Covid-19 cases climb as South-East Asia feels force of Delta variant

Health workers collect nasal swabs from locals who were waiting through the night for free coronavirus testing at Wat Phra Si Mahathat temple in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 9, 2021. Faced with rapidly rising numbers of new coronavirus infections and growing concern over the proliferation of the highly contagious delta variant, major Asia-Pacific cities implemented new restrictions Friday in the hope of reversing the trend before health care systems are overwhelmed. - AP

BANGKOK, July 9 (Reuters): Having escaped the worst when the coronavirus pandemic erupted last year, South-East Asia is now suffering dramatic rises in deaths and cases, while vaccination shortfalls and highly contagious variants derail containment efforts.

As countries like Britain, Germany and France prepare to remove most remaining restrictions after devastating outbreaks, governments in South-East Asia are tightening measures, hoping targeted lockdowns will act as circuit-breakers in arresting record jumps in cases and deaths that started rising in May.