Disasters and emergency response
Disasters
Vietnam's Covid-19 vaccine, Nanocovax almost ready
VIETNAM’S development of its own Covid-19 vaccine – Nanocovax – is nearing completion, with its manufacturer claiming an efficacy rate of 90 per cent. The Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, which is developing the vaccine, said the efficacy rate was based on the results of the second ...
New Straits Times
Houses, farmland inundated as rivers burst their banks
Downpours lasting several hours have caused rivers in several provinces to overflow and inundate dwellings, farmland, roads and other property. In Huaphan province, 13 households living alongside the Khan River in Hiem district suffered the effects of flooding after a deluge lasting several hours on July ...
Times Reporters
COVID-19 surge hits Asia; Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia post record infections
The Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, announced record COVID-19 infections on Saturday, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease. The surge in Delta variant cases is rattling parts of Asia previously relatively successful in containing COVID-19, such ...
Reuters
Heavy rainfall eases drought effects in Mekong Delta
Recorded water levels in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) saw significant increases during the last seven days as a result of heavy rainfall and sudden water releases from dams, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on July 29. But it said river levels across all ...
UCA News reporter, Vientiane
Thailand’s hospitals under pressure as Covid crisis deepens
Thailand’s worsening Covid outbreak is placing intense pressure on hospitals, forcing doctors to treat patients in parking lots and turn away people who are severely ill. The country was widely praised for its Covid response last year, when it maintained one of the lowest caseloads in ...
Rebecca Ratcliffe and Navaon Siradapuvadol in Bangkok
Ministry of Water Resources issues warning of rising Mekong River levels, caused by Typhoon CEMPAKA
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has warned that the Mekong River will rise in the next three to four days, which could cause flooding in the lower Mekong Delta. Affected areas will be: Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham and other provinces. The rise of ...
How Asean’s Covid-19 recovery measures are missing opportunities for a green future
More than a year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency, the – a region with a combined GDP of US$9.34 trillion and a population of more than 650 million – has not recovered from the global economic tumult ...
Melinda Martinus and Sharon Seah
Thailand tightens measures as daily cases cross 10,000
Thailand has tightened coronavirus restrictions and warned of further measures as daily cases surpassed 10,000 and the death toll hit a record 141 on Saturday despite an overnight curfew in Bangkok and several other provinces. The surge since April has overwhelmed hospitals, strained the economy and ...
Chalida Ekvittayavechnukul
Vietnam puts southern region in lockdown as surge grows
Vietnam put its entire southern region in a two-week lockdown starting midnight Sunday, as confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 3,000 for the third day in a row. The lockdown order includes the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City metropolis, the country’s financial and economic hub with ...
AP News
As Thailand hit by its worst COVID outbreak, economic risks rise
Thailand risks fueling its decade-high unemployment rate and household debt with the imposition of lockdown-like measures to contain the deadliest Covid outbreak to hit the nation. The greater Bangkok area, accounting for about 50% of Thailand’s gross domestic product, will shutter shopping malls, spas, massage and ...
Suttinee Yuvejwattana and Randy Thanthong-Knight | Bloomberg