Laos has confirmed 72 new cases of Covid-19 today, with 51 cases of local transmission and 21 imported cases.
Dr. Phonepaseuth Saymongkhoun led the daily announcement by the National Taskforce today, reporting that Laos had confirmed 72 new cases of Covid-19 after undertaking 6,680 tests, bringing the total number of cases to 1,570.
Of the new cases, Vientiane Capital saw 14 new cases, with 37 new cases in Ton Pheung district, Bokeo Province, while Champasack saw 15 new cases, and Savannakhet saw six new cases.
The country now has 1,013 active cases, with 51 cases of local transmission while 21 new cases in Champasack and Savannakhet provinces were imported cases only.
Dr. Viengkhan Phixay, Deputy Director of Mother and Child Hospital, spoke during the announcement regarding the provision of vaccines.
She said vaccines in use across Laos include AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Sinopharm.
So far the number of people that have received a first dose vaccination in Laos stands at 493,481, while 89,166 people have received a second dose.
The total supply of vaccines currently stands at 1,536,000 doses, which should cover approximately 760,000 people, or 10.3% percent of the population of Laos.
Dr. Viengkhan says the plan for 2021 is to vaccinate 50% of the population, or 3,700,000 people, which will see transmission decrease by 50%.
She said following vaccinations of almost 700,000 people across the country, no deaths of Covid-19 by vaccinated individuals have been recorded.
Dr. Phonepaseuth spoke regarding extra measures that have been put in place by the National Taskforce, including a new mobile testing team that can test on-site where cases of Covid-19 are suspected of spreading.
She said illegal entries remain a challenge for the country and pose a risk of spreading Covid-19.
She urged those who believe they may have come in contact with infected persons to come forward and be tested to ensure they can receive treatment as quickly as possible.
Those who have tested for Covid-19 must self-isolate for fourteen days despite testing negative, while those who test positive will be brought to hospital.
