A healthcare worker is vaccinated against COVID-19 at a hospital in Kolkata, India. Photo: AP In India, the number of infections on May 30 was 165,553 cases, the lowest level in the past 6 weeks. The number of deaths also tended to decrease, to 3,460 cases and the third day in a row below 4,000 cases.

The vaccination campaign is being accelerated by India, although vaccine supply remains a big challenge. As of May 30, India has injected more than 212 million doses of the vaccine, ranking third in the world after China and the US. About 12% of the population was vaccinated with at least one dose, of which 3.1% were fully vaccinated. Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s government said on May 30 that about 120 million doses of the vaccine will be included in the vaccination program in June, a significant increase from 79.8 million doses in May. , government advisers also said that India could reach a supply of 2 billion doses of vaccine between August and December this year, mainly from two domestic manufacturers, the Serum Institute of India (Serum Institute of India). SII) – responsible for producing vaccine samples of AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech Company, the focal point of domestic production of Covaxin vaccine. In June, the government will provide 60.9 million doses of vaccine to the states to vaccinate health workers along with some other forces on the frontline against the epidemic, people over 45 years old. About 58.6 million doses will be ordered and distributed by state governments and private hospitals. Malaysia on May 30 recorded 6,999 new cases of COVID-19 and was the 5th consecutive day of outbreaks of infection. The government of this country plans to set up more large-scale vaccination centers, mobilize private medical staff to participate in vaccination campaigns in the context of Malaysia preparing to implement a nationwide shutdown. for a period of two weeks, from June 1-14. Medical staff take samples for COVID-19 testing for people in Selangor, Malaysia on May 23, 2021. Photo: THX/VNA Speaking at an online press conference on May 30, Malaysian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin said the government will establish five new large-scale vaccination centers in Kuala Lumpur and have Two more similar centers could be established in the northern state of Penang and the southern state of Johor. Each of such centers has the capacity to administer 40,000 doses of vaccination per day. The Government will also conduct training and training for doctors and nurses to perform vaccinations, stemming from the fact that some vaccines need different handling and storage methods and are different from conventional vaccines. Mr. Jamaluddin also said that the supply of vaccines will increase in the near future, so the government will mobilize manpower from hospitals and private medical centers to voluntarily participate in the vaccination campaign. According to Jamaluddin, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government is also expected to set up mobile vaccination centers at roads to vaccinate people. Currently, about 6% of Malaysia’s 32 million people have received at least one vaccination. In the Philippines, the head of the Philippine Government’s COVID-19 Task Force, Mr. Czar Carlito Galvez Jr, said on May 30 that more than 5 million doses of the vaccine have been administered to people, after nearly 3 months of implementation. vaccination campaign. People wear masks to prevent COVID-19 infection in Manila, Philippines. Photo: THX/VNA Most of these were administered to priority groups, including 1.4 million doses for healthcare workers, 1.368 million doses for the elderly and 1,150 million doses for people with underlying medical conditions. Vaccines introduced in the Philippines include Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Pfizer. Galvez also said that in June, the Philippines is expected to receive an additional 10 million doses of vaccine, including the amount of vaccine through the Covax Initiative program, 2.3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 1 million doses of vaccine. Sinovac vaccine. The first batch of 250,000 doses of Moderna is also expected to arrive on June 21. The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has set a target of vaccinating about 70 million people or more than 50% of the population this year. However, this plan is facing major challenges. In addition to the limited supply of vaccines, the lack of confidence in Chinese vaccines is also a big barrier. It was Mr. Duterte who recently had to speak to reassure, urging people to avoid the mentality of choosing a vaccine, but to see that having a vaccine to inject is already a good thing.

The center is scheduled to open to the public in May and has pledged to keep fees below those of other charity hospitals in the area. The Kek Lok Si Charity Medical Center is located on the grounds of Lac Lac Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. This is home to a 36.6 meter high bronze statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and a Buddha made from jade mined in Myanmar and carved in China, considered one of the largest jade Buddha statues in the world. . This temple, called Sukhāvati in Sanskrit, which translates as “land of ultimate happiness”, nestled on a hillside, offering panoramic views of the city and sea, is a popular pilgrimage and visitation site. language of the Buddhist followers in the region. Venerable Seck Jit Heng, the temple’s abbot and former President of the Malaysian Buddhist Association, will become the Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Directors. “This is not the first charity hospital in the state, but rest assured that the fees here will be much lower than the lowest fees of all the other charity hospitals here. We only serve Malaysians, especially the poor,” said Dr Teng Hock Nan, Board member and Medical Director at the hospital. The facility has five floors and occupies part of the temple grounds. The center will include X-ray, ultrasound and CT scanners, modular critical care and a hemodialysis center. The hospital will provide 50 beds with 130 staff members, including seven resident consultants, two doctors, two consultants and one visiting consultant. The hospital with modern equipment is working towards 200 beds “We hope to expand our hospital to a total of 200 beds in the future,” said Dr. Teng. Aiming to avoid common medical tourism in the region, Dr Teng said: “If there is an emergency involving foreigners, we will treat them until their condition is reached. they stabilize before being transferred to other hospitals.” The Penang state government has invested RM200,000 (US$48,698) in the hospital, and officials expressed hope that a similar donation would be made every year. “Since the hospital operates entirely on donations, but the costs of the hospital are very high, we hope the state will consider approving the funding for the hospital every year.” Dr. Teng told Penang Premier Chow Kon Yeow when he visited the hospital. In response to this request, Premier Chow called on all NGOs and corporations, the Chinese city hall in Penang, the Penang Chinese chamber of commerce and multinational companies to support the disease. this charity.