New Delhi:
A resurgent wave of Covid-19 is spreading through Southeast Asia, with densely populated regions in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Thailand witnessing a spike in cases. Health authorities are on alert in major cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, China and Thailand have asked people to take new booster vaccinations.
Most Affected Countries
According to the Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection, the virus’ activity in the city is now “quite high.” The percentage of respiratory samples testing Covid-positive in Hong Kong recently reached its highest in a year.
In the week ending May 3, Hong Kong reported 31 severe cases, which is a 12-month peak, according to a report by Bloomberg. While the resurgence is yet to match the infection peaks seen in the past two years, the rise of viral load in sewage water and Covid-related medical consultations and hospitalisations suggests the infection is spreading actively in the city of over 7 million people.
In Singapore, the health ministry said the number of Covid–19 cases has jumped 28 per cent to 14,200 in the week ending May 3, with daily hospitalisations rising around 30 per cent. Notably, this is the first time in nearly a year that the Singaporean government has released official figures in this manner, as the country now only provides case updates when there is a noticeable spike.
“While the increase in cases could be due to factors including waning population immunity, there is no indication that the circulating variants are more transmissible – or cause more severe cases – than during the pandemic,” Singapore’s health ministry said.
A similar trend was reported in Thailand, where Covid-19 cases spiked to 33,030 in the week ending May 17, doubling from 16,000 cases reported in the previous week, according to the Department of Disease Control. Authorities said most cases were reported in Bangkok (6,290), followed by Chon Buri (2,573), Rayong (1,680), and Nonthaburi (1,482).
Most of the infections were in those aged between 30 and 39, with Thai public health authorities urging people, especially those in high-risk groups, to get booster vaccinations without delay. The resurgence of infection in the cases followed the Songkran festival in April, which involved widespread gatherings and is believed to have accelerated transmission.
Covid-19 cases are also rising in China, where the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that from March 31 to May 4, the COVID-19 positivity rate among outpatient and emergency influenza-like cases nationwide increased from 7.5 per cent to 16.2 per cent. The positivity rate of hospitalised cases also increased from 3.3 per cent to 6.3 per cent, according to Chinadaily.com.
The sudden rise in cases is considered a warning sign that China may be entering a wave similar to that experienced during the previous summer.
Meanwhile, India also witnessed a rise in Covid-19 cases in the past week, with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reporting 257 active cases nationwide. However, there has been no sign of an outbreak so far, with authorities closely monitoring the situation.
New Variant
The driver behind the surge of Covid-19 cases in Asia is reportedly the JN.1 variant and its related descendants, which are a subvariant of the Omicron lineage. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated JN.1 as “variant of interest”, though not yet a “variant of concern.”
That suggests that authorities are closely monitoring the situation, but there’s no conclusive evidence so far that it causes more severe illness like the other Omicron subvariants.
