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Japan plans to cover all COVID-19 vaccination costs

Feb 05. 2021

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga answers a question at the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives on Thursday. (The Yomiuri Shimbun)

By The Japan News/ANN

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday the government is thinking of covering all costs required for COVID-19 vaccinations.

“We will do our utmost to support each local government to ensure they have a complete system in place,” Suga said during a lower house Budget Committee meeting attended by all Cabinet members.

Suga also reiterated his intention to move up the start of vaccinations for medical personnel to mid-February. He added that vaccinations for people 65 and over are planned to begin in April.

Regarding non-regular employees at large companies who could not receive the subsidy for leave they were forced to take because of the pandemic, Suga said: “We are having the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry study who qualifies for the subsidy. We want the ministry to put together a concrete response as soon as possible.”

The Budget Committee of the House of Representatives asked other basic questions regarding the draft budget for fiscal 2021, kicking off the actual deliberations on the budget.

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S. Korea’s COVID-19 cases exceed 80,000 amid tough virus curbs

Feb 05. 2021This photo taken Thursday, shows a closed karaoke bar in western Seoul after dozens of people have tested positive for COVID-19 in connection to the bar since Jan. 29. (Yonhap)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

South Korea surpassed a grim milestone in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as its total COVID-19 caseload broke the 80,000 mark Friday.

The country added 370 more COVID-19 cases, including 351 local infections, raising the total caseload to 80,131, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Daily infections fell from 467 on Wednesday and 451 on Tuesday after staying under 400 the three previous days.

The KDCA said it will decide on whether to adjust the current social distancing rules on Saturday ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday that falls later next week.

New virus infections had been slowing down since the third wave of the pandemic peaked at a record high of 1,241 daily cases on Dec. 25.

But the number recently spiked due mainly to cluster infections from unauthorized education facilities run by a local Christian missionary group, called the International Mission (IM).

Group infections have been reported from private gatherings and various facilities as well.

Amid a flare-up in virus cases, the KDCA on Sunday extended Level 2.5 social distancing rules, the second highest in a five-tier scheme, in the greater Seoul area and Level 2 measures in other regions until Feb. 14.

Under the extended rules, gatherings of five or more people are also banned across almost the entire country.

Authorities remain cautious about easing social distancing rules before the Lunar New Year holiday, saying relaxing the curbs runs the risk of an uptick as cluster infections have continued to pop up at religious facilities, hospitals and other risk-prone establishments.

Of the newly identified local infections, 122 cases were reported in Seoul and 110 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, reported 25 more cases.

The southern port city of Busan reported 33 more virus cases, Daegu and the South Chungcheong Province added 14 and 11 more cases, respectively.

The country added 19 imported cases, increasing the total to 6,444. Eight cases came from Asian countries, except for China, followed by five cases from the United States, three from Europe and three from Africa.

The country added 11 more deaths, raising the total to 1,459. The fatality rate was 1.82 percent.

The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients reached 200, down from 211 a day earlier.

The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 70,117, up 413 from the previous day.

The country has carried out 5,847,178 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3, 2020. The country reported its first case on Jan. 20 last year.

The KDCA said Thursday it acknowledges the possibility of a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic in March in the face of an increase in the number of virus variant cases.

The number of the coronavirus variant cases reported in South Korea reached 39 as of Thursday.

South Korea has extended the ban on passenger flights arriving from Britain, which has been in place since Dec. 23, until Thursday to block the new virus variant.

All arrivals from foreign countries are required to present papers showing negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests taken within 72 hours of their departure to South Korea. (Yonhap)

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Suu Kyi faces detention until Feb 15

Feb 05. 2021

By YANG HAN
China Daily/ANN

Myanmar’s new state council starts work, more emergency plans unveiled

Myanmar’s newly installed State Administration Council, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, began governing the country on Wednesday－two days after a yearlong state of emergency was declared.

The new authority’s start to work came as some officials were allowed to return home after being detained.

Sources from the National League for Democracy, or NLD, and the military said State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint were in good health. They were among those detained on Monday.

An NLD official said U Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi will be held in detention until Feb 15, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

Suu Kyi was charged under the Export and Import Law as handheld radios that were illegally imported and used without permission were found in a search of her residence in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw.

