The resurgence of Covid-19 hatred in Asia

A new wave of COVID-19 is spreading across Southeast Asia, foreign media say.

Thousands of COVID-19 cases have been reported in countries including China and Singapore, and 46 people have died in Thailand alone.

From January to May, Thailand reported 187,031 COVID-19 cases and 46 COVID deaths.

There has been an increase in cases in densely populated areas in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Thailand, and health authorities in major cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore have carried out special screenings, and people have been informed to get new booster vaccines in China and Thailand.

According to Hong Kong's health authorities, the city's viral activity has now reached a "moderately high" level.

Hong Kong also reported its highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases.

Hong Kong reported 31 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending May 3, the highest number in 12 months.

Singapore also reported a 28 percent increase in new COVID-19 cases, with daily hospitalizations up 30 percent, health officials said.

The increase in cases could be due to factors including a decline in people's immunity, but there is no evidence that the circulating strain is more transmissible or causing more severe cases than during the pandemic, Singapore's health ministry said.

A similar trend is being reported in Thailand.

The highest number of infections are reported among people aged 30 to 39.

The increase in Covid-19 cases in Asia is said to be due to the JN.1 variant, a subtype of Omicron, and the World Health Organization has also named the JN.1 variant a "variant of interest" but not yet a "variant of concern."

Health authorities are closely monitoring this, but there is no clear evidence yet that it causes more severe conditions like the Omicron subtype.