A vendor wearing a face mask prepares food in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 18, 2021. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
-- Cases in Philippines soar to 962,307 with 9,227 new infections;
-- India records fresh high of nearly 300,000 new cases, 2,000 more deaths, at least 22 die due to low oxygen supply;
-- New Zealand mulls major reforms for health system;
-- Australian state opens three more hubs to promote vaccination.
HONG KONG, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific countries on Wednesday:
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia reported 2,340 new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said, bringing the national total to 381,813.
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that 12 of the new cases are imported and with 2,328 being local transmissions.
Workers make masks at a mask manufacturing factory in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, on March 16, 2021. (Photo by Gayan Sameera/Xinhua)
COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka's health authorities issued a warning on the rise of COVID-19 patients being admitted to hospitals across the country, including those in intensive care units.
The Health Promotion Bureau of the Health Ministry warned all citizens to act with responsibility in order to avoid a further spread of the pandemic which has to date infected over 97,000 people, according to a statement released on Facebook.
An Afghan prisoner receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign in Herat city, western Afghanistan, April 4, 2021. (Photo by Elaha Sahel/Xinhua)
KABUL -- A total of 133 new COVID-19 positive cases have been registered in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, raising the number of patients infected with the disease to 58,346 in the country, the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement.
People wearing protective masks line up to receive free grocery items from the Maginhawa Community Pantry in Quezon City, the Philippines, on April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
MANILA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 962,307 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 9,227 new infections.
The DOH said 124 more patients have succumbed to the viral disease, bringing the death toll to 16,265.
The government announced that it is building a 336-bed "mega field hospital that will cater to mild and moderate COVID-19 patients" in the capital city Manila. The new hospital will be completed in about 60 days.
A man wearing a protective mask walks into a BTS skytrain station in Bangkok, Thailand, April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
BANGKOK -- Thailand reported 1,458 COVID-19 cases and two deaths, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
Of the new cases, 1,454 were local transmissions, including 365 in the capital Bangkok where the recent outbreak originated, and four others were imported cases, CCSA spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan said.
People sprinkle water to monks during a parade celebrating the Songkran Festival or the Lao New Year in Luang Prabang, Laos, April 15, 2021. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
VIENTIANE -- Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has instructed authorities in charge to continue with the vaccination of target groups and to offer the vaccine to all other citizens.
He made the call in a statement issued on Monday, pledging that the government would accelerate the rollout of vaccinations to keep COVID-19 in check.
The Lao Ministry of Health reported 28 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's caseload to 88.
Photo taken on Jan. 19, 2021 shows a group of students at a primary school in Suva, Fiji. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)
SUVA -- Fiji announced stringent measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 after more COVID-19 cases have been reported in the island nation in recent days.
To further contain the spread of COVID-19, Fiji's Health Ministry announced that COVID-19 restrictions will be enforced across Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island and other parts of Fiji.
A health worker displays a COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Sulav Shrestha)
KATHMANDU -- Nepali health experts have called for strong enforcement of restrictive measures to curb the new wave of COVID-19 infections.
The Nepali government on Monday issued a slew of prohibitory orders including a ban on gatherings of people over 25, shutting down schools in urban areas, cinema halls, gyms and health clubs amid the surging cases of COVID-19.
A worker prepares beds for COVID-19 patients at a sports complex in Guwahati, India, April 20, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI -- India recorded 295,041 new COVID-19 cases and 2,023 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the caseload to 15,616,130 and the death toll to 182,553, according to data released by the health ministry.
There are still 2,157,538 active cases in the country, with an increase of 125,561 through Tuesday, while 13,276,039 people have been cured and discharged from hospitals.
At least 22 patients died due to low oxygen supply after a leakage in the oxygen supply tank of a civic hospital in India's Nashik town, 167 km from Mumbai.
Medical workers take part in training for treating COVID-19 patients at a comprehensive hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, April 3, 2020. (New Zealand Ministry of Health/Handout via Xinhua)
WELLINGTON -- Putting a greater emphasis on primary healthcare and ensuring fairer access for all New Zealanders are two of the main drivers of health sector reforms, Health Minister Andrew Little said.
"We are going to put the emphasis squarely on primary and community healthcare and will do away with duplication and unnecessary bureaucracy between regions, so that our health workers can do what they do best - keep people well," Little said in a statement.
New Zealand reported one new case of COVID-19 in managed isolation and no new cases in the community.
Passengers from New Zealand arrive at Sydney Airport International Terminal in Sydney, Australia, April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
SYDNEY/CANBERRA -- People in the Australian state of Victoria have more access to the COVID-19 vaccine with the opening of three mass-vaccination hubs.
Two of the hubs are in the state's capital of Melbourne and the other is in the neighboring city of Geelong, which are initially open for people in the Phase 1a and 1b categories for vaccination.
Australia's coronavirus vaccine timetable remains uncertain, Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy said.
Murphy recently told a parliamentary inquiry into Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic that he could not set a deadline for the completion of Australia's troubled vaccine rollout.■