The military and the police have yet to make any statements in response to the information from the NLD, Xinhua said.

Those officials allowed to go home included a number of regional and state chief ministers. The military indicated that more officials will be let out of detention.

On Tuesday, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services said the 11-member State Administration Council had been formed in line with Section 419 of Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution.

Chaired by Min Aung Hlaing as commander-in-chief of defense services, the council includes Vice-Senior General Soe Win, serving as deputy chairman. The council also set up a six-member Union Election Committee, in line with the Constitution, to prepare for elections promised by the military for the end of the yearlong emergency.

Unlike with previous military takeovers in Myanmar, most of those appointed to what will serve as the cabinet are civil servants, said Min Zaw Oo, executive director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security.

In the first meeting of newly appointed ministers after a major cabinet reshuffle, Min Aung Hlaing unveiled further plans to be implemented during the state of emergency. These include the reopening of religious buildings and pagodas that had been shut because of COVID-19. Domestic travel networks will reopen along with hotels, and relaxations in curbs will help other affected industries.

Key tasks

Among the key tasks for the council are revitalizing the country’s economy, providing job opportunities for the unemployed and repatriating Myanmar citizens who have been stuck overseas during the pandemic, Xinhua cited a statement from Myanmar’s Military True News Information Team as saying.

At the cabinet meeting, Min Aung Hlaing said it was inevitable that the army had to take power given the protests over alleged election fraud last year, according to the Myanmar Times. The electoral commission had dismissed such claims over the November poll, the newspaper said.

Min Aung Hlaing said the military had carefully considered the effects of its actions and implemented them in line with the country’s laws.

Min Zaw Oo said the situation could have been resolved through dialogue, but noted that tensions had escalated.

He said “the most important issue” facing the country will be the transition from military supervision to an elected government.

The country should aim for a scenario in which the council can eventually hold the elections and enable the operation of a new government, he said. “That should be the strategic objective for all domestic and international stakeholders,” Min Zaw Oo said.

While the situation in the capital Nay Pyi Taw remained calm, supporters of the military-back parties were seen celebrating on the streets. However, in Yangon, the country’s largest city, hundreds of people blared car horns and lit candles on Tuesday evening in a show of support for Suu Kyi’s party.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.

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China, Japan agree to manage differences in maritime affairs

Feb 05. 2021

By China Daily/ANN

BEIJING – China and Japan have agreed to properly manage their differences through dialogue and pragmatically promote cooperation in maritime affairs, making the East China Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship.

The agreement was reached during the 12th round of high-level consultations on maritime affairs held between the two countries via video link on Wednesday. Based on a meeting of delegation heads on Jan. 20, this round of consultations saw a plenary meeting for the consultation mechanism and three working group meetings on maritime defense, maritime law enforcement and security, and the marine economy.

Stressing the importance of peace and stability in the East China Sea, the two sides agreed to hold annual and special meetings for the defense sector’s maritime and air liaison mechanism as soon as possible, accelerate the construction of a direct telephone line under the mechanism, and strengthen crisis management and control to prevent unexpected events.

China and Japan reached a consensus on maritime search cooperation between the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Japan Coast Guard, combating maritime crimes and promoting exchanges between law enforcement officers.

The two sides agreed to promote exchanges concerning marine environmental protection and to further strengthen cooperation on the prevention and control of marine plastic waste.

They also agreed to carry out exchanges between maritime personnel from the two foreign ministries, promote exchanges between young officials, and support exchanges and cooperation among think tanks as well as academic and educational institutions.

The two sides pledged to cooperate further in combating illegal fishing, promoting eel resource management and conserving fishery resources in the North Pacific.

They also exchanged views on marine resources and energy, wastewater treatment at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, marine science and technology, and marine industrial cooperation.

They agreed in principle to hold the 13th round of high-level consultations on maritime affairs later this year. 

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World Economic Forum in Singapore postponed from May to Aug 17-20

Feb 04. 2021Current global travel restrictions have made planning for an in-person meeting in the first half of the year difficult. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

By Ng Keng Gene
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – The World Economic Forum (WEF) has postponed its special annual meeting in Singapore from May to August, due to the global Covid-19 situation.

The meeting will now take place from Aug 17 to 20, the WEF said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 3) night.

