Some western countries appear to have turned the tide against Covid-19 (China and India have also administered between 640 million and 208 million doses, respectively). The middle East is showing promise in vaccinating its citizens. But health experts predict some countries could be months or even weeks from being able to come out on the other side of their current ‘waves’. The attention is now on Southeast Asia.
As infections jump, a new round of restrictions has come into play. Electronic companies have had to lockdown factories, construction sites have been ravaged by new cases, vaccination programs are helter-skelter. Japan, on the cusp of the Olympic games, has a divided public consensus on holding the games in light of their current Covid struggles. Malaysia is seeing new cases on par with India: contextually, India has more than a billion people.
Thailand has seen the death toll jump 10 times from what it was 2 months prior. Vietnam is testing all of Ho Chi Minh out of fears of all the new variants traversing the globe.
Despite a positive outlook for the West, global cooperation is needed more than ever. The world’s economy is not localised to one nation or one country, it’s a world economy. Likewise, for Covid-19, it’s not one countries’ problem. It’s the world’s problem.
As Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, warned last month…
A year from now we’ll be in really much better shape than we are now, but there’ll be other countries that won’t be. The quicker we get the rest of the world protected, the more secure will our protection be.
SOURCE: CNN Our World Data Thai PBS
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Propaganda. Piss off.
‘Manufactured in China (Whuhan). If only Xi and Tedros had contained it there. Disastrous and avoidable. He ho for Asia.
Why have not integrated Thailand in the chart…?
Thailand is 3,58% according the same source you have used to generate your chart.
“Vietnam is testing all of HCMC”
I live in Vietnam just outside of HCMC. No one I talked to in HCMC is aware of this plan to test the entire population. It’s almost like the media is lying again and not checking their sources.
The reason the West was able to turn the tide on Covid is because they (at least a sizeable proportion of the population) behaved like adults and let it run its course. I have grave doubts that East Asians will ever be able to put the risk into proper context and respond proportionally, thus I expect Asian countries will prolong the pandemic and live under covid restrictions for the next 5-10 years. Since most of these countries are already practically authoritarian dictatorships or subject to monolithic media group think, this outcome isn’t really surprising.
I’m not sure what “cooperation” is needed. Asians have rejected the path to ending covid out of fear and group think. Let them live with that legacy.
Israel where 250,000 never turned up for their 2nd Pfizer shot!
Are they in for some serious health problems in the future…
Search: “Unintended consequences of mRNA vaccines against Covid 19”
‘global cooperation is needed more than ever….it’s not one countries’ problem. It’s the world’s problem.’ – I certainly hope you aren’t implying that the West should render aid while at the same time those countries’ citizens are being denied aid within Thailand. Yes, it is a global economy but the western countries have very robust economies that are already recovering as they are not dependent on tourism. The West is starting to help provide vaccines to other nations but I could imagine ones that deny foreigners and tourist equal access to the vaccines could be very low on that list. (differentiating between whether that denial is formal or just local practice might not matter much)
@Wilbert: “The reason the West was able to turn the tide on Covid is because they … behaved like adults and let it run its course.” What the hell does that mean ? The West turned the tide by vaccinating its citizens. 40% of US citizens are fully vaccinated and 50% have received at least one dose. The only way Thailand will get out of Covid hell is to vaccinate enough of its citizens to achieve herd immunity. Currently only about 2% of the population has been vaccinated. That needs to be 60, 70, 80 percent. Get the lead out Thailand!
@Farang in Canada –
Cases dropped 75% in the US and UK between Jan and March, before vaccinations got underway in earnest. Cases dropped because the virus ran out of hosts to infect. Vaccinations just smoothered what was left of the pandemic. But hey enjoy your covid panic and your mask.
@Farang in Canada – Why do Thailand need mass vaccination in order to get out of what you call the “covid hell”? Phizer’s vaccine protects nearly 100%, so those who take it are nearly 100% protected. Why, then, should mass vaccinations be necessary? Those who want to be protected can just take it – and then let everyone else be free of it.