Covid Cases Surge in Asia: Hong Kong & Singapore on alert amid new wave

Covid-19 cases are on the rise once again in Asia, with health officials in Hong Kong and Singapore warning of a renewed wave of infections. The resurgence is prompting fresh concerns as the region faces an unexpected summer uptick.

In Hong Kong, the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for Covid has hit its highest level in a year, according to Albert Au, head of the Communicable Disease Branch at the city’s Centre for Health Protection. The number of severe cases and related deaths also climbed to a year-high of 31 in the week ending May 3. While the surge has not yet matched the peaks seen during the pandemic’s earlier years, increased viral loads in sewage and a spike in Covid-related medical visits and hospitalizations indicate active transmission in the city of over 7 million.

Singapore, another major financial hub, is witnessing a similar trend. The city-state’s Ministry of Health, which now updates Covid data only when there is a significant increase, reported a 28% rise in weekly cases to 14,200 during the same week ending May 3. Hospitalizations jumped nearly 30%. Officials attribute the rise to factors such as waning immunity but stressed that the currently circulating variants do not appear to be more severe or transmissible than before.

The spike in cases across Asia defies typical seasonal trends. Unlike flu and other respiratory illnesses that flourish in colder months, Covid is proving capable of spreading during warmer weather. This has led experts to reinforce calls for updated vaccinations and booster doses, especially for high-risk individuals.

Elsewhere in Asia, China’s Covid positivity rate among hospital patients more than doubled over the five weeks ending May 4, with health data pointing toward a wave that could rival last summer’s peak. In Thailand, the Department of Disease Control reported two new cluster outbreaks following April’s Songkran festival, which draws large public gatherings.

The health scare has also impacted public events, with popular Hong Kong singer Eason Chan cancelling upcoming concerts in Taiwan after contracting Covid, his team confirmed via Chinese social media platform Weibo.

While there is no immediate cause for alarm, health authorities are advising the public to remain vigilant and take preventive measures, as Covid continues to circulate and evolve in an endemic phase.