WHO warns COVID-19 pandemic is at 'critical phase' in Asia-Pacific amid rising cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday the Covid-19 pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region was at a "critical phase" and everything must be done to limit transmission now to avoid more dangerous variants from emerging.

Takeshi Kasai, regional director for WHO's Western Pacific region, noted that the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Asia-Pacific countries "are rising sharply," mainly due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

In the first three weeks of August, the region accounted for 10 per cent of global Covid-19 cases and more than 8 per cent of global deaths, he said.

"At this critical phase in the pandemic, let us stay the course," he said in an online press conference. "Working together, we can take control."

"It is within our power to reduce the threat of the virus by making the most of every tool we have to fight it today."

With the surges being experienced by several countries in the region, two scenarios were possible in the coming months, Kasai said.

The first scenario is one in which the risk of Covid-19 is reduced and can be managed like seasonal influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases, with vaccinations, prevention measures and short, targeted measures against flare-ups, he said.

"The second scenario is where other more dangerous variants are able to evolve, variants that spread even more easily, cause more severe diseases or are resistant to existing vaccines," he said.

"This scenario and all of the associated health, social, and economic costs is ... the one we want to avoid if possible," he added.

"The best way we can do this is by doing everything we can to limit the transmission now," he said. "Like other viruses, the more people are infected, the more the virus which causes Covid-19, can evolve."

Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam were four countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, said Tamano Matsui, an emergency information and risk assessment manager at the WHO regional office.

On the other hand, China, Singapore and Mongolia have lower cases amid stringent public health and social-distancing measures and high vaccination rates, she added.

Matsui said the factors that have contributed to the increase in Covid-19 cases in the region was the spread of the Delta variant, insufficient or non-compliance with public health and social measures and difficulty in detecting asymptomatic or mild cases.

"The Delta variant is now a real threat, which is testing the capacity of even the strongest public health systems in our region," Kasai said. "Every country needs to continue doing all that it can to control the virus."