The spread of Covid-19 is terrible, it turns out that the Delta variant has hit all of Asia

Seoul – The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus surged across Asia this week, with record numbers of infections recorded in Australia and South Korea, prompting some countries to tighten restrictions and others to speed up vaccinations.

The variant, first detected in India in December last year, has spread to about 100 countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that the variant could soon become the dominant form of the virus.

The Delta variant has also driven a spike in cases in Japan and made this month’s Olympic event grim.

On Friday, Australia’s most populous State of New South Wales, reported its biggest daily rise in new COVID cases so far this year. The state’s total cases in the latest outbreak have topped 200, the majority being caused by the Delta variant.

Sydney, home to a fifth of the country’s 25 million people, is undergoing a two-week lockdown to contain the outbreak – which has alarmed authorities amid sluggish national vaccination efforts.

“I think the vaccine will definitely reduce disease, it will definitely reduce hospitalizations. But of course the virus is circulating in society among people who are not vaccinated,” said Professor Jill Carr, a virologist from the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University. .

Australia, like several other countries in Asia, has struggled to inoculate populations while early successes in containing the pandemic have cast doubt on vaccines, and manufacturers have been slow to deliver doses.

Australia has fully vaccinated only 6% of its population, while Japan has vaccinated 12 percent.

Japan reported Wednesday that the Delta variant now accounts for nearly a third of all cases in the eastern part of the country, including Tokyo, and that figure could grow to 50 percent by mid-July.

Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures are among the areas under a “quasi” state of emergency – which will last until July 11 – and the recent increase in infections has made officials inclined to keep the restrictions, government sources told Reuters.

On Friday, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike reiterated that a ban on spectators for the Olympics, which starts on July 23, would be an option if the coronavirus situation worsens.

In South Korea, officials said Friday that coronavirus cases hit 800, the highest in nearly six months, with vaccinations below 10 percent. The country’s average number of new infections has risen for the 10th day in a row, and authorities in Seoul have delayed easing social restrictions.

“The Delta variant is the most effective strain for widespread transmission,” said Chun Eun-mi, a respiratory disease specialist at Ewha Women’s University Medical Center in Seoul.

“The cases of Indonesia, India and the UK show that not only Korea but many other countries need to rethink their vaccine strategies and reopening plans,” he said.

Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, imposed emergency measures from Saturday (3/7) to July 20 to contain a spike in cases.

In India, the number of new infections has dwindled to a two-month low since hitting a peak of 400,000 a day in May. The Indian government is currently focusing on mass vaccination.

COVID Certificate

The United States has also seen an increase in Delta variant infections in parts of the country where vaccination rates are still low. The White House said Thursday it would send special assistance to these vulnerable areas.

Europe is also battling an increase in infections. According to the WHO, the increase was due to crowds at Euro 2020 football stadiums. The World Health Organization has warned that a new wave is inevitable if people don’t stay disciplined.

The UK is set to lift lockdown restrictions on July 19, even as cases of the Delta variant rise.

Germany said on Thursday it expected the variant to cause up to 80 percent of infections this month and Portugal imposed a curfew.

The new cases have put a damper on the continent’s summer tourism, although the EU’s rollout of COVID-19 travel certificates could encourage more travel.

Europe’s drug regulator said Thursday that a COVID-19 vaccine approved in the European Union offers protection against all variants of the coronavirus, including Delta.

In Asia, international tourism has been largely suspended.

The exception is the Thai tourist island of Phuket, which reopened on Thursday to fully vaccinated travelers from overseas in a move to revive a battered industry.

However, Thailand on Friday reported a third straight day of deaths from the coronavirus. The Alpha variant, which was first detected in the UK, is still the dominant variant in the country, although authorities expect the Delta variant to dominate in the next few months.

“In Bangkok almost 40 percent, within this month or next, everything will be Delta,” said Kumnuan Ungchusak, an adviser to the health ministry.

“If this continues, we cannot survive,” he said, referring to the rising death toll.