Asia-Pacific countries on high alert of COVID-19 pandemic as possibility of resurgence remains

Asia-Pacific countries are still fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic with an alarming resurgence of infections, as three Vietnamese tested positive again for COVID-19 after being discharged from hospitals upon recovery.

Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday that a total of eight patients have retested positive after recovery in the country as of Monday noon.

Vietnam has reported a total of 270 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 222 patients cured. There have been no deaths in the country so far.

India reported 14 new deaths and 488 new infections since Monday morning, taking the number of deaths to 886 and total cases to 28,380.

So far 6,362 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

Bangladesh's death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has topped 150 as the spread of the virus still shows no sign of abating with hundreds of new cases reported every day in the country.

The number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 5,913, including 497 new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours, and the death toll has risen to 152.

Coronavirus cases in Japan increased by 144 to 13,585, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities on Monday evening.

The nationwide death toll from the virus has now increased to 396, including those from a cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo.

Thailand reported nine new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily increase of the cases since Jan. 27.

The total number of infections now stands at 2,931, and 2,609 people have recovered, with 270 patients remaining in hospital.

Indonesia confirmed 214 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total in the country to 9,096.

A total of 765 deaths have been recorded in the country, an increase of 22 over the past 24 hours.

Around 1,151 people have recovered from the disease, 44 more compared with the previous day.

The Philippines registered 198 new cases of the COVID-19, taking the country's total number to 7,777, health authorities said.

The health department said that 70 more patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 932, and 10 more patients have died, taking the death toll to 511.

South Korea reported 10 more cases compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Monday local time, raising the total number to 10,738.

The daily caseload hovered around 10 for the ninth consecutive day.

One more death was confirmed, raising the death toll to 243. The total fatality rate came in at 2.26 percent.

New Zealand reported one more death, bringing the death toll to 19.

One new confirmed case and four new probable cases of COVID-19 were reported over the past 24 hours, with the total number of infections being 1,469.

New Zealand moved from COVID-19 Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3 at 11:59 p.m. local time on Monday, relaxing on some businesses. The country will stay in Alert Level 3 for two weeks before a further review and Alert Level decision on May 11.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)