The growing Asian coronavirus is a concern, as the vaccine doubts cloud campaigns

Singapore (Reuters) – India, South Korea and Thailand on Thursday faced rising coronavirus infections, undermining cautious hopes that Asia could emerge from the worst of the pandemic, as concerns over security will threaten to delay vaccination actions.

India recorded a record 126,789 new cases, on the third day of this week the rises have risen to more than 100,000, surprising by surprise the authorities who have blamed the overcrowding and reluctance to wear masks when shops and offices reopen.

According to some epidemiologists, some of the most infectious virus variants may have played an important role in the rise of India, with hundreds of cases of variants detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.

Alarming figures have led New Zealand to temporarily ban anyone arriving from India, even for the first time by blocking New Zealanders from returning home, for about two weeks.

“We are temporarily suspending the entry of travelers from India to New Zealand,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a press conference in Auckland.

New Zealand, which has virtually eliminated the virus within its borders, on Thursday registered 23 new cases at its border, from India.

Two other countries that managed to largely control the coronavirus during the first year of the pandemic also encountered new waves, albeit smaller than those in India.

South Korea reported 700 new cases on Thursday, the highest daily figure since early January, and the prime minister warned that new rules on social distancing would likely be needed.

Thailand, which has planned a cautious reopening of its tourism industry, reported an increase in new daily infections to 405 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 30,310, with 95 dead.

In addition to Thai concerns, it has detected 24 cases of a highly contagious virus variant first detected in Britain, the first national transmission of the variant reported.

Cases are also rising in some parts of Europe, but South America is the world’s most worrying region for infections, with cases rising in almost every country, the director of the Pan American Organization said Wednesday. of Health (PAHO).

SUSPENDED SHOOTING

Growing cases in Asia are occurring as concerns about the safety of one of the most important vaccines against the virus grow.

The European Medicines Agency said on Wednesday it found rare cases of blood clots among some adult recipients of AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, although it said the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks.

Both South Korea and the Philippines have suspended the use of the vaccine for children under 60 because of possible links to blood clots, while Australia and Taiwan said they would continue to use it.

Concern about the vaccine could delay vaccination actions in Asia, some of which are already undergoing supply problems. Campaigns in most parts of Asia are delayed in places like Britain and the United States.

The Australian vaccination program of about 26 million people exceeds 80% of its initial schedule.

Authorities there had pledged to administer at least 4 million first doses by the end of March, but could only deliver 670,000. The government blamed Europe’s supply problems.

As cases in India increase, vaccination centers in various parts of the country, including the state of Maharashtra, the hardest hit, have run out of supplies.

China, where the new coronavirus emerged in late 2019, is moving forward with its vaccination campaign, administering nearly 3.68 million doses on Wednesday, bringing the total number of doses administered to 149.07 million, according to the authorities.

Japan’s vaccines are far behind those in most major economies, with only one vaccine approved and about a million people having received a first dose since February, although it is struggling with new cases.

Tokyo’s infections rose 545 cases on Thursday, adding to concerns about the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which were delayed from last year and will now begin in late July.

The government struggled to calm the rage on social media, saying it did not seek to prioritize vaccines for its Olympic athletes, and rejected a media report that it was considering doing so.

Japan does not insist that athletes arriving be vaccinated, but there will be frequent testing while they are in Japan. There will be no foreign spectators and a decision has yet to be made on the nationals.