World Covid Dispatch: Delta variant now constitutes 92% of Thai infections

Delta variant of coronavirus make up 92 per cent cases in Thailand, China's latest Covid outbreak continues to expand, with more than 100 symptomatic cases reported on Tuesday

Sri Lanka’s third wave

Sri Lanka faces a rapidly escalating third wave of coronavirus infections fueled by the delta variant, with hospitals and ICUs pushed to breaking point. The island nation on Monday reported the highest single-day death toll since the pandemic began, with 111 fatalities. 

The government has resisted reimposing a nationwide lockdown as it seeks to avoid putting a fledgling economic recovery at risk and further hurting dwindling foreign-exchange reserves. Instead, restrictions have been tightened on movement and gatherings. The country has so far fully inoculated 12.7% of its population, relying largely on shots from China. Read more

Delta now 92% of Thai infections

The delta variant of the coronavirus will continue to spread and beat out other strains in Thailand, said Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences. Of 1,632 coronavirus samples tested in Thailand during July 31 to Aug. 6, delta variant cases made up 91.9%, followed by alpha at 7.9% and beta at 0.2%. In Bangkok, delta made up 95.4% of infections versus 83.2% outside of the capital.

Earlier on Tuesday, government data showed 235 new fatalities from the coronavirus, the nation’s highest daily death toll. Thailand reported 19,843 new Covid-19 cases, while the number of total daily recoveries were 22,806. The worsening outbreak may scuttle plans to reopen borders to fully vaccinated tourists from mid-October and jump-start the tourism-reliant economy. Read more

China’s outbreak expands

China’s latest Covid outbreak continues to expand, with more than 100 symptomatic cases reported on Tuesday. With 50 new confirmed infections found in the eastern province of Jiangsu, the latest resurgence has spread to around 1,000 people across more than half of the mainland’s provinces.

China is battling the delta variant with some of the most aggressive measures in the world, even though the majority of the population is vaccinated. Mass testing and targeted lockdowns in some cities are key parts of its playbook, and the capital Beijing has banned residents from “high-risk” cities from returning.

Meanwhile, Hebei province’s biggest cold-chain market has suspended the movement of imported frozen food in and out of cold storage due to the worsening Covid-19 outbreak, according to the Hebei News Network, which is backed by the provincial government. Read more

Sydney outbreak worsens

The delta-variant virus outbreak roiling Sydney has reached a fresh record, even as Australia’s most populous city is well into the seventh week of a lockdown ordering residents to stay-at-home.

New South Wales, Australia’s biggest state economy, recorded 356 new cases Tuesday -- the highest tally since this outbreak started in Sydney in mid-June and up from 283 the day before.

With the nation’s two largest cities in lockdown, the delta variant of the coronavirus is placing increased pressure on Australia’s so-called “Covid Zero” strategy, which has relied on closed international borders and rigorous testing to eliminate community transmission of the virus. Read more