Beyond India, a growing number of Asian countries are being ravaged by fresh coronavirus waves
AP
As India’s coronavirus catastrophe worsens, new waves of infections are fast engulfing a growing number of nations across South and Southeast Asia with some grappling with their worst outbreaks since the pandemic began.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that India had accounted for nearly half of all global infections and a quarter of deaths reported in the past week.
But cases have also skyrocketed in countries around India, from Nepal in the north to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the south. And it’s not just India’s neighbors further away in Southeast Asia, infections are also surging in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Xinhua world news summary at 0530 GMT, May 6
Xinhua
06 May 2021, 16:18 GMT+10
NEW DELHI India s COVID-19 tally surpassed 21 million on Thursday as 412,262 new cases were registered across the country in the past 24 hours, said federal health ministry. This is the second time this month that over 400,000 cases have been registered in a single day. (India-COVID-19 Cases-Record) - - - - MALE Maldives Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) has declared that the country is experiencing the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections as daily infections broke the local record for four consecutive days, local media reported on Thursday. HEOC member Mohammed Ali said Wednesday a recent surge in infections has increased the chances for a spread of new variants. Meanwhile, the Health Protection Agency data showed the record for new daily cases was broken for the fourth day. (Maldives-COVID-19-Fourth Wave)
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In Nepal, a situation is unfolding that looks chillingly familiar.
Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the country’s Prime Minister is pleading for help from other nations.
Nepal is now reporting about 20 daily Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people about the same number as India was reporting two weeks ago.
Last weekend, 44% of Nepal’s Covid tests came back positive, according to government figures quoted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as it warned of an impending crisis.
“What is happening in India right now is a horrifying preview of Nepal’s future if we cannot contain this latest Covid surge that is claiming more lives by the minute,” Nepal’s Red Cross chairperson, Dr. Netra Prasad Timsina, said in a statement.
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