Covid-19 surge in Asean adds record over-93,000 new patients
Southeast Asia reported a record 93,143 new cases on Thursday, as the situation continued to worsen in Indonesia and Myanmar.
The number of new cases were higher than Wednesday’s 90,330, while deaths hit a single-day high of 1,549, up from the previous day’s 1,519.
The number of Covid-19 cases in the region crossed 5.85 million, while total Covid-19-related deaths are at 111,772.
Indonesia reported 56,757 cases, the highest on a single day in the country since the pandemic began, with 982 deaths. Cumulative cases in the country rose to 2,726,803 patients and total deaths to 70,192. The country’s infection rate is now 10 times higher than that at the beginning of June despite many disease-control measures having been imposed. Public health experts estimated that daily infections could reach 100,000, as new cases in Java and Bali islands continued to increase. However the government is not expecting the number to exceed 60,000 patients per day.
Myanmar reported 4,188 new cases on Wednesday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 212,545, and total deaths to 4,346.
Yangon is facing a severe shortage of oxygen with hundreds of people lining up at oxygen plants at dawn as soon as the night curfew ends to buy or refill oxygen canisters for family members who have contracted Covid-19 and have to stay at home. Despite the government ordering an increase in manufacturing capacity and lifting tax and other regulations for manufacturers, the oxygen situation in the country has not improved.
