Of those whose deaths were reported on Wednesday, six were unvaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health. All were seniors aged 72 to 90. The deaths bring the total loss of life from the virus in Singapore to 93.

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Still, evidence remains that high vaccination rates are warding off many serious infections. More than 98 per cent of the 26,088 people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 28 days had mild or no symptoms.

Thirty-four patients are in critical condition in the intensive care unit, breaking the prior record of 32 from April, and 197 need oxygen supplementation, according to government data. Most of them are seniors, older than the age of 60.

“We are committed to reopening our economy and our society progressively, but our aim has always been to do this without putting too much stress on our hospital system,” Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Monday. “We want to keep our health care system intact and under control, and we want to avoid unnecessary deaths.”

Illegal home parties behind spike in Melbourne cases

Melbourne’s Covid-19 cases surged to record levels on Thursday with officials blaming illegal home gatherings to watch a key sporting event for the spike as a hard lockdown to combat the spread of the Delta variant neared two months.

Authorities in Victoria, home to Melbourne, estimated nearly a third of Thursday’s 1,438 new infections could be traced back to home parties last weekend to watch the Australian Rules Football Grand Final on television.

“Many of these cases were completely avoidable … I’m not trying to blame anyone, I’m simply trying to explain because a lot of people will be scratching their heads – how could it have gone up by so much, so fast,” state Premier Daniel Andrews said during a media briefing.

Officials admitted Thursday’s numbers, a 50 per cent jump to Wednesday’s 950 cases, is a “major setback” in managing the flare-up, as they race to vaccinate the state’s 5.5 million adult population.

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Half of the state’s population above 16 have received their first dose, below the national average of 53 per cent, as officials halved the intervals between Pfizer shots in state-run vaccine hubs to three weeks after supplies rose.

Australia’s largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital Canberra are in a weeks-long lockdown to combat a third wave of infections fuelled by the fast-moving Delta variant. Authorities have ditched a Covid-zero strategy and are looking at higher vaccination as their exit strategy from lockdowns.

A total of 941 new cases were reported in New South Wales on Thursday, the majority in state capital Sydney, while Queensland recorded six and the Australian Capital Territory 31 infections.

The record cases in Victoria come as the federal government on Thursday decided to phase out its emergency financial support for businesses impacted by the lockdowns, in line with its plan to end support to virus-impacted employees.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the temporary payments will stop once 80 per cent of the adult population in states and territories becomes fully vaccinated.

But Victoria’s businesses will receive a fresh A$2.27 billion (US$1.65 billion) support from the federal government through the next six weeks at which point the state should hit that dosage target, from around 50 per cent now.

“We can’t eliminate the virus, we need to learn to live with it in a Covid-safe way”, Frydenberg said in a statement.

The federal government decision to wind down support payments, shared equally between states and Canberra, will put pressure on virus-free states to keep their economies open and avoid lockdowns to fight future outbreaks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been pressing all states and territories to begin living with the virus once full inoculations reach 70 per cent-80 per cent but Queensland and Western Australia, largely Covid-free, flagged they may delay their reopening.

Despite the latest Delta outbreaks, total cases in Australia stand at around 105,000 and deaths at 1,291, well below other comparable nations.

A tale of two cities: Covid-19 lockdowns in Vietnam are drastically different

Vietnam’s virus epicentre to lift curbs

Policies will seek to spur the economy and restore some normalcy while coexisting with the virus, which hit the country hard in recent months, with overall deaths jumping from 36 in mid May to more than 19,098 as of Wednesday.

“All checkpoints on the streets will be lifted and no travel permits will be needed after today,” Le Hoa Binh, deputy chairman of the city’s people’s committee, told a news conference.

“We are gradually opening but put our residents’ safety first.”

The city about 9 million people has borne the brunt of Vietnam’s coronavirus crisis, accounting for 80 per cent of the country’s fatalities and half of its nearly 780,000 cases.

The capital Hanoi, however, has by comparison been only mildly impacted.

From October 1, Ho Chi Minh City’s industrial estates, construction projects, malls, barber shops, hospitality facilities and restaurants for takeaways can resume operations, Binh said.

Movement curbs have forced the closure of many factories in its industrial belt, prompting warnings from some foreign commerce groups that prolonged restrictions could see them shift business to other countries.

“We foresee a huge shortage of labour force at manufacturing factories and construction when the city reopens,” Binh added.

“There are many chances for the unemployed to find new jobs and start over.”

Authorities are seeking to accelerate inoculation, prioritising workers and people over 50. About one-third of the city’s residents have been fully vaccinated.

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Malaysia makes jabs compulsory for government staff

The announcement comes as the country looks to boost vaccination rates with the aim of inoculating 80 per cent of the population by the end of the year.

Malaysia has one of the fastest vaccine roll-outs in Southeast Asia, with 61 per cent of its 32 million population already fully inoculated.

In a statement, the Public Service Department said vaccinations would be made compulsory for federal staff to boost public confidence and ensure government services can be delivered smoothly.

Nearly 98 per cent of civil servants were already vaccinated, while 16,902 or 1.6 per cent have yet to register under the country’s inoculation programme, the department said. Malaysia has around 1.6 million public servants.

Unvaccinated employees have been given until November 1 to complete their inoculations, while those who are unable to be vaccinated must submit health information verified by a government medical officer.

Those who fail to get vaccinated in time will face disciplinary action, the department said.

Philippine economy ‘to take 10 years to recover from virus’

Lockdowns and other restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus have shattered the Southeast Asian nation’s economy, throwing millions out of work and leaving many poor families hungry.

“Our long run total cost of Covid and the quarantine both to the present and future society – meaning our children and our grandchildren – will reach 41.4 trillion” (pesos, or US$810 billion), Economic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said.

The figure is more than twice the Philippines’ gross domestic product in 2020, which the World Bank estimates at US$361.5 billion.

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The losses would be felt over the next 10 to 40 years, Chua said. Consumption, investment and tax revenues would struggle to recover as social distancing rules prevent key sectors, such as tourism and restaurants, from fully reopening. Lower productivity caused by death, illness or lack of schooling during the pandemic “is likely to be permanent”, he added.

The economy is expected to expand by 4 to 5 per cent this year, Chua said, compared with a record contraction of 9.6 per cent in 2020. But it would take 10 years before the country returned to pre-pandemic growth, which averaged 6.4 per cent in the 10 years before Covid-19 hit.

Nearly 70 per cent of the economy, including 23.3 million workers, remained under “heightened quarantine” restrictions, Chua said, warning that lockdowns caused greater hunger and were not the answer to the pandemic.

The Philippines has recorded more than 2.5 million infections, including over 38,000 deaths. Just over a quarter of the adult population has been fully vaccinated amid a delayed and slow vaccination roll-out.

Reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse