Laos records first Covid-19 related death over a year into the pandemic

Over one year into the pandemic, the southeast Asian country Laos has recorded its first Covid-19 related death, according to reporting from state-run news outlet Vientiane Times.

A 53-year-old Vietnamese karaoke club worker died from the virus in the capital Vientiane, the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control reportedly said Sunday.

The woman’s condition was complicated by diabetes and other medical issues, reported the Vientiane Times.

Laos is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases since its New Year Holiday on April 14.

As of Saturday the country had only recorded a total of 1,233 cases, of which 1,184 were reported in the last month, according to data from John Hopkins University. Of those, 28 cases were recorded Saturday.

Older people are contracting the virus and those who have underlying health conditions are more likely to experience severe symptoms, said the deputy director general of the country’s health department, Bouathep Phoumin, at a press conference Sunday, according to Vientiane Times.

Laos has administered 184,387 Covid-19 vaccine doses to its roughly 7.28 million population, according to Oxford University’s Our World in Data and CNN research.

Health authorities have reportedly linked the recent surge to a superspreader whose close contacts gave inaccurate information on their whereabouts and condition, said the Vientiane Times.