Southeast Asia reels from the pandemic, WHO predicts when Covid-19 will be defeated

The number of Covid-19 deaths is rising, forcing cemetery staff in Myanmar to work around the clock. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia reels from new virus attack

Indonesia has converted almost all of its oxygen production to medical use to meet demand from patients with respiratory diseases.Covid-19are having trouble breathing. In Malaysia, hospitals packed with patients have been forced to treat the sick on the floor. In Myanmar’s largest city, cemetery workers are working around the clock to meet the demand for cremations and burials.

Images of bodies burning in open-air crematoriums during the peak of the pandemic in India in May terrified the world, but the number of deaths per capita in the past two weeks in three Southeast Asian countries has now surpassed India, according to AP.

A new wave of infections in Southeast Asia, fueled by the Delta variant, has sent new cases and deaths from Covid-19 to record highs and left health care systems struggling to cope, forcing governments to implement new restrictions to slow the spread of the virus.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia has increased sharply since the end of June, with the 7-day average increase in these countries being 4.37, 4.29 and 4.14 per 1 million people, respectively. Cambodia and Thailand have also seen a sharp increase in both Covid-19 cases and deaths. However, so far, these two countries have maintained their 7-day averages below 1.55 and 1.38 per 1 million people, respectively.

Indonesia on July 22 recorded 1,449 deaths from Covid-19, a record number since the pandemic hit the country.

Summary of Covid-19 developments around the world

-WHO Director GeneralTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that if 70% of countries' populations were vaccinated by mid-2022, Covid-19 could be defeated. The health official also called for a massive global vaccination drive. "The pandemic ends when the world decides to end it," he said.

- Israel announced plans on July 22 to allow only people who are considered immune to Covid-19 or have recently tested negative to enter some public areas such as restaurants, gyms, and synagogues after the number of Covid-19 cases in the country increased.

- At least 800 people in Uganda were given fake vaccines in June as employers rushed to vaccinate workers due to a surge in cases. Uganda’s state health watchdog said some companies paid for employees to be vaccinated on site, but the health workers turned out to be fraudsters and only gave the workers water injections.

- First Lady Jill Biden led the US diplomatic delegation to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, sending a message of US support to key ally Japan, despite concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.

- According to a study published in The Lancet, in the first 14 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, 1.5 million children lost parents or caregivers to Covid-19.

- According to AP news agency, Pfizer and BioNTech have reached an agreement with South African partner Biovac Institute. Accordingly, South Africa's Biovac Institute will produce more than 100 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine each year for distribution across Africa. This is the first time this vaccine has been produced in Africa. Biovac will receive raw materials for vaccine production from Europe, mix the ingredients, put them in vials, and package them for distribution.

- Under a new regulation that came into effect mid-week, tourists who want to climb the Eiffel Tower or visit museums and theaters in France must have a special Covid-19 card. To get this card, visitors must prove that they have been fully vaccinated, have tested negative for the coronavirus or have recovered from Covid-19.