Situation Repot of COVID-19 in the ASEAN Region – 28 July 2021

Global Update

• Worldwide, there have been over 196 million cases and over 4 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Regional Update

• Malaysia reported 207 deaths from COVID-19 for the second consecutive day on Tuesday (July 27), with the number of critically ill patients also reaching another high. Malaysia on Tuesday also recorded 16,117 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total COVID-19 cases in the country to 1,044,071. Selangor remains top out of all states with 6,616 new cases, Kuala Lumpur is the second highest with 2,457 new cases, followed by Kedah with 1,000 cases. The number of cases in the intensive care unit also hit another new record with 1,023 patients admitted. Of these, 524 require respiratory support. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that 56.3% of the new cases reported on Tuesday were asymptomatic while 41.6% had mild symptoms. MOH also said that 42 new COVID-19 clusters have been identified, taking the total number of active clusters in the country to 1,028. Of the record number of new clusters, 25 involve workplaces while 12 are in the community. The remaining clusters involve two high risk communities, two detention centers and an education establishment.

• More than 10 million residents of Ho Chi Minh City will be placed under a strict overnight curfew beginning Monday (Jul 26), an unprecedented move to curb infections as Vietnam battles a rapid COVID-19 surge. After successfully containing limited CVOID-19 outbreaks last year, the country is now recording increasing infections and deaths which were fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant. Hardest-hit are the northern industrial centers and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, which has registered more than 62,000 COVID19 cases since April - making up the bulk of Vietnam's 101,000 cases. Beginning Monday, an additional, strict stay-at-home order will be in effect from 6pm to 6am local time - though authorities refused to use the word "curfew". No end date was announced for the measure.

• Thailand reported 14,150 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (July 27), down from a new record of 15,376 in the previous day. According to the Center for the Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), the new daily COVID-19 cases marked the 11th consecutive day with cases surpassing 10,000, taking the total of cases to 526,828. There were also 118 deaths reported on Tuesday, bringing Thailand's total fatalities to 4,264. In order to address the challenges, the authorities have established new field hospitals in high-risk areas and imposed home isolation on infected people with mild or no symptoms. Tougher restrictive measures, including a night curfew and travel curbs, were enforced since July, as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

• Laos government has instructed the tourism ministry to coordinate with localities around the country to prepare for the reopening of tourism under “new normal” conditions. The announcement was made during the government’s July monthly meeting, chaired by Prime Minister and attended by cabinet members. The Prime Minister instructed relevant sectors to prepare for the opening of the Laos-China Railway in December. At the same time, the Prime Minister told the transport and tourism ministries to work together to “reopen tourism under the new normal as appropriate in each locality and in accordance with the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic”.