South Asia accounts for 11% of global cases, India battles fresh wave
In terms of global numbers, the region accounts for 11 per cent of global cases and almost 6 per cent of deaths
The South Asian region on Saturday crossed a mark of 15 million cases - a grim milestone - of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), with India accounting for 84 per cent of the total cases, according to a report by Reuters. A country with the second-highest population in the world, India has 13,358,805 cases of infection.
The South Asian region comprises of seven countries - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. In terms of global numbers, the region accounts for 11 per cent of global cases and almost 6 per cent of deaths.
According to Worldometers, the region has a total population of 1.9 billion people and accounts for 23 per cent of the world's total population.
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On vaccination front, at least 94.1 million people have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine dose by Friday, Reuters reported citing figures from Our World in Data.
Here is what country wise Covid-19 situation in South Asian region:
India
The country is currently reeling under second wave of Covid-19. It has total 13,358,805 cases of infection and the death toll stands at 169,275.
A massive vaccination drive is also underway in the country as it battles the second wave. So far, the country is inoculating nearly 4 million people a day. While the cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 10,15,95,147.
Pakistan
Pakistan is the second country after India which is hardest hit by the pandemic. It is currently witnessing the third wave and the average number of daily cases has been hovering around 5,000.
It has seen a sharp rise in cases in the past 10 days. Officials say there are now more people in intensive care than at any other point during the pandemic.
The nationwide coronavirus tally now stands at 715,968 and the positivity rate stands at 10.47 per cent.
Bangladesh
The third worst-hit country in the South Asia region is Bangladesh, an eastern neighbour of India. It has a total caseload of 678,937 cases while the death toll is 9,661. On Wednesday, it recorded its highest jump in daily cases after 7,626 people detected to be infected with Covid-19, local media reported citing figures from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Nepal
The Himalayan nation has a total of 279,725 cases of Covid-19 infection. The death toll in Nepal stands at 3,039, according to Worldometers figures.
On Friday, Nepal's foreign affairs minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali called his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and requested him to facilitate the supply of the vaccine against the Covid-19.
Sri Lanka
Covid-19 infections are decreasing in Sri Lanka, with 205 new infections reported on average each day. The highest daily average reported on February 17, according to Reuters.
There have been 94,564 infections and 595 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.
Maldives
The island nation has a total caseload of 25,524 while its death toll is one of the lowest in the region with 67 fatalities. According to Reuters, it has administered at least 280,186 doses of Covid vaccines so far.
Bhutan
According to the dashboard of the World Health Organisation's website, Bhutan has a total of 906 confirmed cases of Cold-19. While only one person has been killed by the infection since the first case of the virus emerged in the country last year. As of 5 April 2021, a total of 469,664 vaccine doses have been administered, according to WHO.
