Asia is seeing a fresh wave of coronavirus infections, prompting recommendations for inhabitants from New Zealand to Japan to take steps to halt the epidemic and reduce the strain on healthcare systems.
Authorities dealing with the economic effects of previous waves of the pandemic while attempting to avoid extending or reinstating unpopular restrictions face a new issue as a result of the fresh rise of cases, which are largely of the BA.4/5 Omicron strains.
In an effort to ease pressure on the nation's health system, which is grappling with an influx of COVID and influenza patients throughout the southern hemisphere winter, the New Zealand government on Thursday announced free masks and fast antigen tests. View More
Ayesha Verrall, Minister for COVID-19 Response, stated in a statement that "there is no doubt the combination of a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the worst flu season in recent memory, and corresponding staff absences are putting health workers and the entire health system under extreme pressure."
Nearly 69,000 people in New Zealand, which has a population of 5.1 million, are now infected. 765 of those instances are hospitalised, which has led to longer wait times and cancelled procedures.
New COVID-19 cases in Japan have risen to levels not seen since the beginning of the year. The administration has urged people to exercise extra caution in front of a forthcoming long weekend and impending summer school breaks. View More
According to a government official, Japan recorded about 95,000 cases on Wednesday, and the number of newly infected individuals has surged 2.14-fold since the previous week.
At the beginning of a committee discussion on the coronavirus, Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto stated, "The number of new cases is growing in every prefecture in Japan, and it looks to be fast spreading."
Tokyo increased its alertness to the greatest possible degree.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike stated at a meeting that "we will host a task force meeting tomorrow to deliberate on steps to be done this summer, taking into mind the national trend and the opinions of experts."
South Korea, like New Zealand, received acclaim for its quick reaction to the epidemic, but by Wednesday, the number of daily cases there had increased by more than 39,000 in a week. View More
The number of new daily cases in South Korea is expected to reach 200,000 by the middle to end of August. Booster vaccinations are being offered more widely, but further limits are not being planned.
Australia issued a warning that it might see its worst COVID-19 epidemic in the coming weeks, caused by variations of the BA.4/5 Omicron virus. Authorities predicted "millions" of additional illnesses but disallowed any stringent controls to stop the spread.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said on Thursday that lockdowns and other such situations are no longer necessary, adding that "we've evolved past that." Butler also urged Australians to think about working from home once more.
Hospital admissions in Australia are already close to what they were during the most recent large Omicron epidemic earlier this year, and the country's health system is also being stressed by high COVID and influenza rates.
Infections in Indonesia have increased, reaching their highest level since March, while cases in Thailand have trended downward.
The Philippines continues to see few new infections and hospitalizations, but the government has issued a warning that the number of cases might at least 20-fold by the end of the month. Manila is asking more people to get their booster injections since, as of July 12, according to data from the health ministry, just 25% of eligible individuals have received their first booster.
Mainland China recorded more than 300 locally transmitted COVID infections per day on average in July compared to about 70 in June. This increase is due to Beijing's tight "dynamic COVID-zero" policy, which prevents hospital overcrowding.