As of 00:29 GMT May 29 there was 44,340 active cases of COVID-19 throughout the 10 Asean member countries, an increase of 186, or 0.42 per cent, on the day prior. Of this 158, or 0.36 per cent, are classified as serious or critical. An additional 1,394 people were declared as having recovered.
Indonesia yesterday again recorded the most number of deaths throughout the region with 23 fatalities taking the number of deaths there to 1,496, while 687 new infections pushed the active caseload to 16,802. After negative testing 112 people were discharged.
In the Philippines 17 fatalities pushed COVID-19 deaths there to 921, while 539 fresh infections, the highest number there in a 24-hour period, saw the active caseload rise to 11,069, of which 81 are considered serious or critical. Following treatment 92 people went home.
There were no other COVID-19 related deaths recorded in any other Asean member country during the period.
Singapore to send SARS-CoV-2 positive patients home
In Singapore yesterday the number of active cases fell for the 14th consecutive day on the back of 373 new infections and 1,018 reoveries to 14,932, of which seven are regarded as serious or critical.
Meanwhile, Singapore announced yesterday that effective immediately they will discharge patients who displayed no clinical signs 21-days after the onset of symptoms without the need for them to pass two negative tests 24-hours apart, as has been the case in the past.
Discharged patients will be required to self isolate for another seven days prior to commencing work, but no additional tests were announced as going to be performed on them prior to their return to employent.
The adoption of the new “time-based discharge criteria” is expected to enable Singapore to rapidly reduce its number of ‘active cases’, making it look more appealing on the international stage.
In one study by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), who are proponents of time-based discharge, 68 per cent, or 476 people in a group of 700 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients returned a negative PCR test 21-days after the onset of symptoms.
Internationally there have been numerous instances of community transfer in excess of 21-days post “recovery”.
Meanwhile, Thailand yesterday recorded 11 new cases amongst returnees and 14 recoveries to see active cases drop to 63, of whom 59 are said to be in a serious or critical condition.
Malaysia yesterday recorded 10 fresh cases and 86 discharges seeing the active caseload there drop to 1,345, of which eight are said to be serious or critical.
Brunei yesterday recorded one discharge to see active cases drop to one, who is said to be in a serious or critical condition. Prior to yesterday’s reported discharge Brunei had been reporting two patients, both in a serious or critical condition, and Worldometers were this morning still showing one active case, but two patients requiring high care.
There was no reported changes in Cambodia, Lao PDR — who continues to lead the region with 46 days without a new COVID-19 case — or Vietnam.
Since the first Asean case of COVID-19 was identified in Thailand on January 12 there has been 84,886 confirmed cases recorded in Asean member countries with 37,926 people, or about 44.68 per cent, of all infections having been treated and discharged.
In the past 24-hours the number of COVID-19 ‘survivors’ throughout Asean increased 3.82 per cent DoD, while deaths increased 1.55 per cent.
There has been 2,620 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Asean member countries, representing a case mortality rate (CMR) based on completed cases (number of discharged + number of dead) of 6.46 per cent. Based on the total number of infections the CMR is 3.09 per cent.
As of today, May 29, some 52.23 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 infections throughout Asean remain active.

Global COVID-19 cases up to May 29
In the 24-hours to 00:01 GMT May 29, the number of new COVID-19 cases globally rose 2.01 per cent day-on-day (DoD) to 5,900,907 an increase of 116,304.
The number of deaths globally attributed to COVID-19 in the past 24-hours increased by 1.36 per cent DoD to 361,778, an increase of 4,841, the majority, 1,294*, in Brazil, marginally ahead of the USA.
China yesterday reported two new infections and eight discharges to see the active number of cases there drop to 73. There has been 82,995 SARS-CoV-2 infections in China with 78,288 people having recovered and 4,634 official deaths.
In comparison, the USA yesterday reported 22,658* new infections, 9,530 discharges, and 1,223* deaths to push total deaths to 103,330 and active cases to 1,166,411.
There has been 1,768,461 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in the USA with only 28.20 per cent of all diagnosed US cases being discharged.
Brazil emerges as global pandemic epicenter
Rapidly emerging as the world’s major SARS-CoV-2 hot spot due to an almost non-existent pandemic containment policy is Brazil, which yesterday recorded 24,151 new cases and 1,294 deaths, placing it in sixth position globally for COVID-19 fatalities behind Spain at 27,119.
Meanwhile, the number of people treated and discharged globally yesterday rose by 83,239, or 3.34 per cent, over the day prior to 2,577,245.
At the current rate there will be/ have been more than 8.4 million SARS-CoV-2 infections by the middle of June, with some 460,000 deaths.
In the past seven days COVID-19 related illnesses have been blamed for the deaths of 27,605 people.

Global COVID-19 top 30 countries with the most deaths up to May 29

Global COVID-19 overview up to May 29
As of 00:29 GMT May 29 there was 2,961,886 active cases of COVID-19 globally, an increase of 1.06 per cent on the day prior, of which some 1.82 per cent, or 53,975 people, are classified as in a serious or critical condition.
Based on completed cases (number of discharged + number of dead), the current CMR is 12.31Â per cent. On March 15 the CMR for completed cases was 8.0 per cent. As a percentage of total infections the CMR today is 6.13 per cent.
As of May 29, some 50.19 per cent of all diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections remain active, while 43.68 per cent of all diagnosed cases have recovered.

Feature image @dongkubzaa1
Community food pantries in Thailand to #FeedThePeople
*Daily figures subject to final adjustment.

John Le Fevre
He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.
He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.
In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.
Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.
In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.

Latest posts by John Le Fevre (see all)
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 26 — 16 mln case barrier breached, Vietnam records community transmission – July 26, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 25 — new high for daily infections, 16 mln infection barrier to break today – July 25, 2020
- COVID-19 in Asean: update for July 24 — Asean tops 230,000 cases, nudges 90,000 active – July 24, 2020
- Thailand morning news for July 24 – July 24, 2020