The COVID-19 pandemic in Laos is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by

severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...

(). On 24 March 2020, Laos became the last country in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

to report its confirmed case of the virus. As of 05 June 2022, there were a total of 210,081 cases and 756 deaths. On 4 May 2021, Laos exceeded 1,000 cases of COVID-19. Five days later, the country recorded the first death. On 21 December 2021, Laos overtook China in terms of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Background

On 12 January 2020, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

(WHO) confirmed that a

novel coronavirus Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a provisional name given to coronaviruses of medical significance before a permanent name is decided upon. Although coronaviruses are endemic in humans and infections normally mild, such as the common cold (caused by ...

was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The

case fatality ratio In epidemiology, case fatality rate (CFR) – or sometimes more accurately case-fatality risk – is the proportion of people diagnosed with a certain disease, who end up dying of it. Unlike a disease's mortality rate, the CFR does not take int ...

for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.

Timeline

2020

March

On 13 March, provincial authorities closed some of border posts. On 24 March, Laos confirmed its first two

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

cases, becoming the last Southeast Asian country infected with coronavirus. On 26 March, the

Vientiane Times The ''Vientiane Times'' is a bilingual English and Lao newspaper, published daily in Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively int ...

confirmed the country's third COVID-19 case. On 27 March, there were six cases confirmed. Two more men from Luang Prabang, and one from

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

. On 28 March, there were 2 more confirmed, bringing a total to 8. On 30 March, there was 1 more confirmed, bringing everything to a total of 9.

April

On 1 April, one more case was confirmed, bringing a total to 10. On 5 April 2020, the 11th case was reported as a 55-year-old man from

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. The government announced a lockdown on 29, March, starting on 30 March. All land borders closed and the last flights departed from Luang Prabang and Vientiane occurred on 1 April.

May

By May 18, more restrictions had been loosened, allowing domestic travel, without foreign travellers allowed.

June

On 2 June, students returned to classrooms. On 4 June, the government allowed foreign travellers into the country.

July to December

On 25 July, one new case was confirmed. It was a South Korean national. 2,621 people were isolated over concerns.

2021

March

A second wave of vaccinations occurred.

May

On the morning of 9 May, Laos recorded the first death due to COVID-19. The Embassy of Vietnam in Vientiane confirmed that was a Vietnamese woman died after one week of treatment.

Statistics

Confirmed new cases per day Confirmed deaths per day Confirmed cases March - July 2020

Assistance

The ''Laotian Times'' says China sent medical experts, medical equipment and medicines, to help Laos fight COVID-19. On 27 March, Vietnam offers help by sending medical equipment worth . In April 2021, the Vietnamese government decided to provide a financial aid of to fight against COVID disease, in addition to sending experts and supporting additional medical equipment for Laos. On 4 May 2021, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son and 32 experts departed for Laos to set up field hospitals, increase emergency resuscitation and strengthen testing capacity.

Censorship

Some people have been

arrested An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

for allegedly spreading false information about the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

External links

CoronaTracker
– Statistics on the coronavirus cases in Laos

and ttps://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19 historical databy

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

Laos Travel Restrictions
– Laos Travel Restrictions: How COVID-19 Affects Visitors {{Portal bar, COVID-19, Laos, Medicine, Viruses

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

Laos Laos Disease outbreaks in Laos