Complicated COVID-19 developments recorded in Southeast Asia

At a convenient store in Thailand's Bangkok (Photo: VNA)

Thailand on August 7 reported 21,838 coronavirus cases and 212 deaths.

The new figures brought total infections to 736,522 and total fatalities to 6,066 since the pandemic began last year. The number of recoveries stood at 517,012.

On the same day, the Lao Ministry of Health confirmed 354 new cases of COVID-19, including 24 detected in the community, given the context of an increasing flow of workers returning from Thailand.

Laos so far posted a total of 8,132 infections and eight deaths.

Meanwhile, Cambodia added 522 new cases, including 135 imported ones, to its national tally on August 7, pushing the total caseload to 81,335. An additional 11 deaths also brought up its death toll to 1,537.

Cambodia is about to administer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to frontline health workers, civil servants, and armed forces in seven provinces along its border with Thailand.

In Singapore, although the number of daily COVID-19 infections has not tended to decrease sharply, the Government has decided to relax social distancing measures before the previously set deadline of August 18, starting to reopen the economy following four stages and accept the fact of living with the pandemic.

The local COVID-19 task force said the nation will begin the first stage from August 10, with priority being given to easing restrictions for groups of people having fully vaccinated with two doses./.

VNA