Southeast Asian countries struggle to curtail COVID surge

COVID infections have risen exponentially in Southeast Asia in the past few months. Countries such as Laos, Thailand and Vietnam had avoided large-scale outbreaks in 2020, but they are now struggling to cope with the devastating new wave. Indonesia, for instance, has been hit hard by a third wave, with the number of deaths also rising in the country.

As of Sunday, Indonesia had reported 73,582 COVID-related deaths and more than 2.8 million confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic. Last week, the country surpassed India and Brazil as the world's leader in new infection rates. Experts say the actual number of cases could be much higher. Citizens are desperately searching for oxygen cylinders and hospital beds.

Indonesia's health care system and hospitals are struggling to keep up with an influx of new COVID patients. With a population of some 270 million, the country was severely hit by the outbreak after the Eid celebration in May, which saw millions of people travel to celebrate the Ramadan. That outbreak has been made worse, as cases surge during the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant.

In 2020, Vietnamese officials were praised for efficiently containing the coronavirus spread in the country. But, with the delta variant, which was identified in India, taking hold in the region, the number of infections is on the rise in the country. The government has now put the entire southern region in a two-week lockdown, as confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 3,000 for the third day in a row.

Thai protesters are calling for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to step down over alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. The demonstrations are taking place as the kingdom registers record levels of coronavirus infections, with hospitals under severe strain. Thailand has reported nearly 90% of its total number of cases and 95% of its deaths since the pandemic began since April.

Thailand's tourism sector has also been hit badly by the pandemic. With Bangkok and its surrounding provinces struggling to deal with the COVID-19 surge, the government is pushing ahead with its plans to reopen the popular resort island of Phuket in a bid to salvage the economy.

The Thai government has been slow to procure vaccines. The Southeast Asian country began vaccinating front-line workers in February and kicked off a mass vaccination campaign in June by administering locally produced Oxford-AstraZeneca shots and importing the Chinese-made Sinovac doses. The vaccination drive has so far been slow and erratic.

Malaysians, too, are struggling amid COVID lockdowns. Some of them have come up with a novel way to ask for help; they are flying white flags outside their homes to signal distress. The #benderaputih — or white flag — campaign has gained momentum on social media. The country has been under a nationwide lockdown since June 1 to curtail a surge of COVID infections.

The military coup has disrupted people's access to health care facilities in Myanmar. Many doctors have refused to work in hospitals to show their opposition to the junta. The UN has warned that the country can become a "superspreader state" because of increasing infections and a slow vaccination drive.

Like other Southeast Asia countries, the Philippines is facing a limited vaccine supply and a slow vaccine rollout. Health experts say the country may be among the last ones in the region to reach herd immunity against the virus. At the current pace of vaccination, authorities might take two or more years to vaccinate at least 75% of the population.