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Coronavirus: Delta’s spread from London to Tokyo shows easing all restrictions after vaccination is ‘ill advised’
- The highly transmissible mutant strain has exposed both the vulnerability of countries with low vaccination rates and those that view jabs as a cure all
- Even in highly jabbed places, mask wearing and social distancing may need to stay, at least for now, while a Nobel Prize-winning scientist says antiviral drugs used alongside vaccinations may also have a vital role to play
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From London to Tokyo to Sydney, the speed and intensity of the Covid-19 Delta variant’s spread has magnified the immense challenge of returning to a semblance of normal life, even with vaccinations and containment efforts.
The spread of the highly transmissible variant, which was first identified in India, is at once exposing the vulnerability of countries with low vaccination rates and the pitfalls of viewing the jabs as a panacea for lifting Covid-19 restrictions wholesale.
In the Asia-Pacific, where vaccine coverage remains low, authorities from Australia to South Korea to Indonesia to Thailand are still struggling to control a rise in infections, despite implementing some of the toughest restrictions yet such as domestic travel curbs and targeted lockdowns.
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In countries where vaccination rates are high, such as the United States, Britain and Israel, major spikes in cases are fuelling calls to return to precautions such as mask-wearing and requiring tourists to show negative Covid-19 tests.
With Britain looking to mark “freedom day” with the lifting of all restrictions on July 19, the World Health Organization this week urged countries against reopening too quickly, warning of a “perilous point” in the pandemic.
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