Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has reactivated the campaign to protect people of the high-risk groups against the COVID-19 pandemic, including those aged over 50, those with underlying diseases and pregnant women, Deputy Director of the city’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Le Hong Nga said on April 27.

Many localities are stepping up COVID-19 vaccination for vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.

Laos’s National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has urged high-risk groups to go to health facilities to be vaccinated in the context that the country has recorded an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in recent days.

Hanoi is collecting 1 million samples for COVID-19 screening tests from residents in the areas and 13 groups of people at high risk from August 18 to 20, the city's Centre for Disease Control (CDC) said.

Thailand on January 25 announced it will begin the national COVID-19 vaccination programme in February by administering 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to high-risk groups.

A diphtheria outbreak has officially been announced at the district level in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.