Asia Pacific left reeling as Delta variant tears through region

Asia fared much better than the rest of the world in the first year of the pandemic, but the Delta variant has exposed its vulnerabilities.

People in much of the Asia Pacific are facing punishing lockdowns as the spread of the Delta variant exposes the region’s vulnerabilities despite its success in controlling the spread of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic last year. South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam are the latest to announce strict social distancing measures, amid steep climbs in cases. Part of the problem is the Delta variant that first originated in India and is significantly more transmissible, but sluggish vaccination programmes – mostly the result of a lack of supply – have also left millions of people vulnerable to infection. Worse, studies suggest that a single dose of vaccines that require two doses is less effective against the strain.