The global death toll from Covid-19 has surpassed four million, with the worst of the pandemic only now beginning to impact some parts of Asia-Pacific and cases in the United States growing again.
While some countries have begun to relax restrictions in response to the more virulent Delta virus type, the Globe Health Organization cautioned that the world was at a “perilous point.”
With fears of the virus spreading, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in the capital Tokyo for the duration of the Olympics on Thursday.
“The highly infectious Delta form currently accounts for roughly 30% of cases,” said Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s virus response minister, prior to the emergency statement.
The state of emergency will last until August 22, but it will be significantly less severe than lockdowns in other countries, such as Australia.
The Australian government announced on Thursday that it will rush 300,000 vaccination doses to Sydney as the country’s largest city struggles to contain a Delta outbreak in its third week of lockdown.
On Thursday, South Korea, which was previously seen to be a model for coronavirus response, reported about 1,300 new illnesses, the largest number since the pandemic began.
The rise has compelled South Korean authorities to consider adopting the strictest restrictions possible, including the prohibition of all public events.
In other parts of Asia, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has been placed under lockdown. The threat of the virus also led organizers to postpone the Southeast Asian Games, which were set to take place in Vietnam on Thursday.
The worst of the Asian outbreaks is in Indonesia, which has become a worldwide hotspot after mortality rates increased tenfold in a month to over 1,000 on Wednesday.
The wave of coronavirus cases has pushed hospitals across the 270-million-strong archipelago to breaking point.
