There’s an ongoing increase in the number of Coronavirus cases – driven by the Omicron BA.2 variant – in countries that had earlier managed to largely control spread of the disease.
Hong Kong now reports the world’s highest death rate from the disease. Hospitals are overwhelmed and the surge is fueling a mental health crisis and leading to suicides, particularly among elderly residents.
Mainland China is also seeing major outbreaks in Shenzhen and Shanghai, putting millions under lockdown and halting production in major international manufacturing centers.
The outbreaks are testing China’s stomach for its zero-Covid approach to the pandemic, a costly but effective approach where entire cities shutter to control outbreaks.
In South Korea, once hailed as a pandemic success story, case counts have broken a new record with daily reported infections topping 600,000.
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