Hanoi (VNA) – The Lao Ministry of Health reportedon August 2 that the country had recorded an additional 199 COVID-19 infectionsover the past 24 hours, raising the national count to 6,765, including sevenfatalities.

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has instructed southern provinces toimprove the capacity of and open more quarantine centres and hospitals tohandle the expected influx of more migrant workers from neighbouring countries.

Earlier, 3,000 more medical workers from hospitals inVientiane were deployed to provinces with high numbers of returnees andCOVID-19 cases.

Laos also began using Johnson& Johnson’s vaccine againstCOVID-19 to inject its people, especially those with high risks, including theelderly aged above 60 and those with underlying diseases.

Also on August 2, Cambodia recorded 560 new COVID-19infections and 22 deaths, bringing the total counts to 78,474 and 763,respectively.

Cambodia started its mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign onFebruary10, with the aim of having 12 million people (75 percent of itspopulation) vaccinated before November. To date, about 7.38 million people havereceived at least one dose.

The same day, a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign wasconducted in Klang Valley, the hardest-hit region in Malaysia’s COVID-19outbreak.

This is the latest move of the Malaysian government towards thegoal of having 80 percent of its population inoculated by the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said on August 1 that the nation will tighten border measures for travellers from Australiaor China’s Jiangsu province after those places saw surges in COVID-19 cases. The new measures will start on August 2 at 11.59pm.

Incoming travellers - with a travel history to Australiawithin the last 21 days - will have to serve a 14-day stay-home notice (SHN),up from seven days, the ministry said. They will have to do so in either adedicated facility or at their places of residence.

Those who opt for their place of residence must be stayingthere alone, or with household members with the same SHN duration and travelhistory. They must also have travelled to no other region within the last 21days.

Meanwhile, incoming Singapore citizens, permanent residentsand long-term pass holders with travel history to China's Jiangsu provincewithin the last 21 days will have to serve a seven-day SHN at their places ofresidence.

They will have to take a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction(PCR) test on arrival and before the end of their isolation.

Travellers from other parts of China are allowed to go abouttheir activities in Singapore without having to serve an SHN if their PCR teston arrival is negative.

Short-term travellers with an air travel pass with travelhistory to Jiangsu province within the last 21 days will not be allowed toenter Singapore./.