Covid-19 cases down in Asean; Philippines finds Lambda variant of virus


Artist image from The Nation Thailand/ANN

BANGKOK, Aug 16 (The Nation/ANN): South-East Asia saw a reduction in new Covid-19 cases and related deaths on Sunday, collated data from the region showed.

Asean reported 91,166 new cases, lower than Saturday’s 99,662, while 2,522 people died, down from the previous day’s 2,541.

The number of Covid-19 cases since the outbreak crossed 8.69 million with 188,766 deaths.

Indonesia saw a steep reduction in new cases to 20,813, making Thailand, with 23,882, the country with the highest number in the region.

The Philippines recorded 14,749 new coronavirus cases, its second-highest daily increase, bringing total confirmed infections to 1.74 million.

The Philippine Department of Health also reported 270 deaths, the third highest one-day spike in fatalities, increasing the death toll to 30,340.

The Ministry of Public Health announced that the first infection with lambda variant of Covid-19 has been found in the country. Discovered for the first time in Peru in December last year, the lambda variant is able to withstand antibodies stimulated with a vaccine, according to WHO’s laboratory testing.

Meanwhile, Laos reported 198 new cases on Sunday, taking cumulative cases in the country to 10,092 with nine deaths.

The Lao Football Federation announced the cancellation of the “Pepsi Lao League 1” to curb the spread of Covid-19. All football matches in the country have been suspended since April while teams had been playing only 2-3 matches each since the season started. - The Nation Thailand/ANN

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