From being at the bottom of the Nikkei COVID-19 Recovery Index, the Philippines is now at the 33rd spot of the listing due to decreasing infections and the easing of restrictions.

The Tokyo-based newspaper dubbed the Philippines and Vietnam as having 'logged their best performances' in the listing after placing last in the index of 121 countries which scores them on infection management, vaccination rollout and programs, and social mobility.

'Daily cases dropped to below 200 in the past week, with no confirmed deaths reported. The decline of infections helped the country move up 40 spots in the ranking, to 33rd,' Nikkei said of the Philippines' moving up on the list.

Nikkei also noted the more relaxed travel restrictions that the Philippines is imposing, including reopening borders to fully vaccinated international tourists and the scrapping of the testing requirement for boosted individuals.

The newspaper also took notice of how 'business has largely resumed and the government is encouraging all schools to hold face-to-face classes again this month.'

Compared to the Philippines, Vietnam is the bigger mover on the list as it jumped 48 spots to the 14th place on account of the return of students to in-person classes, the reopening of businesses and the scrapping of all testing, vaccination and quarantine requirements for foreign travellers.

Vietnam also scored high in terms of vaccination, getting 27 out of 30, as more than 80% of its population are fully vaccinated and 60% are boosted.

Meanwhile, Taiwan, which used to be viewed as a model for managing infections in the early days of the pandemic, dropped further to 113th over increasing cases and deaths.

Topping the Nikkei index is Qatar with a score of 78, while Namibia is at the bottom with a score of 38.

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