Five years after the coronavirus pandemic swept the world, Asian countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand have reported an uptick in the number of cases. Experts attribute the surge to reduced community-level immunity and fewer senior citizens receiving booster vaccinations.
The number of cases rose by 28% in Singapore, while Hong Kong logged 31 severe cases in just a week. The number of Covid-19 cases in the week ending on May 3 went up to 14,200 from 11,100 a week before in Singapore.
Amid the rise in infections, health officials are urging people, especially high-risk groups, to stay up to date with their vaccinations and boosters.
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Covid-19 cases in Singapore
The health authority reported that LF.7 and NB.1.8, both sublineages of the JN.1 variant targeted by the latest COVID-19 vaccines, are present in the country. “There is no indication that the variants circulating locally are more transmissible or cause more severe disease compared to previously circulating variants. As with other endemic respiratory diseases, periodic COVID-19 waves are expected throughout the year,” said Singapore’s Ministry of Health. The daily hospitalisations increased from 102 to 133, but the daily ICU admissions declined slightly, from 3 to 2.
Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong
There has been a spike in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong, from 6.21% of samples testing positive four weeks ago to 13.66% in the week leading to May 10. Sewage samples have revealed the viral load. It has recorded 81 severe cases, with 30 deaths, almost all of which were in elderly people with underlying health conditions.
“According to the surveillance data after the resumption of normalcy, there were two relatively active periods of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, which lasted for about 15 weeks from April to July 2023 and for about seven weeks from February to March last year. COVID-19 became more active in mid-April of this year (i.e., about four weeks ago),” Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said.
Covid-19 cases in Thailand
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has reported that there have been two cluster outbreaks this year. The cases spiked to 33,030 last week (May 11–17), according to the Department of Disease Control. This volume is double the number of infections reported last week. Bangkok had the highest number of patients at 6,290.
Covid-19 cases in China
Data from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention shows that China is heading toward a COVID-19 wave comparable to last summer’s peak. In the five weeks leading up to May 4, test positivity rates more than doubled among hospital patients across the mainland.
Coronavirus cases in India
Although routine COVID-19 testing has declined in India, data from ICMR surveillance sites indicate a recent surge in infections. The number of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples rose to 41 in the week ending May 11, up from 28 the previous week and 12 the week before that. Despite this rise, the overall number of respiratory infections has been decreasing since a spike observed in September last year.
