“Despite efforts by health authorities to trace contacts and suppress transmissions, such efforts have been outpaced by the speed of viral spread,” senior Health Ministry official Yoon Taeho said during a virus briefing.

The new test, which targets genes that are specific to both Covid-19 and seasonal flu, is an evolved version of PCR tests that are used to detect Covid-19 from samples taken from noses or throats. Laboratories use machines to amplify genetic materials so that even tiny quantities of the virus can be detected.

The illnesses are hard to tell apart by their symptoms, so having a diagnosis for both in three to six hours “would be convenient for patients and also reduce the burden of medical workers”, Yoon said.

Tokyo taxi drivers may refuse passengers without face masks

The Japanese government on Wednesday decided to allow taxi drivers in Tokyo to reject passengers who refuse to wear face masks amid concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Japan’s Transport Ministry approved the measure, which was requested by 10 taxi operators in the capital; the move could be expanded to other prefectures as the country confirms hundreds of new coronavirus infections daily.

Taxi drivers complained that some drunken passengers were speaking loudly without wearing face masks.

The ministry said the measure could protect not only taxi drivers but also the next passengers who take the taxi.

Japan has so far has more than 104,000 known coronavirus cases and about 1,800 deaths.

Hun Sen faces quarantine after Hungarian minister tests positive during tour

Hungary’s foreign minister on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus in Thailand, a day after he jetted in from a meeting with Cambodian premier Hun Sen.

The confirmed case left the Cambodian strongman facing the prospect of a period in quarantine, as well as a test for the contagion.

Peter Szijjarto flew into Phnom Penh on Tuesday for a one-day official visit to sign agreements on civil aviation, agriculture and water management, as well as reopening an embassy after a 25-year hiatus.

Cambodian farmers deploy virus ‘scarecrows’ to ward off infection

On Tuesday night, he arrived in Bangkok and was swiftly taken to hospital after testing positive for the virus on arrival.

The test “showed he has Covid-19, but he didn’t have any symptoms”, Thailand’s health minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters, after he visited Szijjarto at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute on Wednesday. “His entourage all tested negative.”

During his Cambodia visit, Szijjarto was pictured with Hun Sen at a meeting where neither appeared to be socially distancing or wearing a mask. He also met his Cambodian counterpart and shook hands with a coterie of other ministers.

All of those people would now be tested and quarantined, according to Phnom Penh’s foreign ministry.

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Filipino teachers invent book disinfection device to help protect pupils and staff from Covid-19

Filipino teachers invent book disinfection device to help protect pupils and staff from Covid-19

Philippines reports 987 new cases, lowest in months

The Philippines’ health ministry on Wednesday reported 987 new coronavirus infections, the lowest daily increase in infections in more than 16 weeks, and 49 additional deaths.

Total confirmed cases had increased to 388,137, while deaths had reached 7,367, the ministry said.

Philippines fights pregnancy boom amid coronavirus lockdown

The Southeast Asian nation targets to procure shots in the first quarter of 2021, said Carlito Galvez, vaccine tsar and chief implementer of policies to stem the outbreak.

The vaccines – which he described as “the road to full economic recovery” – will be chosen based on safety, cost and the number of shots required to be effective, he added.

The Philippines has the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia.

Reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters, Bloomberg