As infections climb, could slow vaccine rollout undermine Asia’s success curbing Covid?
While the UK and US look forward to lifting restrictions, Asian countries who managed to control transmission are now tightening curbs
17 May 2021 • 12:21pm
People receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination center set up at the Mall Bangkapi shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. But less than 3% of the population has been immunised to date
Credit: Nicholas Axelrod/Bloomberg
Somchai Maneetawat’s restaurant is on the brink of collapse. The 38-year-old’s business in the Thai tourist hotspot of Phuket would normally be thriving but profits have plunged by 95 per cent as the Southeast Asian nation battles a sweeping third wave of coronavirus infections.