China – As the territory confronts an expanding outbreak, China’s administration overseeing issues in the city said it will fully back Hong Kong’s “dynamic zero” coronavirus approach. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), which falls under China’s State Council or Cabinet, said the central government was “extremely worried” about residents’ safety and …

Malaysia – Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the president of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), has urged the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries to focus on resolving Sarawak’s current chicken and egg market shortage. These are essential and daily necessities for people and their livelihoods, according to the Bintulu MP …

As the day goes by, it gets challenging for the nation to strengthen the preparation and organization of healthcare in battling the virus. In view of this, Thailand’s health minister called for understanding and tried to clarify the country’s procurement strategy for coronavirus vaccines, following criticism that the government has lacked accountability and has been too sluggish to obtain supplies. …

Indonesia is setting a new way to reproduce the vaccines and the country expected to soon receive raw materials from the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech for the development of 15 million doses of vaccine, which will add to the three million doses already dispatched to the region. In view of this, A Garuda Indonesia aircraft arrived with 1.8 million doses …

Wide areas of central and eastern China suffered from the worst flooding in decades on Friday (July 17), as chaos accumulated for main supply chains, including essential personal protective gear to fight coronavirus, and economic losses piled up. The central Chinese city of Wuhan and the Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces declared red warnings on Friday as heavy rain swelled …

MANILA – Vietnam’s PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assured President Rodrigo Duterte of a long-term supply of rice to the Philippines amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Vietnam is Philippine’s biggest source of imports for rice. Vietnam Industry and Trade Minister Tran Tuan Anh assured the country that Vietnam will be providing 400,000 metric tons of rice at a “competitive price”. According …

Police officers from Ratchawallop Police Retainers, King’s Guard 904 and Patrol and Special Operations Division (or 191 Patrol) handed out 500 bags of relief supplies to people impacted by Covid-19, at King Rama I Monument near Phra Buddha Yodfa Bridge. Police Maj-General Torsak Sukwimol, deputy commander of Central Investigation Police, said that police officers handed out queue cards, screened people’s …

The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) authorised the export of 330 tonnes of face masks in January and February when the items were in short supply and declared controlled products, according to the Customs Department. The department had no power to stop the shipments because the exporters held a licence under the Commerce Ministry’s regulations, said department spokesman Chaiyut Khamkhun. …

Shoppers in Greater Bangkok are quickly emptying supermarket shelves of long-lasting items like instant noodles, packed rice, tissue paper, tinned fish and drinking water as fears mount over the coronavirus epidemic. Large retail operators including Tops Supermarket, Tesco Lotus, The Mall Group and Big C Supercenter acknowledged that these items have been snapped up quickly since the weekend. They are …