Due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant and slow vaccination, Southeast Asia is becoming the worst battlefield of the global epidemic.
A Johns Hopkins University data analysis shows that the number of confirmed cases in this area increased by 41 in the past week %. Deaths rose 39%, the fastest pace globally, and are likely to rise further as deaths typically surge as cases surge.
At the same time, Southeast Asia’s overall vaccination rate of 9% lags far behind developed regions such as Western Europe and North America, where more than half of the population has been vaccinated.
01 Thailand
According to Thailand News: Newly confirmed cases in Thailand The number of Covid-19 cases soared to 11,784 on Monday, an increase of 387 cases from the previous day; and 81 more patients died.
This is the third consecutive day that Thailand has recorded more than 10,000 new cases. The outbreak is caused by highly transmissible Alpha and Delta COVID-19 variant strains.
In order to prevent the epidemic from worsening, the Thai government announced a nationwide ban on public gatherings on the 16th, and stricter restrictions are expected to be implemented next week.
Domestic flights to and from Bangkok and provinces listed by the Thai government as high-risk for COVID-19 will be suspended from Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said in a statement.
Except for medical flights, emergency landing aircraft and flights related to the government’s tourism reopening plan, other local flights can only fly at 50% capacity, the announcement said.
Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on the same day that the government also plans to take more epidemic prevention measures, including restricting the movement of people as much as possible, closing almost all non-essential places, and requiring people to work from home. wait.
Many hospitals in Thailand are also under unprecedented pressure. As the number of deaths continues to increase, some hospitals have to rent shipping containers to serve as temporary morgues.
According to the Associated Press, Thailand’s vaccination work is currently progressing slowly, with only about 15% of the population having received at least one dose of vaccine. Thailand’s health department has previously stated that it is prepared to impose export restrictions on locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines to ensure that domestic demand is met first.
02 Vietnam
The Vietnamese government said on Saturday that due to the Facing its worst COVID-19 outbreak yet, Vietnam will impose movement restrictions on 16 southern provinces for two weeks starting Monday.
Vietnam has managed to keep coronavirus cases relatively low thanks to targeted mass testing and strict contact tracing, border controls and quarantine measures, but New infection clusters that have emerged in recent weeks have health officials concerned.
As we can see from the chart below, the number of new cases in Vietnam continues to soar.
Vietnam has a population of 98 million, and a surge in cases has increased pressure on the government to increase vaccine supply and speed up vaccinations. So far, fewer than 300,000 people have been vaccinated.
Vietnam has received nearly 9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said the United States will provide Vietnam with another 3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine through the international COVAX program.
The Prime Minister of Vietnam decided to “lock down” a total of 16 provinces and cities in southern Vietnam starting at 0:00 on July 19 for 14 days.
Except for Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces, which are implementing social distancing measures, the time for the implementation of social distancing measures in the other 16 provinces and cities will be decided by the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee. However, it must be carried out before midnight on July 19, and social distance will be implemented for 14 days.
So far, a total of 19 provinces and cities in Vietnam have been “locked down”, and one-third of Vietnam’s territory has been blocked, affecting the lives of 35 million people.
The epidemic in Vietnam has affected production capacity. Not only the shoe industry leader Baocheng and the textile giant Ruhong have been affected, but even the Saigon High-tech Park has also been shut down. Some Samsung Electronics factories have also been shut down. Suspended operations. Many institutions have issued reports warning that if emerging markets cannot control the epidemic in the next few months, it may harm local economic recovery and exacerbate global supply chain challenges.
As a reminder, if you have goods shipped to Thailand or Vietnam in the near future, you must pay attention to delay and collection risks to avoid any unnecessary losses or troubles! </p
