Brunei
After
340 days without an instance of local viral transmission, Brunei now has
10 active cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 219. Royal Brunei Airlines has
suspended most of its routes until October 30, 2021, but will continue limited service to Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manila, Melbourne and Singapore. Negative COVID tests are
required for entry into Brunei, and foreigners are only allowed to visit if their travel is deemed essential. On the vaccine front, Brunei has so far
approved three vaccines for use: Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Pfizer-BioNTech.
Phase one of the vaccine rollout began on April 3, when frontline workers, seniors (aged 60 and over) and foreign students began receiving their first injections. His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah was the
first Bruneian to receive a dose of the vaccine on April 1. YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Md Isham Hj Jaafar, Brunei’s health minister,
indicated in January that the government is seeking to inoculate 70 percent of the population by the end of 2021.
Cambodia
Cambodia has seen a drastic
spike in cases since the community outbreak incident in February, with approximately 7,013 confirmed cases and 47 COVID-19 related deaths in total. There are currently over 4,000 active cases, and the Royal Cambodian Government implemented several lockdown measures in response. A 14-day
restriction on all travel between provinces was implemented effective April 7 and has been extended until April 28. All tourist sites were also closed during this period. Designated
provinces have been subjected to individual lockdown measures and 2-week curfews, including the Banteay Meanchey province, the Tboung Khmum province, and the Siem Reap province. In Phnom Penh, a
daily curfew from 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM was mandated on April 1 and will be in effect through April 28. In addition, Prime Minister Hun Sen has implemented a strict, two-week lockdown effective April 15 until April 28 that covers Phnom Penh and the Kandal province border town of Ta Khamau. As per a revised order on April 18, aside from essential travel, all individuals are mandated to remain at home and subject to strict penalties for violations. Furthermore, all travel, include travel for work purposes, will require an official permit from the Executive Committee to Manage and Lead the implementation of the Lockdown. Any violators of curfews, movement restrictions, or public health measures such as mask wearing are
subjected to penalties and fines under the recently promulgated COVID-19 laws in Cambodia. On the vaccine front, China has
donated an additional 400,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses to Cambodia. The Ministry of Health announced that over one million people have received at least one of the two vaccine doses, which represents 6.5 percent of Cambodia’s total population.
Indonesia
With over 1.6 million
confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of April 21, Indonesia continues to be the hardest-hit country in ASEAN by the coronavirus pandemic. The nation registered an increase of roughly 130,000 new infections in the month-long interval between mid-March and mid-April 2021 – slightly fewer than the number of new cases that were tallied between mid-February and mid-March this year. The daily reported
average of new cases is 42 percent of what it was in January, when new infections were at their peak. Meanwhile, after temporarily suspending its use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns of blood clotting, the food and drug agency (BPOM)
reauthorized the immunization for use on March 19. However, during a hearing with the House of Representatives on April 8, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin informed lawmakers that shipments of AstraZeneca doses to Indonesia were likely to be
delayed, given that India – one of the chief manufacturers of the British-made immunization – had imposed export restrictions on AstraZeneca vaccines, in order to divert them to combat its domestic surge in coronavirus infections. Consequently, Indonesia is now only likely to
receive 20 million doses of the immunization this year, rather than the 50 million to which Indonesia and AstraZeneca had previously agreed upon. The remaining 30 million doses are now slated to be delivered by the second quarter of 2022. A further 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that were set to
arrive via the COVAX-GAVI distribution facility have similarly been delayed, causing Indonesia to begin slowing down its nationwide vaccine rollout. To address this immunization shortfall, the Government has
reportedly begun negotiating new procurements of up to 100 million doses of Chinese-made vaccines. Indonesia has already been
relying primarily on China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine for its nationwide immunization campaign, and as of April 21, had
administered roughly 16.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines – enough to fully vaccinate approximately 3.1% of its population. Public activity restrictions remain in place throughout much of the country (and vary greatly by province and locality), while entry into Indonesia remains
prohibited for foreigners, except those in possession of a valid residence permit.
Laos
The total
caseload in Laos since the start of the pandemic remains at 58, with only 9 active cases and 0 deaths. On April 12, the Lao government
updated existing regulations on containing the spread of COVID-19, including the continued suspension of all entertainment venues and large gatherings as well as restrictions on all unnecessary travels. During the Lao New Year, the government increased border controls and more strictly enforced public health measures such as mask wearing. The updated restrictions will remain in effect until April 30, 2021. The national rollout of vaccines procured through the COVAX institute
began in April, and more than 100,000 people have already
received the first dose. Laos is planning to receive an initial allocation of 480,000 doses through the COVAX facility, and the government targets to inoculate 22 percent of the population by the end of 2021. Visas continue to be
suspended for all foreign nationals, with certain exceptions, and all foreign citizens entering Laos are
required to purchase COVID-19 insurance prior to entry.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health is
warning people about a possible fourth wave. The concerns are being elevated because of
religious activities taking place during Ramadan. 1,889 cases were reported on the second day of Ramadan, a significant uptick from last month’s average of about 1000 per day. To combat this, Malaysia
extended movement control orders (MCOs) on April 12 and encouraged people to respect guidelines while celebrating Ramadan. Foreigners living in Malaysia will be allowed to appeal for
visa extensions, and the government will review appeals on a “case-by-case basis.” So far, more than
350,000 people have been infected, and 1,300 people have lost their life. On the vaccination front, the country has secured doses to inocculate
80 percent of the population by October, and Malaysia will enter phase two of its COVID-19 vaccination plan on April 19. Johor will open a
vaccination app for Malaysians who commute to Singapore. Also, to mitigate fears some people have about reactions to the vaccine, the government set up a 10 million Malaysian Ringgit (USD $2.4 million)
vaccination compensation fund for those who have severe reactions to the shot.
