S-E Asia emerges as battlefield for one of world's worst outbreaks

MANILA • South-east Asia is emerging as a battlefield for one of the world's worst Covid-19 outbreaks, due to the fast-spreading Delta variant and the slow roll-out of vaccines.

With a population about twice that of the United States, the momentum of the region's outbreak has now eclipsed previously hard-hit places like Latin America and India, with new cases jumping 41 per cent over the past week to more than a half-million, according to a Bloomberg analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Deaths rose 39 per cent in the seven days to Wednesday, the quickest pace in the world, and will likely rise further, as a spike in fatalities typically follows a surge in cases.

South-east Asia's overall vaccination rate of 9 per cent lags behind developed regions like Western Europe and North America - where more than half the population has received shots - and outpaces only Africa and Central Asia.

Philippine health officials warned yesterday of a possible surge in coronavirus infections as the first locally transmitted cases of the highly contagious Delta variant were recorded and more than three million people went into lockdown.

The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported 5,676 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 1,496,328. The death toll climbed to 26,476 after 162 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. Eleven local cases of the more virulent Delta strain have been detected, including two in the national capital region, the Health Department said, citing results of genome sequencing conducted this week.

In Thailand, the authorities are considering bringing in tighter coronavirus curbs in a bid to contain soaring infections, after a record number of cases yesterday despite partial lockdowns in Bangkok and nine other provinces this week. Thailand yesterday reported a daily record of 9,692 coronavirus infections and 67 new deaths, taking total cases to 381,907 and fatalities to 3,099.

"After assessing the measures there are still concerns," said Ms Apisamai Srirangsan, a spokesman for the government's Covid-19 task force. "We may close more places and intensify the measures," she said.

Meanwhile, Cambodia reported 889 new Covid-19 infections, including 207 imported cases, yesterday, pushing the national total caseload to 65,500, the Health Ministry said. It added that 27 new fatalities were recorded, taking the overall death toll to 1,052.

Neighbouring Vietnam has seen record high numbers of daily infections since late April. The country reported more than 3,000 new infections for the second straight day yesterday.

REUTERS, XINHUA, BLOOMBERG