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REUTERS: Asia surpassed 10 million new coronavirus infections on Saturday (October 24), the second-heaviest regional figure in the world, according to a Reuters tally, as cases continue to rise in India despite a slowdown and strong falls elsewhere.
Just behind Latin America, Asia accounts for about a quarter of the global burden of 42.1 million cases of the virus. With more than 163,000 deaths, the region accounts for about 14 percent of the global COVID-19 toll.
The Reuters count is based on official country reports. The true numbers of cases and deaths are likely to be much higher, experts say, given weaknesses in testing and possible underreporting in many countries.
Despite Asian peaks, the region as a whole has reported an improvement in the handling of the pandemic in recent weeks, with a slowdown in the number of daily cases in places like India, a stark contrast to the observed COVID-19 resurgence. in Europe and North America.
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Within the region, South Asia led by India is the hardest hit, with nearly 21 percent of global coronavirus cases reported and 12 percent of deaths. This is in contrast to countries like China and New Zealand that have crushed infections and Japan, where COVID-19 had stubbornly taken hold but not accelerating.
Women wearing protective masks ride a commuter train after authorities resumed train services for female passengers during off-peak hours, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Mumbai, India, on October 21, 2020 (REUTERS / Niharika Kulkarni / Archives)
India is the worst affected country in the world after the United States, although infections are declining in the second most populous country in the world. India reports more than 57,000 cases of the virus a day, seen on a weekly average, with 58 new cases per 10,000 people in Asia’s third-largest economy, according to a Reuters analysis.
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India averages 764 deaths from COVID-19 a day, the worst in the world and accounts for one in 13 deaths from a global pandemic.
The country has reported nearly 7.8 million infections, behind the US tally of 8.5 million, and nearly 118,000 deaths, compared to 224,128 in the United States. However, unlike the recent surge in the United States, the slowdown in India on Wednesday saw the fewest daily cases in nearly three months.
But India’s infections may rise again, doctors fear, as the holidays approach and winter brings more severe contamination from stubble-burning farmers, worsening the breathing difficulties suffered by many COVID-19 patients.
India’s eastern neighbor, Bangladesh, is the second worst affected country in Asia, with nearly 400,000 cases. But daily infections are down to 1,453, less than 40 percent from the July peak.
Although the pandemic is slowing down in Bangladesh, the world’s largest clothing producer after China faces a severe recession when a second wave of COVID-19 hits key markets in Europe and the United States.
Travelers are seen on a street during rain amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 6, 2020. (REUTERS / Mohammad Ponir Hossain)
Even if the country is making progress in controlling the disease, key clothing industry leaders say international retailers are delaying orders or demanding sharp price cuts, forcing them to lay off their workers. About a million workers were laid off or laid off. About a third of them have been rehired since July, according to union leaders.
In Southeast Asia, Indonesia overtook the Philippines last week as the worst affected country with more than 370,000 infections.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, has struggled to control its outbreak. With the country hosting the U-20 soccer World Cup next year, the government is racing to secure a vaccine supply still under development, which some epidemiologists say means looking for a magic bullet before it is known. the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
A visitor wearing a protective mask walks past painted art depicting John Lennon during an exhibition amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, on October 15, 2020 (REUTERS / Ajeng Ulfian Dinar / Archives).
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The Philippines, which last week reported its highest daily count in a month, has imposed partial coronavirus restrictions around capital Manila through Oct. 31 to check for COVID-19.
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Despite Asia’s spotty record, a World Health Organization expert said on Monday that Europe and North America should follow the lead of Asian states in persevering with anti-COVID measures and quarantine restrictions for people. infected.
Mike Ryan, head of the UN agency’s emergency program, said the global death toll from COVID-19 could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used and could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic.
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