{"id":127549,"date":"2021-06-04T04:38:36","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T04:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=127549"},"modified":"2021-06-04T04:38:36","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T04:38:36","slug":"from-poster-child-to-laggard-charts-show-asia-is-far-behind-the-west-in-vaccinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/business\/from-poster-child-to-laggard-charts-show-asia-is-far-behind-the-west-in-vaccinations\/","title":{"rendered":"From poster child to laggard: Charts show Asia is far behind the West in vaccinations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Asia-Pacific is experiencing a renewed surge in infections, with India, Malaysia and Japan among countries that have reported record increases in daily Covid-19 cases.<\/li>\n
CNBC analysis of statistics compiled by Our World in Data showed that Asia-Pacific is far behind North America and Europe in rolling out Covid vaccinations.<\/li>\n
Many Asian countries had problems securing vaccines, and an initial success at containing the coronavirus caused a lack of urgency among the people to get inoculated, said Benjamin Cowling, a professor at The University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
SINGAPORE \u2014 Asia-Pacific is struggling to vaccinate its population as Covid-19 infections rise rapidly in many places around the region, some at record-breaking levels.<\/p>\n
Many Asian governments had problems securing vaccines, said Benjamin Cowling, a professor at The University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health. Besides, initial success at containing the coronavirus in Asia may have caused people to view vaccination with less urgency, he added.<\/p>\n
"When we've had very few infections in the past year, there's a perception that Covid's not such a risk and we could stay at zero (cases) if we just do the face mask, social distancing \u2014 no hurry to get vaccinated. So hesitancy has been a big issue," Cowling, who heads the school's epidemiology and biostatistics division, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Tuesday. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The region is now experiencing a renewed surge in infections.<\/p>\n
India, Nepal, Malaysia, Japan and Taiwan are among those that have broken records in the number of daily cases in the past month \u2014 leading authorities to impose new restrictions to try to bring down the cases.<\/p>\n
Asia's Covid vaccination<\/h2>\n
Countries in Asia-Pacific have collectively administered around 23.8 doses of Covid vaccine per 100 people, according to CNBC analysis of data compiled by statistics site Our World in Data as of June 1.<\/p>\n
That's far below North America's roughly 61.4 doses per 100 people and Europe's 48.5 doses per 100 people, the data showed. Africa is the region with the slowest vaccination drive, and only 2.5 doses were administered for every 100 people, according to the data. \u00a0<\/p>\n