Cambodia and Vietnam are the top two countries in Nikkei’s Covid-19 Recovery Index ranking as business activities in the two Southeast Asian countries gradually return to normal.
The index assesses countries and regions in terms of disease management, vaccine deployment and social mobility. The higher the rank, the closer that country is to recovery, which is characterized by lower infection and death rates, better vaccination coverage, and fewer restrictions on movement.
In the latest rankings, Cambodia has climbed to the top of the rankings after ranking 2nd and 3rd since March. The entire country has registered no new cases for 52 days until June 28.
After 1 month, Vietnam has risen from 14th to 2nd place, thanks to the continuously decreasing number of cases and deaths. According to the government of Vietnam, an average of 600 to 700 cases were recorded each day in June and the death rate was 0.02% – a significant improvement from the previous month, allowing Vietnam to rise 6 scores in the infection management category.
After Vietnam discovered its first BA.5 case in late June, leaders pushed for a third and fourth dose of vaccination.
Other ASEAN members have also made progress. Thailand rose 36 places to 53rd. Indonesia reached the same ranking after moving up 43 places.
Malaysia is ranked 26th, the Philippines 62nd and Singapore 71st.
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