“Although the WEF and Government of Singapore remain confident of the measures in place to ensure a safe and effective meeting, and local transmission of Covid-19 in Singapore remains at negligible levels, the change to the meeting’s timing reflects the international challenges in containing the pandemic,” said the organisation.

It noted that current global travel restrictions have made planning for an in-person meeting in the first half of the year difficult.

“Furthermore, differing quarantine and air transport regulations have increased the lead time necessary to ensure that participants globally can make arrangements to join,” it said.

Responding to queries, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said the Government understands the challenges faced by the WEF and has agreed to the reschedule.

“We will continue to partner the World Economic Forum closely to host a safe and successful special annual meeting in Singapore,” the MTI added.

The annual meeting, which gathers top political, business and academic leaders to discuss pressing global issues, has traditionally been held in Davos, Switzerland at the end of January.

But the pandemic meant that this year’s edition was to be held in Singapore from May 13 to 16. This was subsequently pushed back to May 25 to 28.

The WEF said the 2021 meeting in Singapore will be the first global leadership summit to address the challenges of recovering from the pandemic and laying the basis for a more inclusive and sustainable world.

“It will bring leaders face to face to focus on shaping solutions to the most pressing challenges of our times,” it added.

WEF founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab encouraged global stakeholders to participate in the August summit in the statement on Wednesday.

“(The meeting) will provide the place for leaders from business, government and civil society to come together to address the steps for global recovery,” he said.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan had told Parliament in January that all WEF participants will have to abide by strict public health requirements.

These include undergoing a rigorous Covid-19 testing regimen involving pre-departure and on-arrival tests, as well as adhering to strict safe management measures.

Speaking at the WEF’s Davos Agenda virtual event last week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that the WEF plays an important role in promoting dialogue, as a forum where leaders from countries large and small alike can speak and be heard. 

That is why Singapore agreed to host the WEF’s special annual meeting, he added. “Not a decision lightly taken, but we are happy to make a modest contribution to the global discussion.”    

As the host country, Singapore will work with the WEF to ensure the health and safety of all, he said.

The meeting saw about 3,000 participants gather in Davos last January. The WEF has said that the Singapore meeting would be a hybrid conference, with some joining virtually.

Although the number of people expected at the meeting has not been confirmed, The Business Times has reported that the WEF is aiming to attract around 1,000 delegates and intends to hold the event at the Marina Bay Sands complex.

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India becomes fastest country to reach 4 million COVID19 vaccination mark

Feb 04. 2021

By The Statesman/ANN

India’s trajectory of leaping across landmarks in its fight against the global pandemic continues.

In a significant achievement, India has become the fastest country in the world to reach the 4 million COVID19 vaccination mark.

The country has achieved this feat in 18 days.

As on 1st February 2021, India was among the top five countries in terms of the number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered to people. India continues to undertake its vaccination drive at a fast pace.

India’s fight against Covid-19 is bringing daily successes on other fronts as well.

83.01% of the new cases are from 6 States and UTs. (PIB image)

14 States/UTs have not reported any deaths in the last 24 hours. These states are A&N Islands, D&D & D&N, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Lakshadweep, Ladakh (UT), Sikkim, Manipur, Puducherry, Goa, Odisha and Assam.

With a high number of COVID patients recovering every day and the sustained fall in the mortality rate, India’s steady trend of registering dipping active cases continues.

The country’s active cases have declined further to 1,60,057 in the last 24 hours. The Active Caseload of the country has fallen below 1.5% (1.49% presently) of the total cases.

11,039 new confirmed cases were recorded in the last 24 hours in the country, 14,225  new recoveries were registered in the same period. It has led to a net decline of 3,296 cases from the total active caseload.

The total recovered cases are 1,04,62,631. TheNational Recovery rate (97.08%) continues to be one of the highest globally.

The gap between active cases and recovered cases is continuously increasing and stands at 1,03,02,574.

31States and UTs have less than 5,000 active cases.

8 States and UTs have weekly positivity rate higher than the national average (1.91%). Kerala has the highest weekly positivity rate of 12%, followed by Chhattisgarh with 7%.

As on 3rd February 2021, till 8 AM, more than 41 lakh (41,38,918) beneficiaries have received the vaccination under the countrywide COVID19 vaccination exercise.