Myanmar
Due to the ongoing political turmoil, Myanmar has been struggling to control COVID-19, and the Government has not been fully transparent with its testing and vaccination processes. The number of daily testing rates and confirmed new case counts
continue to plummet, from as many as 25,000 a day before the coup to 2,000 at most in the past weeks. With the ongoing Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), the public health system is paralyzed, as is the public’s awareness of the pandemic. However, COVID-19 vaccination processes are slowly being carried out by the military government and some private programs. According to state-owned news media, more than 1 million people have
received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and about 4,000 have been scheduled for their second dose. Locally, martial law in select townships and curfew hours remain the same as reported in previous updates. Some embassies, given the escalating security risk on the ground, have started to authorize departures for their citizens. The U.S. Embassy on March 30,
announced the ordered departure (OD) of non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members.
Philippines
The Philippines is reporting
9,918 new infections on average each day, which brings the total number of cases in the country to 962,307. To date, more than one million Filipinos have been vaccinated, 900,000 of whom are healthcare workers. The government aims to inoculate at least 70 million Filipinos by the end of 2021 to achieve herd immunity. So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
approved Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V Gamaleya, and Sinovac's CoronaVac for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of their vaccinations. Chinese-based Sinopharm has also applied for EUA to the FDA on March 1. On March 18, Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr.
said that the government is in talks with U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson to ink a vaccine supply agreement by the end of March. Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. had earlier
asserted in January that the Philippines is aiming to secure at least 148 million doses of vaccine in 2021. The 148 million-figure was based on negotiations with 7 vaccine companies that the government was in advanced talks with, including Novavax, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceutical), Sinovac, and Gamaleya.
Singapore
Singapore’s
7-day average daily COVID cases remains between 15 and 20 cases per day, the vast majority of which are imported cases. On March 31, Singapore extended Phase Three reopening conditions for
religious activities, which include sanitation and distancing requirements. The reopening comes just before Ramadan, taking place from April 13 through May 12, and Muslim Singaporeans are
encouraged to utilize online methods to celebrate with their families. Starting April 5, Singapore is allowing
75 percent of staff to work in office spaces, which is an increase from 50 percent and is part of a “hybrid way of working.” Also, live events will be permitted to host up to 750 attendees starting April 24. Singapore has so far administered
1.6 million vaccination doses, which is significant progress for the country of 5.7 million.
Thailand
Thailand has upwards of 14,000 active cases, with record rises of over 6,000 cases
witnessed during the start of the Songkran new year festivals. The country is currently
undergoing a third wave of infections, which include the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant of the virus. Most of the cases in the current outbreak have been traced to entertainment venues from Bangkok, which has spread to at least 62 of Thailand’s 77 provinces so far. Temporary
suspensions of at-risk businesses, such as pubs, bars, karaokes, and other entertainment venues, are effective until April 23 in Bangkok and 40 other provinces. All shopping malls
close at 9:00 PM until further notice. There are also
movement control orders in place for 43 provinces, with different jurisdictions mandating specific quarantine requirements. Effective from April 1, quarantine periods were
reduced from 14 days to 10 days. However, travelers from countries exposed to COVID-19 variant strains will still be required to observe the full 14-day quarantine period. The Ministry of Public Health will update and publish the list of countries requiring 14-day quarantines every 15 days. On the vaccine front, Thailand administered almost 500,000 doses as of April 10, which represents less than 1 percent of the population. The Royal Thai Government’s mass vaccination program is
slated to begin in June using AstraZeneca vaccines.
Vietnam
Vietnam’s
total national case count as of April 21 is 2,800. There were no deaths confirmed, but there are 234 active cases who are receiving treatment. The recent cases were all
imported. Around 8,000 COVID-19 frontline workers will be vaccinated from March 22 to April 19. In March and April, Vietnam received
5.6 million more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Vietnam expects to get 150 million doses this year for the entire population and is currently in talks to obtain
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from the United States. In March 23, the Ministry of Health approved Russia’s
Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use, which is the second approved vaccine in Vietnam after AstraZeneca. Vietnam’s first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, called Nanocovax, is expected to be available by Q4 2021 and put into use in 2022. As of March 28, more than 44,000 people across 19 cities and provinces have been vaccinated. At a government meeting on March 17, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
urged relevant ministries and agencies to consider gradual resumption of international flights and remain prepared for the employment of “vaccination passports”. Based on the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control meeting on
March 19, it was reported that the IT infrastructure necessary to utilize COVID-19 passports systematically will be ready by April. The IT infrastructure should verify data, including nationality, type of vaccine, and entry permit conditions of foreigners by source country entering Vietnam.
