Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at Suri Seri Begawan Raja Pengiran Anak Damit Mosque in an effort to counter the spread of the COVID-19 in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei on March 17, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / SINGAPORE / YANGON / HANOI / MANILA – Nearly all COVID-19 fatalities in Brunei were patients with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) or risk factors, a senior health ministry official said.
According to the local daily Borneo Bulletin on Tuesday, Ong Sok King, head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention Unit of the Ministry of Health, told a health workshop that more than two-thirds of premature deaths (deaths before 70 years old) in the sultanate are caused by NCDs, with the most common being cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancer.
During the pandemic, over 75 percent of COVID-19 deaths with severe COVID-19 symptoms had NCDs or risk factors, she said.
Ong said Brunei is projected to become an aging society, with 14 percent of the population aged 65 and above by 2035, amid an increasing NCD burden as older people are at higher risk of chronic diseases.
"Over the past five decades, we have seen changes in the 10 leading causes of death in Brunei, shifting from dominantly communicable diseases to NCDs," she added.
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A staff member transfers China-donated COVID-19 vaccines at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Sept 9, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Myanmar
Myanmar confirmed 292 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 626,982, according to the Ministry of Health on Tuesday.
The ministry said in a statement that the health authorities tested 11,018 people for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and the daily positivity rate was 2.65 percent.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the country remained unchanged at 19,467 on Tuesday as no new deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry said.
Philippines
The Philippines reported 1,554 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,971,455.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases dipped to 25,004, while 32 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 63,329.
Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 575 new cases.
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A notice warning people not to gather in groups larger than five persons as part of restrictions to hald the spread of the coronavirus is displayed at Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on Jan 4, 2022. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 11,732 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 1,969,648.
Of the new cases, 747 were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 10,985 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.
Among the PCR cases, 727 were local transmissions and 20 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 10,672 local transmissions and 313 imported cases.
Two new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, taking the total death toll to 1,634.
Vietnam
Vietnam recorded 1,226 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, up by 181 from Monday, according to its ministry of health.
All the new cases were locally transmitted, said the ministry.
The newly reported infections brought the total tally to 11,488,685. The country reported a new death from the pandemic in the northern city of Hai Phong on Tuesday, bringing the total fatalities to 43,154.