Asia reels as Delta variant spreads

Governments in Asia are tightening measures, hoping targeted lockdowns will act as circuit-breakers in arresting record jumps in cases and deaths that started rising in May.

Having escaped the worst when the coronavirus pandemic erupted last year, Southeast Asia is now suffering dramatic rises in deaths and cases, while vaccination shortfalls and highly contagious variants derail containment efforts.

South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam are among the latest to announce strict social distancing measures, amid steep climbs in cases.

Part of the problem is the Delta variant that first originated in India and is significantly more transmissible, but sluggish vaccination programmes – mostly the result of a lack of supply – have also left millions of people vulnerable to infection. Worse, studies suggest that a single dose of vaccines that require two doses is less effective against the strain.

In some countries, the health system is already being pushed to breaking point.

Dr Dale Fisher, a professor in the Department of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, said many countries in the region were being “sorely tested” by the latest outbreaks.

Indonesia, the region's hardest hit and most populous country, recorded more than 38,000 cases last Friday for a second successive day, six times the number a month earlier, in a week when its daily death toll as much as doubled from the start of July.

Authorities extended restrictions to 15 new locations across the archipelago on Friday, hoping to avert the crisis seen on the island of Java, where hospitals are being pushed to the limit, oxygen supplies are low, and four of five designated COVID-19 burial grounds in the capital Jakarta are close to full.

A record 9,180 cases were reported last Friday in Malaysia and a similar number in Thailand, where authorities announced tougher measures in and around the capital Bangkok to slow the spread of the Delta variant, including a curfew, travel curbs, mall closures and limits on gatherings. read more

Neighbouring Myanmar saw 63 deaths and 4,320 new cases last Friday, both record highs, while Cambodia has seen its highest number of cases and deaths in the past nine days.

Health experts say low testing rates in the most populous countries Indonesia and the Philippines are also likely disguising the full extent of outbreaks, while Myanmar has seen a collapse in testing since February's coup.

Vietnam's reputation as a coronavirus success story is under threat, with more cases in the last five days than during the first 14 months of the pandemic, although the record 1,625 cases on Friday were a fraction of those in Indonesia.

Cambodia has all but escaped COVID-19 last year, but it has been unable to tame an outbreak that began in late February after a failure in the country’s hotel quarantine system.

Cases and deaths have reached record highs in the past week, With help from China, Cambodia has made the most progress in vaccination among Southeast Asian nations, a third of people have had both doses of the vaccine, according to the World Health Organization.

Cambodia has a population of about 16 million.

The Tokyo Olympics was delayed by a year but it has still been outrun by the coronavirus.

On Thursday, the Japanese government announced a state of emergency in the capital that would remain in force throughout the period of the games.

“Taking into consideration the impact of the Delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said.

Organisers also announced that even having a limited number of local spectators would be too risky given the spread of the virus and that no fans would be allowed into venues to watch the events. Little more than 15 percent of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

A year ago, Malaysia was reporting zero locally transmitted cases.

The government even felt confident enough to publish a book detailing its pandemic response.

But cases began to rise after an election in the state of Sabah in September and have surged since January even after the declaration of an “emergency” to tackle the pandemic that led to the suspension of parliament.

A “total lockdown” was imposed from the beginning of June.

The South Korean capital and its surrounding areas are preparing for tougher restrictions.

The authorities aim to target areas where the disease is known to be spreading, so bars and nightclubs will be closed and opening hours for restaurants will be shortened with only two people allowed to dine together.

Fuelled by the Delta variant, cases in South Korea have tripled in a week and officials fear the situation could get worse before it gets better.

In the Philippines, Secretary Charlie Galvez is optimistic that the first-dose vaccination of 70 million Filipinos could be achieved by November, with the rollout gaining traction as more doses continue to arrive. Secretary Galvez and I have been regularly communicating, and we are targeting the 130-million mark of vaccine supplies by yearend.

We are also happy to note that vaccine hesitancy is waning, with Filipinos “eagerly” awaiting their turn for a shot, according to WHO representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe. More than 12 million vaccine shots have been administered nationwide, with the daily vaccination rate now at over 250,000 but expected to increase to a target of 500,000 daily.

– Agencies