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.
In some countries, the health system is already being pushed to breaking point.
Dr Dale Fisher, a professor in the Department of Medicine at the National…
