Nations across South-East Asia choose to reopen slowly amid the COVID-19 outbreak. As South-East Asian countries struggle with the worst outbreak, they realise they can not afford the economy's crippling restrictions. On August 29, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his speech that it is not possible to reduce COVID-19 cases to zero even if the country locks down for a long time. He said that the country will reopen “cautiously and progressively”. With very low vaccination rates in Southeast Asia, it leaves the countries vulnerable to the Delta variant. The factory’s
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved nearly $600 million in emergency lending for Tanzania’s health system and recovery efforts. $189 million were disbursed under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and $378 million under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), totaling $567 of quota. Mr. Bo. Li Deputy Managing Director and chair stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted negatively on Tanzania's macroeconomic outlook and the health and wellbeing of its population. In 2020 the growth decelerated and it is anticipated that it will subside in 2021. This is la
The executive director of the National Centre of Infectious Diseases (NCID) Leo Yee Sin said that Singapore cannot fight against the disease relying solely on the COVID-19 vaccine against the Delta variant. According to him, Vaccination is not enough when it comes to the new variant. He said if you did 100 percent in 2020 this year you have to do 200 percent and this is what the Delta variant demands from us. He asked to keep the masks on, hands clean, and guard up even after being fully vaccinated against the virus. Between the end of April and the end of August this year, 99.6 percent
Thailand launches mass COVID-19 testing in Bangkok's biggest The Khlong Toei slum. The swab tests are a luxury to the families that survive on US$150 a month in Bangkok’s slum. The population of the slum is estimated to be 100,00 people living in packed, tiny overcrowded dwellings. The slums population was the major concern for Thailand’s government as they battled its third wave of Delta variant of coronavirus. A mass testing drive is launched amid the concerns of the spread of the virus by Bangkok's Community Help Foundation to help and stop Khlong Toei from becoming a reservoir that
On Tuesday, the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its travel advisory for three countries to “Level 4: Very High”. CDC warned against travel to Sri Lanka, Jamaica, and Brunei due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The ratings for the Netherlands, Malta, Guinea-Bissau, and United Arab Emirates were eased from “Level 4: Very High” to “Level 3: High by the CDC ”. It urges unvaccinated Americans to avoid traveling to those destinations. The CDC raised “Level 1: Low” to “Level 2: Moderate for Australia. An advisory was raised by the CD
More than 50 ministers and heads of the climate departments and development talks treat adaptation as “urgent”. The extreme weather and rising seas are hitting faster than expected which called the UN leaders for more money and political help for people to adopt the new reality. The committee said that the adaptation that will range from building higher flood defenses to grow more drought-tolerant crops and relocating coastal communities had not benefited the same attention. It is “exposed to a climate emergency unfolding faster than predicted”. The committees further added that th
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has signed a bill that will limit tech giant’s power to remove content. The decree is aimed at restricting the power of social media companies to remove accounts and content. According to Bolsonaro a change of regulation was needed to combat the “arbitrary removal” of profiles. He said that the new legislation will help in protecting freedom of speech. Twitter and Facebook have removed several posts throughout the coronavirus pandemic, posted by the president and his supporters that were deemed misleading. The details of the decree so far are on
Singapore will roll out measures to slow down the spread of COVID-19 community cases. The nation will expand its testing regime aggressively to keep the situation under control. The number of new cases last week doubled to more than 1,200 as compared to 600 cases last week. On Monday, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong announced a range of measures to slow the spread of infection. He said that the workers in more sectors will now have to undergo mandatory fast and easy restored routine testing. The frequency of these tests has been increased from 14 days to once a week. Individuals identified
This month Israel will present COVID-19 booster shot data to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The data will be presented from an extensive rollout of the vaccine. This data will accompany White House plans to begin a booster drive in the United States. The head of the Public Health at Israel’s Health Ministry Sharon Alroy-Preis said that the ministry had been asked by the United States FDA to brief its advisors in a meeting on September 17. The discussion on the third booster shot of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine will be considered in the virtual session along with
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rejected some vaccines offered through the UN-backed immunization program. Kim ordered his officials to launch a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in “our style” as he rejected COVAX's offer. On Thursday, during the Politburo meeting, the Korean Central News Agency said that Kim announced that the officials must bear in mind that strengthening epidemic prevention is an extremely important task that must not be sickened for a moment. Earlier Kim also called for North Koreans to brace for prolonged COVID-19 restrictions and indicated that the nation