MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Coronavirus infections in the Philippines have surpassed 500,000 in a bleak new phase, with the government criticized for failing to launch an immediate vaccination program amid a global battle for COVID-19 vaccines.
The Department of Health reported 1,895 new infections on Sunday, confirming coronavirus cases in the country at 500,577, the second largest in Southeast Asia. There were at least 9,895 deaths.
The Philippines has negotiated with seven Western and Chinese companies to provide 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but the effort has been fraught with uncertainty and confusion. About 50,000 doses from China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. may arrive later next month, followed by much higher deliveries, according to the government, but concerns have been raised about its effectiveness.
President Rodrigo Duterte says providing vaccines has been difficult because rich nations have first provided massive doses to their citizens.
Duterte’s elite guards acknowledged that they had been inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine that was still partially unauthorized to ensure that they would not infect the 75-year-old president. Duterte’s spokesman and other officials denied that the president himself had been vaccinated.
Lots of criticism followed the illegal vaccinations, but few details were revealed, including which vaccine was used and how the guards obtained it. Some senators moved to investigate, but Duterte ordered the guards not to appear in the Senate.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
– Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga promised on Monday to control the pandemic and hold the Olympics already postponed this summer, with ample protection against coronavirus. In a speech opening a new parliamentary session, Suga said his government will review the laws so that antivirus measures are applicable with sanctions and compensation. At the beginning of the pandemic, Japan managed to keep the volume of virus cases manageable with non-binding requests for businesses to close or operate at a social distance and for people to stay home. In recent weeks, however, there have been a few highs in new cases a day, partly blamed for relaxed attitudes toward antivirus measures, and doubts are growing as more contagious variants spread as people wait for vaccines and the Olympics are approaching. . The Ministry of Health also reported on Monday that three people who have no records of recent trips abroad gave positive results for the new, more easily transmitted variant of coronavirus reported for the first time in the UK, suggesting it is making its way to Japan. Suga said his government plans to start vaccinations by the end of February. Japan has confirmed more than 330,000 infections and 4,500 deaths caused by COVID-19, numbers that have risen recently, although they are still much smaller than many other countries of its size.
– A Chinese province facing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases is restoring strict restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family gatherings, threatening offenders with criminal charges. Notification from the high court in Hebei Province did not provide details, but said all types of social gatherings are now regulated to prevent the further spread of the virus. Hebei has had one of China’s worst outbreaks in recent months amid measures to reduce the spread during the February Lunar New Year holiday. Authorities urged citizens not to travel, ordered the closure of schools a week earlier and conducted massive tests. Hebei has reported another 54 cases in the past 24 hours, the National Health Commission said Monday, while northern Jilin province reported 30 cases and northern Heilongjiang reported seven. Beijing has had two new cases, and most buildings and homes now require proof of a negative coronavirus test for entry.
– Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has unveiled a new 15 billion ringgit ($ 3.7 billion) stimulus to boost consumption, with the economy set to run after a second coronavirus blockage and an emergency declaration. Muhyiddin obtained royal consent last week to declare a coronavirus emergency, hit by critics as a desperate attempt to cling to power amid failures in his ruling coalition. The emergency, which is expected to last until August 1, does not involve any option for cover or military intervention, but suspends Parliament, suspends any elections and gives Muhyiddin’s government absolute power, including the introduction of new laws. It came at the same time as millions in Kuala Lumpur and several high-risk states were placed under a two-week blockade to stop the growth of coronavirus cases. Muhyiddin acknowledged Monday’s concerns about the emergency, but reiterated that his goal was only to reduce the coronavirus. He said the economic impact of the blockade would be manageable, as more activities are allowed this time. He said the stimulus will provide more funds to fight the pandemic and support livelihoods and businesses. A businessman has filed a lawsuit challenging the declaration of emergency, and the opposition intends to appeal to the king to cancel its support. Malaysia has more than 158,000 coronavirus cases, including 601 deaths.
– Nepal’s Ministry of Health says the first cases in the country with the new, more infectious coronavirus variant first discovered in the UK have been confirmed in three people who arrived from the UK. The ministry said on Monday that samples from six people who arrived in Nepal last week were confirmed sent to a Hong Kong laboratory with the help of the World Health Organization. Three of the men – two men and a woman – tested positive for the new variant, he said. Two have recovered and one is still ill, the ministry said. Nepal recorded 267,322 cases of coronavirus, including 1,959 deaths.