MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Coronavirus infections in the Philippines have risen past 500,000 in another dismal milestone, with the government criticizing for not immediately launching a vaccination program amid a global battle over COVID-19 vaccines.
The Ministry of Health reported 1,895 new infections on Sunday, bringing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to 500,577, the second highest in Southeast Asia. At least 9,895 people have been killed.
The Philippines is in negotiations with seven Western and Chinese companies to secure 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but the effort is fraught with uncertainty and confusion. About 50,000 doses from China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. may arrive later next month, followed by much larger shipments, according to the government, but concerns have been raised about its effectiveness.
President Rodrigo Duterte says it is difficult to secure the vaccines because rich countries have first received huge doses for their citizens.
Duterte’s elite guards have acknowledged that they have been inoculated with a still-unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine, in part to ensure they wouldn’t infect the 75-year-old president. Duterte’s spokesman and other officials have denied that the president himself was vaccinated.
The illegal vaccinations have been widely criticized, but few details have been released, including which vaccine was used and how the guards obtained it. Some senators investigated, but Duterte ordered his guards not to appear before the Senate.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed on Monday to get the pandemic under control and to hold the already postponed Olympic Games this summer with ample protection against the corona virus. In a speech opening a new parliamentary session, Suga said his government will review laws to make antivirus measures enforceable with penalties and compensation. Early in the pandemic, Japan was able to keep its virus case load manageable with non-binding requests for companies to close or operate with a social distance and for people to stay at home. But recent weeks have seen several highs in new cases each day, due in part to a relaxed stance on the antivirus measures, and doubts are mounting as more contagious variants spread as people wait for vaccines and the Olympics get closer. The Department of Health also reported on Monday that three people who have no record of recent trips abroad had tested positive for the new, more easily transmitted coronavirus variant first reported in Britain, suggesting it is making its way to Japan. Suga said his government plans to start vaccinations as early as late February. Japan has confirmed more than 330,000 infections and 4,500 deaths from COVID-19, numbers that have increased recently, although they are still much smaller than many other countries of its size.
– A Chinese province grappling with a spike in coronavirus cases is restoring strict restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family gatherings and threatening violators with criminal charges. The message from the Hebei Province Supreme Court did not provide details, but said that all types of social gatherings are now being regulated to prevent further spread of the virus. Hebei has had one of the worst outbreaks in China in months amid measures to contain further spread during the Chinese New Year holiday in February. Authorities have called on citizens not to travel, ordered schools to close a week earlier, and have conducted tests on a large scale. Hebei recorded a further 54 cases in the past 24 hours, the National Health Commission said Monday, while northern Jilin province reported 30 cases and Heilongjiang further north reported seven. Beijing had two new cases, and most buildings and housing complexes now require proof of a negative coronavirus test to enter.
– Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has unveiled a new 15 billion ringgit ($ 3.7 billion) incentive to boost consumption, with the economy expected to falter after a second coronavirus blockage and emergency declaration. Muhyiddin obtained royal permission last week to declare a coronavirus emergency, which was rejected by critics as a desperate attempt to stay in power amid defections from his ruling coalition. The state of emergency, which is expected to last until August 1, does not include a curfew or military intervention, but suspends parliament, halts all elections and gives the Muhyiddin government absolute power, including in the passage of new laws. It came at the same time as millions in Kuala Lumpur and several high-risk states were detained for two weeks to stop a wave of coronavirus cases. Muhyiddin on Monday acknowledged his concerns about the emergency, but reiterated that it was only meant to curb the coronavirus. He said the economic impact of the lockdown will be manageable as more activities are allowed this time. He said the incentive will bring in more money to fight the pandemic and support livelihoods and businesses. A businessman has filed a lawsuit against the emergency declaration, and the opposition plans to appeal to the king to withdraw his support. Malaysia has recorded more than 158,000 coronavirus cases, including 601 deaths.
– Nepal’s Ministry of Health says the first cases of the new, more contagious variant of coronavirus, first found in the UK, have been confirmed in three people coming from the UK. The ministry said on Monday that samples from six people who arrived in Nepal last week had been sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong with the help of the World Health Organization. Three of the people – two men and a woman – tested positive for the new variant, it said. Two have recovered and one is still ill, the ministry said. Nepal has recorded 267,322 coronavirus cases, including 1,959 deaths.