MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Coronavirus infections in the Philippines have surpassed 500,000 people in a bleak new milestone, with the government facing criticism for not immediately launching a vaccination program amid a global problem for COVID-19 vaccines.
The Department of Health reported 1,895 new infections on Sunday, bringing confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country to 500,577, the second-highest in Southeast Asia. There have been at least 9,895 deaths.
The Philippines has been negotiating with seven Chinese and Western companies to get 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but the effort has been fraught with uncertainty and confusion. According to the government, approximately 50,000 doses of China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. could arrive later the following month, followed by much larger shipments, but concerns have been raised about its effectiveness.
President Rodrigo Duterte says it has been difficult to secure vaccines because rich nations have gotten massive doses to their citizens.
Duterte’s elite guards have acknowledged that they have been inoculated with an as-yet-unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine, in part, to ensure they would not infect the 75-year-old president. Duterte’s spokesman and other officials have denied that the president himself has been vaccinated.
A series of criticisms have followed the illegal vaccines, but few details have been given, including what vaccine was used and how the guards obtained it. Some senators moved to investigate, but Duterte ordered his guards not to appear in the Senate.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
– Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga promised on Monday that he would control the pandemic and hold the already postponed Olympics this summer with extensive protection against coronavirus. In a speech opening a new parliamentary session, Suga said his government will review the laws to make the antivirus measures applicable with sanctions and compensation. At the start of the pandemic, Japan was able to keep its load of manageable virus cases with non-binding requests for companies to close or operate at social distances and for people to stay home. But recent weeks have seen several highs in new cases a day, partly blamed on relaxed attitudes toward antivirus measures, and doubts grow as more contagious variants spread as people wait for vaccines and the Olympics. they approach. The health ministry also reported on Monday that three people who have no record of recent trips abroad had tested positive for the new variant of easier-to-transmit coronavirus that was first reported in Britain, suggesting that is making its way into Japan. Suga said his government intends to start vaccinations in late February. Japan has confirmed more than 330,000 infections and 4,500 deaths from COVID-19, figures that have increased recently although are still much smaller than many other countries of its size.
– A Chinese province facing an increase in coronavirus cases is re-establishing strict restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family reunions, threatening offenders with criminal charges. The notice from the Hebei Province High Court did not give details, but said that all kinds of conversations were now being regulated to prevent a new spread of the virus. Hebei has had one of China’s most severe outbreaks in months occurring amid measures to curb the new spread during the February Lunar New Year holidays. Authorities have asked citizens not to travel, ordered the closure of schools a week earlier and conducted massive tests. Hebei reported 54 more cases in the previous 24 hours, the National Health Commission said Monday, while northern Jilin province reported 30 cases and Heilongjiang in the north reported seven. Beijing had two new cases and most buildings and apartment buildings now require proof of a negative coronavirus entry.
– Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has introduced a new $ 15 billion ($ 3.7 billion) stimulus to boost consumption, with the economy expected to stem from a second coronavirus blockade and a declaration of emergency. Muhyiddin obtained royal consent last week to declare a coronavirus emergency, criticized by critics as a desperate intention to cling to power amid the defections of his ruling coalition. The emergency, which is expected to last until August 1, does not involve any curfew or military intervention, but suspends Parliament, stops any election and gives the Muhyiddin government absolute power, including the introduction of new laws. It came at the same time as millions in Kuala Lumpur and several high-risk states were placed under a two-week shutdown to stop an increase in coronavirus cases. Muhyiddin acknowledged concerns about the emergency on Monday, but reiterated that it only aimed to curb the coronavirus. He said the economic impact of the closure will be manageable because this time more activities are allowed. He said the stimulus will provide more funds to fight the pandemic and support livelihoods and businesses. A businessman has filed a lawsuit challenging the declaration of emergency and the opposition plans to appeal to the king to quash his support. Malaysia has reported more than 158,000 cases of coronavirus, including 601 deaths.
– Nepal’s health ministry says the first cases of the newest infectious coronavirus variant found in the UK have been confirmed to three people who arrived from the UK. The ministry said on Monday that the samples of six people who arrived in Nepal last week were: sent to a Hong Kong laboratory with the help of the World Health Organization. Three of the people (two men and a woman) tested positive for the new variant, it was said. Two have recovered and one is still ill, the ministry said. Nepal has recorded 267,322 cases of coronavirus, including 1,959 deaths.