In this file photo taken on Feb 28, 2022, passengers and loved ones reunite at the arrivals hall on the first day of New Zealanders returning from Australia after the border reopened for travelers observing home self-isolation rules, at the Auckland international airport.(DAVID ROWLAND / AFP)
CANBERRA / HANOI / SINGAPORE – Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed Senator Anne Ruston will take over as the minister for health if the government is re-elected.
Morrison on Sunday announced that Ruston, currently the Minister for Families and Social Services and Minister for Women's Safety, will replace the retiring Greg Hunt should the Coalition win a fourth consecutive term in government on May 21.
He said that Ruston's role in social services made her the right candidate to lead Australia's ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday morning, Australia reported more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases. Six new deaths were reported in New South Wales, the country's most populous state
"Anne's experience as a senior minister managing a complex portfolio touching millions of lives makes her the right pick to help guide Australia's health system out of the pandemic," Morrison said in a media release.
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"I know she'll bring that ability to understand complex issues, and her compassion to the health portfolio."
Ruston said she was honored to be appointed to the portfolio.
"Healthcare has been a part of my life ever since I was born as my mum was a nurse in our regional town, which also gave me great insight into the vital role country hospitals play in the lives of their communities," Ruston said.
According to the latest Department of Health data, there had been approximately 5.17 million confirmed cases and 6,762 deaths in Australia as of Saturday afternoon. The number of new cases reported in the previous 24 hours was 41,660.
There were about 3,002 coronavirus cases being treated in Australian hospitals including 134 in intensive care units.
So far about 69 percent of the eligible population have received booster vaccines in the country.
On Sunday morning, Australia reported more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases. Six new deaths were reported in New South Wales, the country's most populous state.
Singapore
Singapore reported 1,670 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total tally to 1,157,251.
Of the new cases, 254 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 1,416 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 245 were local transmissions and nine were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 1,375 local transmissions and 41 imported cases, respectively.
A total of 262 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with eight cases in intensive care units.
Three deaths were reported from COVID-19 on Saturday, lifting the total death toll to 1,313, the ministry said.
Youths between the age of 12 to 17 wait after getting doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine in Hanoi on Nov 23, 2021. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)
Vietnam
Vietnam recorded 18,474 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, down by 1,602 from Friday, according to its Ministry of Health.
The new infections, which are all domestically transmitted, are reported in 62 cities and provinces.
The Vietnamese capital Hanoi remained the epidemic hotspot with 1,361 new cases reported on Saturday, followed by the northern provinces of Phu Tho with 1,070 and Bac Giang with 874.
Also on Saturday, local health authorities of northern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province reported 4,880 previously detected COVID-19 cases.
The newly recorded infections brought the total tally to 10,417,887 with 42,934 deaths. Nationwide, as many as 8,931,374 COVID-19 patients, or nearly 86 percent of the infections, have so far recovered.
More than 209.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the Southeast Asian country, including nearly 192.1 million shots on people aged 18 and above, said the ministry.
Vietnam has by far gone through four coronavirus waves of increasing scale, complication, and infectivity. As of Saturday, it has registered more than 10.4 million locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since the start of the current wave in April 2021, said the health ministry.