The minister said he has asked medical personnel to be prepared to handle the situation, and cited the Division of Epidemiology's report that the outbreak has started to wane and its peak already passed.

Thailand recorded 53,563 COVID-19 cases with five deaths from May 18 to 24. So far this year, the country reported a total of 186,955 cases and 46 deaths.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 25,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded globally over the past month. Notably, from January 1 to May 10, Thailand reported nearly 54,000 infections and 16 deaths. The rise in cases in Thailand has been linked to the spread of XBB.1.16 subvariant.

Recently, HCM City has experienced a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases, with 26 reported in just one week, compared to an average of only 1-2 cases weekly earlier this year.

Since the beginning of this year, 148 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in 27 provinces and cities across the nation. In response to the situation, the Ministry of Health has proactively strengthened surveillance, while enhancing prevention and control measures at healthcare facilities and within communities.

The UK's University of Stirling has announced a 3.5 million GBP (4.55 million USD) initiative named AquaSoS to develop digital tools to support sustainable aquaculture in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, according to the British Embassy in Vietnam.

India’s news site fibre2fashion.com has highlighted Vietnam’s economic development with positive signs.

The Ministry of Public Security on October 2 completed the investigation of the "repatriation flight" case’s second period, clarified the criminal acts, and found sufficient grounds to propose the prosecution of 17 officials on charges of "bribing, accepting bribes, abusing position and powers while performing official duties and concealing crimes”.

The Airborne Infection Defence Platform (AIDP) was officially launched on August 8 to strengthen ASEAN countries’ tuberculosis (TB) response, and health care system and pandemic preparedness to address the growing issue of airborne respiratory infections.

COVID-19 is now being found primarily among at-risk groups such as the elderly and people with pre-existing illnesses, the Thai Department of Disease Control (DDC) said in its latest report on July 3.

Thailand’s leading virologist Prof. Yong Poovorawan has warned that KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly supplanting the JN.1 strain, which held sway in Thailand since late last year.

The updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is now available under Singapore's national vaccination programme, the Singaporean Ministry of Health (MOH) said on May 28.

Facing an unpredictable global COVID-19 situation with new sub-variants continuing to emerge, Vietnam's Ministry of Health has issued updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations to bolster immunity, especially for high-risk groups.

The High People's Court in Hanoi will hear the appeals of former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and 10 other defendants in the COVID-19 test kit fraud that occurred at Viet A Technologies JSC, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology and related agencies and organisations, on May 15.

Thailand’s number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise over the past week from April 28 to May 4, with 1,792 people hospitalised and 12 succumbed to the disease, according to the country’s Department of Disease Control.

A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand has increased after Songkran celebrations as the JN.1 strain remains dominant in the country, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC) of Thailand.

Vietnam has established itself as one of the leading countries in the fight against emerging diseases in the context of a number of dangerous and fast-spreading epidemics in the world over the past years like COVID-19 and earlier, SARS or MERS-CoV.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, JN.1 variant coronavirus infections are on the rise in Ho Chi Minh City. The ministry asked health establishments to continue conducting genomic sequencing to detect new variants and pathogens while organising additional vaccinations against COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2’s sub-variant JN.1, a variant of concern, has been found in COVID-19 patients hospitalised in Ho Chi Minh City in December 2023, according to Deputy Director of the city Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) Le Hong Nga.