New Delhi: India, Thailand and Indonesia are the top three countries in the South East Asian Region which have witnessed the highest number of new SARS-Cov-2 cases in the last 28 days, states the latest COVID-19 epidemiological update compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Highest number of deaths reported from India
The update said the highest numbers of new deaths were reported from India. The region reported 2,659 new cases, a 29 per cent increase as compared to the previous 28-day period. Two (18 per cent) of the 11 countries for which data are available reported 20 per cent or more increase in new cases with the highest proportional increase observed in Indonesia and Thailand. The highest number of new cases were reported from Thailand (2,014 new cases; 2.9 new cases per 100 000) and India (398 new cases), the WHO said. The WHO calculated the period from October 14 to November 10 for compiling its report.
New 28-day deaths reduce
The number of new 28-day deaths in the region decreased by 67 per cent as compared to the previous 28-day period, with seven new fatalities reported. The highest number of new deaths were reported from India (4). In December one death was reported from Uttar Pradesh. Talking on the issue, renowned health expert and Chair Programme Advisor Committee of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Prof Suneela Garg, however, said there is no need to worry. “During winter, severe flu and COVID-19-like flu infection may occur. However, the majority of the Indian population are already vaccinated. So, there is no need to worry,” Prof Garg said.
Over 220 crore vaccinated in India
As per CoWIN data, a total of 2,20,68,68,255 Covid-19 doses have already been administered to the Indian population with 1,02,74,39,010 first doses, followed by 95,19,90,658 second and 22,74,38,587 precaution doses. “SARS-CoV-2 test positivity conducted through systematic virological surveillance in the South-East Asia Region has witnessed multiple waves since the pandemic with the highest rate reported in August 2021 at 37 per cent during the peak of the pandemic and has been declining over the years to around 6 per cent at the end of 2023,” the global health watchdog said.
Cumulatively, over 1.9 million samples have been processed for SARS-CoV-2 across eight countries who reported at least once since the pandemic. This represents 4.1 per cent of the cumulative global samples processed. Testing in the region has been declining from over 1.7 million in 2020 to more than 80,000 at the end of 2023. “From January-November 2024, the test positivity rate in the region has been largely stable, reaching 6 per cent during the summer wave with observed slight decline thereafter, of below 5 per cent from more than 60,000 processed samples across seven countries who submitted this data at least once,” the WHO said.
The weekly percent test positivity in the Region changed from 2.1 per cent to 2.1 per cent across six countries who reported at least once during the four-week period. No country reported an increase of more than 2.5 per cent in percent test positivity during the four-week reporting period. Indonesia showed elevated SARSCoV-2 activity (10 percent or more) in the last week of November. During the reporting period, the weekly average number of specimens tested was 865. Cumulatively, the South-East Asia Region reported over 61.3 million cases across 10 countries which reported at least once since the beginning of the pandemic. This represents 8 per cent of the cumulative global cases. Covid-19 cases in the region have declined by over 99 per cent since the pandemic, decreasing from the highest reported of over 32.9 million in 2021. The number of countries reporting these data has also been declining since the pandemic, from 10 in 2022 to six.
