VIENTIANE, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Laos recorded 65 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total in the country to 159, according to the Lao Ministry of Health on Friday.

Director General of the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology under the Lao Ministry of Health, Phonepadith Xangsayarath, told a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane on Friday that among the new cases, 60 were detected in Vientiane, two each in Champasak and Bokeo province, and one in Vientiane province.

All Lao citizens and foreign residents should comply with COVID-19 prevention and control measures and remain vigilant against the dangers posed by the pandemic, said Phonepadith.