concerned”, the statement said. (Reuters)
April
Britain's Prince Philip dies, spent seven decades at Queen Elizabeth's side
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband and a pivotal figure in the British royal family for almost seven decades, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, as he was officially known, had been by his wife’s side throughout her 69-year reign, the longest in British history. During that time he earned a reputation for a tough, no-nonsense attitude and a propensity for occasional gaffes.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said in a statement.
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
A Greek prince, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947. He went on to play a key role in modernising the monarchy in the post-World War Two period, and behind the walls of Buckingham Palace was the one key figure the queen could turn to and trust.
“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” Elizabeth said in a rare personal tribute to Philip, made in a speech marking their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.
“I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”
Philip spent four weeks in hospital earlier this year for treatment for an infection and to have a heart procedure, but returned to Windsor in early March. He died just two months before he was to celebrate his 100th birthday.
Flags at Buckingham Palace and at government buildings across Britain were lowered to half-mast. No details about his funeral were disclosed yet, but ceremonies are likely to eschew the grand displays of pomp that often follow royal deaths.
That would reflect Philip’s well-known aversion to drama, and it is unlikely there will be a state funeral or that his body will lie in state.
The prince’s charm and disinclination to tolerate those he regarded as foolish or sycophantic earned him a position of respect among some Britons. But to others, his sometimes brusque demeanor made him appear rude and aloof. He was a delight to newspaper editors keen to pick up on any stray remark at official events.
The former naval officer admitted he found it hard to give up the military career he loved and to take on the job as the monarch’s consort, for which there was no clear-cut constitutional role.
“Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. (Reuters)
April
Philippines records 401 coronavirus deaths, highest daily increase
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The Philippines’ health ministry on Friday reported 401 new coronavirus deaths, the highest single-day spike in fatalities since the start of the pandemic, and 12,225 additional infections.
In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases had risen to 840,554, while confirmed deaths had reached 14,520. It said 213 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation. (Reuters)
April
Japan ensures G20 pledge vs 'disorderly' moves as FX language tweaked, sources say
Written by Nur YasminJakarta. Japan made sure that language warning against excess currency market volatility remained in place when G20 finance leaders made a rare tweak to their message on exchange-rate moves, said officials with knowledge of the deliberations.
In the first communique compiled since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, finance leaders of the Group of 20 major economies called for the need for currency moves to reflect “underlying” economic fundamentals.
It also noted that flexible currency moves can “facilitate the adjustment” of economies. Removed was a line stressing the need for “stable” exchange rates, which was inserted under the former administration of Donald Trump, who repeatedly sought to talk down the dollar to give U.S. exports a trade advantage.
Some market players saw the change as reflecting new U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s belief that markets should determine currency moves.
“It was reflection of Yellen’s belief in market-oriented exchange rates,” said Daisaku Ueno, chief foreign exchange strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities. “Japan and other countries made no objection as it was not meant to change the G20 stance on currencies.”
Finance Minister Taro Aso said the new language was a clarification, not a change, to the G20’s stance, in a sign of Tokyo’s alarm over any repercussion the new language could cause in what has been a comfortable market environment for Japan.
“We can’t rule out the chance some countries may forcefully devalue their currencies that deviate fundamentals. That’s not good,” Aso told reporters on Friday, stressing the new language was intended to remind the group’s emerging-market members of the risk of manipulating currency moves.
What Japan did defend was language warning against “excessive volatility or disorderly movements,” which Tokyo policymakers interpret as a tacit nod for them to step in to prevent sharp yen rises that hurt its export-reliant economy.
“If exchange rates must reflect economic fundamentals, we need to correct markets when currency moves deviate from fundamentals,” the official said. “We had no reason to drop (the language).”
Another official said intervention won’t be entirely ruled out if rapid yen moves persisted.
To be sure, the chance of currency intervention is low with the dollar around 109.54 yen on Friday, comfortably above the 100 level that markets see as Tokyo’s line-in-the-sand.