In the last 24 hours, 1,88,762 healthcare workers were vaccinated across 3,845 sessions.

76,576 sessions have been conducted so far.

The number of beneficiaries being vaccinated every day has shown a progressive increase.

85.62% of the newly recovered cases are recorded in 8 States/UTs. Kerala has contributed the highest number to the newly recovered cases (5,747), followed by Maharashtra(4,011) and Tamil Nadu (521).

83.01% of the new cases are from 6 States and UTs.

Kerala has reported the highest daily new cases at 5,716. It is followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with 1,927and 510 new cases each respectively.

110 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Five States/UTs account for 66.36%of these.

Maharashtra reported maximum casualties with 30 new fatalities. It is followed by Kerala with 16 new daily deaths.

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Samsung’s Q4 smartphone sales rise in US: report

Feb 04. 2021Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE(Samsung Electronics Co.)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

Samsung Electronics Co.’s smartphone sales in the United States rose in the fourth quarter of 2020 on the back of its budget flagship model, a report showed Thursday, despite overall market decline.

Samsung and Apple Inc. were the only smartphone makers to post sales growth in the United States in the last three months of 2020, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research.

The South Korean tech giant saw 5 percent on-year growth in its US smartphone sales in the fourth quarter, while Apple posted 14 percent on-year growth on its home turf, the market researcher said.

Both Samsung and Apple bucked the overall US smartphone market’s 6 percent on-year decline in the October-December period.

“Q4 2020 was a particularly challenging quarter for many OEMs, especially those who manufacture devices for the prepaid and lower price band markets,” said Jeff Fieldhack, a director at Counterpoint Research, using an abbreviation for original equipment manufacturers. “On the other hand, premium devices did well in the quarter. There was a pent-up demand in the higher price bands as customers spent some of their savings on new gadgets during the holiday period.”

While Apple saw robust sales of its first 5G smartphone, the iPhone 12, Samsung’s performance was apparently led by the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE) 5G, the budget model of its flagship S20 series, Counterpoint Research said.

“The OEM (Samsung) even launched a 256GB variant in the quarter to meet further demand from customers looking to buy a sub-$1,000 device,” said Hanish Bhatia, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research. “Especially during this COVID-19 period, customers are looking to spend less money, but still want specifications of flagship devices.”

But when it comes to yearly sales, both Samsung and Apple posted negative growth in the United States last year, the market researcher added.

In 2020, Samsung’s smartphone sales were down 5 percent from a year ago, while Apple’s sell-through was down 3 percent from a year earlier, its data showed.

South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. saw its sales drop 19 percent in 2020, while Motorola Inc. suffered a 57 percent decline in its sales.

China’s OnePlus was the only smartphone brand that posted sales growth in the United States last year, while the overall smartphone market declined 15 percent year-on-year, Counterpoint Research added.

The market tracker said that Samsung is likely to have a difficult time against Apple in the US in early 2021 despite the release of its new flagship smartphone series, the Galaxy S21.

“The launch of new Samsung Galaxy S21 addresses the pricing issue as each device is $200 less expensive than the S20 series,” it said. “However, January and February tend to be a lull in the market, and with Apple’s current momentum, there will be less opportunities for Samsung to capitalize on.” (Yonhap)

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Mandalay Orthopedic Hospital staff launch red ribbon campaign against military coup

Feb 04. 2021

By Eleven Media

Around 100 staff from Mandalay Orthopedic Hospital including doctors and nurses launched a “red ribbon campaign” in protest against the military coup at about 9 am today.    

The doctors were photographed holding a vinyl placard reading “We oppose the military’s takeover of power from the people’s government”.  

“Our campaign today is to protest the military’s forcible takeover of power from the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi-led government democratically elected by our people by making best use of their weapons. But we have compassion for the patients. Some of us will remain here. Today, the operation theatre will be closed. We have no out-patients. All work has stopped,” said a doctor who participated in the campaign. 

Currently at the hospital, some staff still want to continue to work while some will not be working any more. They said they would extend their campaign and make demands. 

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Myanmar police file charges against president, Suu Kyi

Feb 04. 2021

By China Daily/ANN

YANGON – Myanmar President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi have been charged by the police and will be remanded in custody until Feb 15, a National League for Democracy (NLD) official confirmed on Wednesday.

