Coronavirus: Australia’s Delta outbreak worsens; infections spread to Indonesia’s outer islands
- Australia reported five deaths, while the hard-hit state of New South Wales recorded 319 cases
- Millions of Indonesians living in the outer islands are fighting for Covid-19 vaccines as infections rise
With about 15 million people in the three states, or 60 per cent of Australia’s population, under a strict lockdown, the country also reported five coronavirus-related deaths, one of the highest this year.
NSW reported 319 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases, the most since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, with Sydney and neighbouring regional centres spanning 200km of coastline under a stay-at-home order for six weeks already.
There are 345 people admitted to hospital in NSW, with 56 in intensive care and 23 under ventilation, state authorities said.
Neighbouring Victoria saw the highest daily jump in cases this year, with 29 new infections, as the state remains under a snap seven-day lockdown imposed earlier this week, the state’s sixth since the start of the pandemic.
Study on vaccines’ effect on Delta raises hopes for shorter isolation periods
Victoria Premier Dan Andrews urged people to follow the public health rules that allow residents to leave their house only for essential work, shopping, care, vaccination or two hours of outdoor exercise.
“This Delta variant spreads so fast,” Andrews said. “We don’t have enough of people vaccinated, we will finish up with younger people in hospital, otherwise fit and healthy people. Our system will be overrun if we don’t bring this under control.”
Queensland recorded 13 new cases, with all but one isolating while infectious, bringing hopes that the eight-day lockdown in parts of the state will be lifted as planned on Sunday afternoon.
With just over 36,000 Covid-19 cases and 937 deaths, Australia has avoided the high caseloads of other developed countries, but its vaccination figures are among the lowest, with only 20 per cent of people aged over 16 fully vaccinated.
02:29
Indonesia’s Covid-19 death toll surpasses 100,000 as global infections rise above 200 million
Infections spread to Indonesia’s outer islands
“The people’s mobility needs to be stemmed. For at least two weeks,” President Joko Widodo said onb Saturday, adding that cases are surging in provinces such as West Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara.
Christianto Senda, who lives in the mountainous town of Mollo in East Nusa Tenggara, made the trip to a local health facility for his second jab, only to find there weren’t enough doses available. The entrepreneur, who has made almost daily calls to check if new shots have arrived, is now weeks late for his scheduled dose.
The nation that already tops the world’s daily count of Covid-19 deaths risks a worsening outbreak as the disease spreads to areas with less-equipped health care systems and lower vaccination coverage.
“My worry is that people’s enthusiasm will turn into apathy,” said Senda, who runs a social enterprise programme called Lakoat Kujawas. “Many walked for hours or paid for expensive transport to get the vaccine. Maybe once, twice, they will still try. But after a while, people might give up altogether.”
The capital Jakarta is starting to require people to show proof of vaccination when leaving their homes, as about 78 per cent of its population have got at least the first dose. In East Kalimantan, where daily infections are catching up to Jakarta’s numbers, just 15 per cent have had their first shots, according to the health ministry. That figure is 11 per cent in East Nusa Tenggara, a collection of islands located to the east of Bali.
Local media reported stops-and-starts in East and South Kalimantan’s inoculation due to a lack of supply, while hundreds of people tried to break through a steel gate in the North Sumatran city of Medan while screaming for vaccines.
The government faces the tough challenge of chasing a moving goalpost. It has focused on inoculating Java and Bali, as those areas still report the highest number of deaths, and called on local leaders to prioritise giving the limited supply of vaccines for the most vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with comorbidities.
About 8 per cent of Indonesia’s 270 million people are fully vaccinated. The country expects to get more vaccine shipment this month and the next, with a total of 300 million doses set to arrive through December.
A government survey conducted in July reveals that most Indonesians want to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
As vaccine outrage mounts, Thailand’s leaders go into attack mode
Thailand hits record cases, deaths
The Southeast Asian nation added 21,838 new infections while it saw 212 deaths, the first time the daily total surpassed 200.
About 60 per cent of Thailand’s new cases in recent days have been reported from outside the capital and its surrounding provinces, the current epicentre of the outbreak.
The Bank of Thailand earlier this week cut its 2021 gross domestic product growth forecast to 0.7 per cent from 1.8 per cent due to the latest outbreak and restrictive measures such as curfews and business closures to contain it.
Tokyo tops 4,000 new cases for fourth day
Tokyo confirmed 4,566 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, topping 4,000 for the fourth day in a row, as the pandemic appears to show no signs of abating amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, while the capital is hosting the Olympics.
The latest figure comes a day after the capital reported 4,515 cases and Japan’s cumulative total of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 1 million, as concern persists over a potential collapse of the medical system with the spread of the Delta variant.
The Olympics, which end on Sunday, are being held while Tokyo is under a state of emergency, which lasts until the end of the month. The Olympics were mostly held without spectators amid concern over the resurgence of the virus.
The emergency will still be in place when the Paralympics are scheduled to begin on August 24.
The government has recently expanded the state of emergency and also decided to put more prefectures under its quasi-state of emergency.
Concerns are growing over the further spread of the virus during the Bon holiday period, a major vacation season in Japan, when people usually return to their hometowns or travel elsewhere.
Reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg, DPA