But keeping markets on guard remains a priority for Japan, which has a long history of jawboning investors or directly intervening in currency markets to address unwelcome yen spikes.
The current market calm may have been the key reason the G20 policymakers decided to tweak the language in the first place, some Japanese policymakers say.
“No one is facing heated issues regarding currencies now. That made it easier to tweak the language,” one of the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly. (Reuters)
April
Hong Kong government to delay imports of AstraZeneca vaccine amid safety concerns
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Hong Kong said on Friday it will delay shipments of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine this year amid mounting concerns over possible links between the shot and very rare cases of blood clots.
The Chinese-ruled city had ordered 7.5 million doses from the British-Swedish company, which were scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2021.
Health Secretary Sophia Chan said the global financial centre had a sufficient supply of vaccines, with a total of 15 million doses of Germany’s BioNTech and China’s Sinovac - the only two vaccines available in the city.
“Even if we have signed a pre-purchase agreement with AstraZeneca, we believe that AstraZeneca vaccines will not need to be supplied to Hong Kong this year, so as not to cause a waste when the vaccine is still in short supply globally,” Chan said.
The government was considering buying a new type of vaccine that may offer better protection, she added.
More than 700,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to the city’s 7.5 million population so far, a figure Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said was unsatisfactory.
The sluggish take-up comes amid dwindling confidence in the Sinovac vaccine and fears of adverse reactions, while BioNTech vaccines were temporarily halted due to packaging defects.
Earlier on Friday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country doubled its order of the Pfizer Inc COVID-19 vaccine. Until late Thursday, Australia based its vaccination programme largely on AstraZeneca.
The Philippines and South Korea have suspended the use of AstraZeneca shots for people under age 60.
Italy on Wednesday joined France, the Netherlands, Germany and others in recommending a minimum age for recipients of AstraZeneca’s shot, and Britain said people under 30 should get an alternative.
Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Thursday the country was in talks with China on getting as many as 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to plug a gap in deliveries caused by delays in the arrival of AstraZeneca shots.
European and British regulators said on Wednesday they had found possible links between AstraZeneca’s vaccine and very rare cases of blood clots, but reaffirmed the vaccine’s importance in protecting people against COVID-19.
Hong Kong has registered more than 11,500 coronavirus cases, with 205 deaths. (Reuters)
April
India's new COVID-19 infections hit record, deaths at over five-month high
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. India reported another record number of new COVID-19 infections on Friday with daily deaths also hitting their highest in more than five months as the country battles a second wave of infections and states complain of a persistent vaccine shortage.
The world’s second most-populous country reported 131,968 new infections and 780 deaths on Friday - the biggest daily increase since mid-October.
That took India’s overall caseload to 13.06 million - the world’s third-highest after the United States and Brazil - and total deaths from COVID-19 to 167,642. India’s total number of infections inched closer to Brazil’s 13.28 million.
With several states having expanded curbs to control the rapid spread of the virus, migrant workers have started packing into trains towards their villages from major cities such as Mumbai, potentially risking a wider outbreak in smaller towns.
The government blames the resurgence mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks as businesses gradually reopened since the middle of last year.
“We all know that it’s because of the casual approach that has been adopted unfortunately by the society and some sort of laxity everywhere in following the discipline of the COVID- appropriate behaviour,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told a news conference.
He said on Thursday there was no shortage of shots for the groups eligible for vaccination, with more than 43 million doses in stock or in the pipeline. India has been inoculating about 4 million people a day.
The surge in cases has been far sharper than last year, triggering widespread calls for the vaccination of younger people. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejected the idea on Thursday, citing the need to prioritise the more vulnerable, elderly population.
Inoculations are currently limited to those aged over 45 and health and frontline workers.
Much of the country has fallen behind safety protocols, the most glaring example being election rallies, where politicians including Modi and Interior Minister Amit Shah have greeted hundreds of thousands of supporters, most of whom were not wearing masks.
The government has refused to impose another national lockdown, but Modi said night curfews were an effective way to keep people alert. (Reuters)