Police charged Win Myint under the National Disaster Management Law and State Counsellor Suu Kyi under the Export and Import Law, Kyi Toe, an information committee member of the party, said on his social media account.

Police documents showed that Win Myint and his family met people on the NLD’s campaign trail on Sept 20 last year ahead of the November general elections. He was charged with breaching COVID-19 related measures under the Natural Disaster Management Law.

Suu Kyi was charged under the Export and Import Law as hand-held radios that were illegally imported and used without permission were found at her residence in the capital city of Naypyitaw.

Police requested the court to order the detention of the two leaders for 15 days from Feb 1 to 15, saying that they needed “to question the witnesses, request evidence and legal counsel”.

The president and state counselor, along with other NLD officials, were detained by the military early Monday.

The NLD posted a statement on its social media page on Wednesday, demanding the release of the detained leaders. They also called on the military to acknowledge the results of the 2020 general elections and stop hindering the process of convening the third parliamentary session.

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[Singapore] One-time check-in at public venues when entry via TraceTogether kicks in

Feb 03. 2021A single check-in with the TraceTogether app or token to public venues such as malls will suffice in the future. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

By Kenny Chee
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – The inconvenience of checking in and out with SafeEntry at different stores within a shopping centre will be a thing of the past once compulsory TraceTogether-only SafeEntry kicks in.

A single check-in with the TraceTogether app or token to public venues such as malls will suffice in the future, according to a written parliamentary reply on Monday evening (Feb 1).

Currently, people who visit public places that have many visitors or have a high transmission risk of Covid-19 – malls, dine-in eateries and workplaces, for example – must check-in using SafeEntry or TraceTogether for contact tracing purposes in the event of a detected coronavirus case.

After checking in, they have to do so again when entering other places within the venue, such as large shops in a mall.

Check-ins using TraceTogether is not mandatory for now.

But Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said in a written parliamentary reply to Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied) that with the better TraceTogether coverage after the implementation of TraceTogether-only SafeEntry at public places, “we will also remove some existing SafeEntry check-ins to minimise public inconvenience”.

“For example, after checking in to a mall via TraceTogether-only SafeEntry, a customer would no longer need to check in to larger retail stores and supermarkets inside the mall,” said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security.

But there are exceptions.

Regardless of prior check-ins, patrons need to still check in with TraceTogether-only SafeEntry at establishments where the transmission risk is higher, as people are likely to be in close proximity for long periods of time or may remove their masks for legitimate reasons, like to exercise in a gym or eat at a food and beverage outlet.

The Smart Nation and Digital Government Office said last month that TraceTogether-only SafeEntry will be implemented “only after everyone has had a chance to collect a (TraceTogether) token in their constituencies, and a reasonable period of national distribution is achieved”.

More than 80 per cent of the population have downloaded the TraceTogether app or collected the token.

Public venues are not required to implement TraceTogether-only SafeEntry now, except for events or businesses that are part of ongoing pilots, such as live performances, cinemas and selected nightlife venues.

When TraceTogether-only SafeEntry is implemented, people will not be able to check in by scanning the SafeEntry QR code with a phone camera or the SingPass mobile app, or the barcodes on their NRICs.

This is an issue for some as they have concerns over using the TraceTogether app or token, such as after it emerged last month that the police could use TraceTogether data for investigations into serious crimes including murder and rape.

On Monday, Mr Teo said the Government estimates that more than half of the 40,000 public venues, where SafeEntry is currently mandatory, have already begun accepting TraceTogether token check-ins and are also ready to implement TraceTogether-only SafeEntry.

He also said the Government will help business to get ready for a smooth transition to TraceTogether-only SafeEntry, in his reply to Mr Perera’s question on the matter.

Safe-distancing ambassadors will guide businesses in using the free SafeEntry Business app – already used for reading ID barcodes like those on the NRIC – to scan the QR codes on TraceTogether tokens for check-ins. The Government has also published online guides on using the app.

Businesses using physical scanners that can only read ID barcodes will need to start using scanners that can read QR codes, or use the SafeEntry Business app.

“We are working on potential solutions that would make it more convenient for public-facing businesses to enable the checking in of TraceTogether tokens and TraceTogether-only SafeEntry. Details will be announced later,” said Mr Teo.