Category: Health

Some 2,665 new Covid-19 cases and four new fatalities attributed to Covid-19 have been reported nationwide over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 179,563 including 6,436 active cases and 669 deaths, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The new infections were detected among 5,670 people tested for Covid-19 yesterday. Of the new confirmed cases, 2,655 were classified as domestic infections and ten as imported cases.

On Thursday, some 437 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital nationwide.

The highest number of domestic transmissions were reported in Vientiane with 1,346 cases, followed by Savannakhet 196, Xayaboury 173, Vientiane (province) 147, Khammuan 99, Phongsaly 91, Luang Prabang 87 and Attapeu 80.

Source: Lao News Agency

The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has urged members of the public to take part in reducing daily Covid-19 infections by complying with anti-Covid-19 measures including getting vaccinated, washing hands with gels or soaps, avoiding crowded places and mass gatherings or orgasiging risky activities.

Laos has recorded a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections over the past three weeks with daily infections jumping from merely 200 on Mar 9 to more than 2,000 today.

Some 2,183 new Covid-19 cases and two fatalities attributed to Covid-19 have been reported nationwide over the previous 24 hours with the total caseload reaching 171,439 including 6,527 active cases and 663 deaths.

“The daily Covid-19 infections are mostly dominated by family members, relatives, all walks of life and usually detected in crowded places,” said Deputy Director of the National Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Bouaphanh Khamphaphongphane.

She attributed the rising in number of new daily cases of Covid-19 in recent days to people’s routine activities that fail to comply strictly and properly with anti-Covid-19 measures.

Of the new infections, detected among 4,658 people tested for Covid-19 yesterday, 2,175 were classified as domestic infections and eight as imported cases.

Some 381 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals nationwide yesterday.

Most of the new infections were reported in Vientiane with 1,132 cases, followed by Xayaboury 150, Savannakhet 138, Vientiane (province) 117, Khammuan 97, and Oudomxay 92.

Source: Lao News Agency

UNFPA is supporting young people in the Lao PDR to safeguard their mental health amid the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 in the country.

Vice Dean of the Faculty of Education, National University of Laos (NUOL), Kongsy CHOUNLAMANY, said many young people in the country faced elevated mental health pressures – such as stress, anxiety, worry and fear with regard to sexual reproductive health, gender equality and gender-based violence (GBV) – due to the pandemic.

“MHPSS – mental health psychosocial support – is important and helpful for individuals who have problems to understand themselves and their environment and be able to plan and make decisions to solve problems for a better future. So, counselors play important roles to help young people to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to handle the problems in their lives,” said Dr. CHOUNLAMANY, a core trainer on MHPSS.

In response to these pressures, UNFPA is strengthening the government system by supporting NUOL to develop a professional training course on MHPSS along with supporting materials for counselors and volunteer students to better address young people’s needs during the pandemic. Already 63 counselors from the Lao Youth Union (LYU), Lao Women’s Union (LWU) and Vientiane Youth Centre (VYC) as well as 320 youth volunteers from National University of Laos received orientation on developing professional training courses and improved linkages with comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), youth-friendly services and GBV prevention and response.

“Protecting young people, especially their mental health along with sexual and reproductive health is a priority. Young people play an essential role in the sustainable national recovery from the pandemic. During 2021, over 120,000 adolescents and young people received counseling through hotline/helplines, outreach, on-site and online modalities, serviced by counselors and youth volunteers. The demand is great and we hope to reach and respond to more youth,” said UNFPA Representative to Lao PDR Mariam A. Khan.

UNFPA is working with the Government of the Lao PDR, international development and civil society organizations as well as young people in response to the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic. Youth focused interventions include provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers delivering youth friendly outreach services; support to LYU, LWU and VYC to set up telephone helplines for provision of psychosocial support; Noi-Yakhoo Mobile App for youth; risk communication campaigns and strengthened GBV support services. With the MOES, as part of the education sector response plan for COVID-19, CSE videos and programmes for students were developed and promoted through social media platforms.

They will be used long term as resources to provide online information on life skills, sexual and reproductive health, gender equity and GBV support for adolescents and young people in the Lao PDR.

Source: Lao News Agency

Some 2,212 new cases of Covid-19 and two new fatalities attributed to the Coronavirus have been recorded over the past 24 hours, according to the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control, Ministry of Health Dr Sisavath Soutthanilaxay told a press conference today that the new infections were detected among 5,277 samples tested for Covid-19 nationwide on Thursday.

The new daily cases included 2,193 domestic transmissions and 19 imported cases with Vientiane reporting the largest number of domestic infections of 1,022 followed by Khammuan 157, Xayaboury 151, Savannakhet 144, Saravan 138, and Xieng Khuang 91.

The total caseload of Covid-19 in the Lao PDR has reached 164,078 including 654 deaths and 4,830 active cases.

As of Mar 24, over 5.5 million people, equivalent to 76.03% of population in the country, have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centre of Information and Education for Health, Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the number of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 currently reaches over 4.4 million people, accounting for 60.58% of the population, and those given a booster shot has shared 16.60% of the population.

Source: Lao News Agency

Laos has logged 2,819 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours, the highest ever recorded on a single day basis since the first case was detected in late March 2020.

The new infections were detected among 7,010 samples tested for Covid-19 nationwide.

These included 2,776 domestic infections and 43 imported cases with most of the domestic transmissions detected in Vientiane with 1,084, Savannakhet 388, Vientiane (province) 228, Xayaboury 240, Xieng Khuang 145, Khammuan 139 and Oudomxay 87.

The total caseload of Covid-19 in the Lao PDR has reached 161,866 including 652 deaths.

Source: Lao News Agency

The government has urged relevant sectors and authorities to make people realize the importance and necessity of vaccination against Covid-19 and consider it as their individual obligation and act of patriotism.

As of Mar 23, over 5.5 million people, representing 75.72% of population in the country, have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centre of Information and Education for Health, Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the number of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 currently stands at 4.4 million people, equivalent to 60.40% of the population, and those given a booster shot represent 15.3% of the population.

Source: Lao News Agency