Asia is experiencing a new wave of Covid-19 cases, with major surges in influential financial centers like Hong Kong and Singapore. Health authorities in the region, including Thailand and China, are also seeing new activity and sounding alarms of a wider regional outbreak in a season that is normally characterized by a decline in respiratory diseases.
In Hong Kong, the Centre for Health Protection has issued a public alert following a sharp uptick in infections. Albert Au, head of the Centre’s Communicable Disease Branch, stated that the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the virus have reached its highest level since last year. The city had 31 severe cases in the week ended May 3—its highest weekly number in more than 12 months. Besides higher test positivity, authorities also noted growing viral loads in sewage monitoring, an indicator of broader community spread.
The healthcare system of the city is now coming under pressure, with increasing numbers of residents showing up for treatment of symptoms related to Covid in hospitals and clinics. The entertainment sector has also not been spared, as top Hong Kong singer Eason Chan also tested positive and saw his planned concerts in Taiwan canceled. His case has increased awareness among the people and highlighted the necessity for sustained caution.
Singapore is facing a similar situation, with the Ministry of Health reporting a 28% rise in Covid-19 cases during the same week, bringing the estimated number of infections to 14,200. Hospital admissions rose by approximately 30%, prompting the government to issue its first major update on the virus in nearly a year.
Officials attributed the surge to “waning immunity among the population” rather than the emergence of a more severe or transmissible variant. The Ministry stated that there is no indication of greater virulence in the strains currently circulating, but urged vulnerable groups—including the elderly and immunocompromised—to consider booster vaccinations.
In mainland China, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that hospital Covid test positivity rates more than doubled in the five weeks leading up to May 4, signalling the onset of a potential wave similar to the summer of 2023.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control also reported two Covid outbreaks this year, with the latest spike occurring after the April Songkran holiday. Mass public celebrations over the holiday period probably helped fuel the spread, officials confirmed.
The recent upsurge in Asia highlights the value of ongoing surveillance, vaccination, and public health readiness as the region moves through the changing course of the pandemic.