Delta Variant Engulfs These Asian Countries With Fastest-Growing Deaths

Southeast Asias overall COVID-19 vaccination rate of 9% lags developed regions like Western Europe and North America and outpaces only Africa and Central Asia.

Southeast Asia is emerging as a battlefield for one of the world's worst COVID-19 outbreaks, due to the fast-spreading Delta variant and the slow rollout of vaccines. With a population about twice that of the US, the momentum of the region's outbreak has now eclipsed previously hard-hit places like Latin America and India, with cases jumping 41% over the past week to more than a half-million, according to Bloomberg analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Deaths rose 39% in the seven days through Wednesday, the quickest pace in the world, and will likely rise further as a spike in fatalities typically follows a surge in cases. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia's overall vaccination rate of 9% lags developed regions like Western Europe and North America -- where more than half the population has received shots -- and outpaces only Africa and Central Asia. As large parts of the developed world reopen for business, the worsening situation across most of Southeast Asia means they're reimposing growth-sapping movement curbs. Singapore is the exception, where sealed borders and high vaccination rates are keeping the virus contained in the region's sole developed economy.