Nearly all of Indonesia's Java have antibodies against virus

On April 7, 2022, Muslims visit a mosque to break their fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. DEVI RAHMAN AFP JAKARTA HANOI SINGAPORE YANGON - Nearly all residents of Indonesia's most populous island of Java have antibodies against COVID 19 owing to a combination of prior infection and vaccination against the virus, a government-commissioned survey showed.

In March, a study of 2,100 people, conducted on Java, home to 150 million people, and Bali, Indonesia's top tourism destination, revealed 99.2 percent of people had COVID- 19 antibodies, a 6 percentage point increase from a December survey.

Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia, told the health ministry that the antibody levels in the latest survey were higher due to a wider booster shot rollout, as recipients had stronger protection.

Pandu said stronger antibodies may explain the faster rate at which Omicron variant infections in Indonesia may decline.

The December study, of 22,000 people, showed that 86 percent of Indonesians have antibodies. Recently, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation has loosened many of its pandemic restrictions, including waiving quarantine for foreign tourists and lifting a two-year ban on the mass exodus tradition during the Muslim holiday season of Eid al-Fitr.

The Indonesian government has told its people not to travel abroad during the holidays, which will run from April 29 to May 8, in order to avoid a possible spike in COVID- 19 infections.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday that the survey was a factor in the government's assessment that the holiday can go smoothly without negative impacts on our people. Myanmar has recorded no deaths from COVID 19 for more than a week since April 7, according to the data from the Ministry of Health on Monday.

The death toll for the Southeast Asian country was 19,434, according to the total death toll on Monday.

The ministry registered 37 new COVID 19 infections with a daily positivity rate of 0.37 percent in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 612,602.

Singapore reported 2,480 new confirmed cases of COVID 19 on Monday, bringing the total tally to 1,162, 780.

There were 2,402 local transmissions and 78 imported cases among the total cases.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health, 263 cases were detected through PCR polymerase chain reaction tests and 2,139 through ART antigen rapid test tests.

Passengers wait for transportation outside the arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on March 15, 2022, as Vietnam announced the return of a visa exemption policy for 13 countries in an effort to kickstart its tourism sector. NHAC NGUYEN AFP Vietnam reported 12,012 new COVID 19 cases on Monday, down 2,649 from Sunday, according to its Ministry of Health.

Only one was imported and the rest were domestically transmitted.