From Afghanistan to Japan, Asia faces mega risks

BEFORE the headline topic, a plea for government and health authorities here and abroad to give drastically more attention and effort to developing and disseminating medication and equipment to treat coronavirus disease 2019, or Covid-19, plus maintaining proven preventive protocols, instead of relying mainly on vaccines in the eagerness to declare victory over the pandemic and open up economies.

As global health experts urge, all the world must get jabbed to reduce serious or deadly Covid. But in truth, vaccines are not being produced and disseminated fast enough to prevent countless multitudes of gravely, if not fatally ill people. And even where most people have been immunized, new variants like Delta break through, spawning infections in much the same alarming numbers as in pre-vaccine days.