Indonesia surpasses India to emerge Asia's new COVID-19 hotspot

Indonesia surpassed India’s daily Covid-19 case numbers, marking a new Asian virus epicenter as the spread of the highly-contagious delta variant drives up infections in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. According to a report by Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia, Indonesia on Tuesday reported 47,899 fresh COVID-19 infections, increasing from 40,427 on Monday. Whereas, India on Tuesday reported 31,443 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the lowest in 118 days. "Nationwide there are still (beds), but cases in several provinces are very high already because of uneven outbreaks of the delta variant," Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Sadikin said, as reported by Nikkei Asia.

Officials fear that the more highly transmissible delta variant is now spreading from the islands of Java and Bali, where outbreaks prompted a partial lockdown that closed places of worship, malls, parks and restaurants. “I predict the outbreak will increase continuously in July as we are not able yet to prevent the spread of infections," epidemiology expert Pandu Riono at the University of Indonesia said Wednesday. "Emergency social restrictions are still inadequate. They should be twice as stringent since we are facing the delta variant, which is two times more contagious. ”India reported fewer than 39,000 cases on Wednesday, far below its peak of more than 400,000 daily cases in May, following lockdowns in its worst-hit areas and a stepped-up vaccination drive. Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government has identified the spread of the delta variant in some regions outside Java and Bali. He told lawmakers on Tuesday that across the country, more than 90,000 of the 120,000 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied.