Day: April 15, 2022

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ASEAN – RoK financial cooperation centre opens in Jakarta

The Republic of Korea (RoK) has launched an ASEAN – RoK financial cooperation centre in Jakarta, which serves as a gateway for Korean financial firms to enter regional markets and vice-versa.

Ambassador of the RoK to ASEAN Kwon Hee-seog said the centre will provide advisory services on many issues including fintech, financial stability, financial infrastructure, and cryptocurrencies.

More than 30 Korean bankers are already operating in Jakarta and Indonesia, and they will engage in more operations and more investment in financial themes, he noted.

The centre will provide stepping stones for financial organisations of the RoK and ASEAN to exchange information on financial issues, he said, adding that it will work closely with the RoK’s embassies in Southeast Asia.

Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Economic Community, voiced his hope that the cooperation will help improve financial access and inclusive development of ASEAN and Korean enterprises.

He also emphasised the importance of partnership in resolving issues relevant to the initiatives on green and sustainable finance.

Data in 2020 from ASEAN Statistics showed that the RoK’s financial firms opened 153 branches in ASEAN countries, accounting for over one-third of their total branches worldwide. Among the regional countries, Vietnam and Indonesia recorded the most financial companies from the RoK, 54 and 32, respectively, as of September 2021.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Malaysia administers COVID-19 booster shot to protect vulnerable people

As Malaysia now considers COVID-19 an endemic disease, it is important to continue to provide optimal protection for the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly and high-risk individuals, said Dr Anas Alam Faizli, chief executive officer of ProtectHealth.

The planning of a second booster shot is one of such efforts, especially as the Hari Raya Festival – Islam’s biggest festival – approaches, he said.

The ProtectHealth’s CEO advises high-risk individuals to protect themselves against the coronavirus by obtaining their second booster dose.

Malaysia’s Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced on April 14 that those above 60 with comorbidities such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, chronic renal disease, underlying dialysis or chronic liver disease; as well as individuals at home care centres for a long-term who are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection can now obtain a second booster dose after four to six months obtaining the first booster shot.

The vaccine that will be used for the second booster dose is the Pfizer-BioNTech (mRNA Comirnaty).

Anas said that the elderly who are healthy and above 60 years old without comorbidities could only opt for the second booster dose on the advice of a medical professional.

Adolescents aged 12 years old who are moderately or severely immunocompromised such as cancer patients, long-term haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis may get their booster dose at least 28 days after completing their second basic jab, he said.

Malaysia recorded 10,413 new COVID-19 cases on April 14, raising the total caseload in the country to 4,363,024.

According to the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, as of April 14, 84.5 percent of the country’s population have been vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with 79.9 percent receiving two basic doses and 48.9 percent obtaining the first booster shot

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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COVID-19: Vietnam records 20,076 new cases on April 15

A total 20,076 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on April 15, down 2,936 cases from the previous day, according to the Ministry of Health.

Hanoi continued to report the highest number of infections on the day with 1,425 cases, followed by Phu Tho with 1,094 and Bac Giang with 935.

Besides, central Nghe An province added 53,858 cases to the national caseload after verifying information.

The national tally reached 10,394,533.

A total 6,417 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on April 15, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 8,863,044.

There are 1,242 patients in critical conditions, while an additional 23 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total fatalities to 42,924, equal to 0.4 percent of the total caseload.

By April 14, the country had injected 209,101,297 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Source: Vietnam News Agency