News & Perspective

Stubbornly high levels persist in nations including Thailand and Vietnam as Delta variant activity keeps countries on edge, from Australia to China.

Meanwhile, Indonesia says it is past its peak, though test positivity remains high, as is the threat to more rural areas. 

Also, cases are climbing steeply in Tokyo in the midst of the Summer Olympic Games.

"This is an absolute travesty, because we can prevent deaths. Think this pandemic is over? Think again."

In other developments, cases surge in Asia's hot spots, and infections continue to climb sharply in Europe.

Nations seeing large jumps in cases include Botswana, Vietnam, the US, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the UK.

Elsewhere, countries in Southeast Asia report more daily record highs, and Tunisia's surge has toppled its healthcare system.

Though Delta activity is growing steadily, so far severity indicators have shown little rise.

Much of the increase in cases is led by the more transmissible Delta variant, which has now been detected in 111 nations.

WHO head Tedros urges Moderna and Pfizer to go all out on channeling vaccine supply to COVAX.