In the past few weeks, Covid-19 cases have gone up in several Asian countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and China. Many people in these countries are being admitted to hospitals due to the virus.

In India, however, health officials say the rise in cases is small. According to PTI, India has reported 257 cases so far. Officials said the cases are mostly mild, with no signs of serious illness or deaths. They added that the government is closely watching the situation.

Why are COVID-19 cases rising?

Singapore’s health experts say the increase in Covid-19 cases is because people’s immunity is weakening and new versions of the virus, called LF.7 and NB.1.8, are spreading. These new variants come from an earlier variant named JN.1 that appeared in 2024.This means that protection from past infections or vaccines is wearing off, so the virus spreads more easily, especially among older people over 65. Other reasons for the rise include changes in the season, more gatherings, and more travel.

Right now, these new variants (LF.7 and NB.1.8) make up over two-thirds of the cases in Singapore. The current COVID-19 vaccine is made based on the JN.1 variant. In India, there is no clear information yet about these new variants spreading. In Hong Kong, experts say COVID-19 is now an ongoing illness that comes in waves or regular cycles. Dr. Tsui from Hong Kong’s health department said COVID-19 has become an ongoing illness that comes in waves. These waves happen because the main virus strains change, and people’s overall immunity goes down over time.

Hong Kong also mentioned “declining herd immunity” as a reason for this pattern. In Singapore, many people who are getting treatment for COVID-19 haven’t taken a booster shot for over a year. This may be happening in other countries as well.

COVID-19 cases in Asia

In Singapore, Covid-19 cases went up from 11,100 to 14,200 in just one week (April 27 to May 3, 2025). Daily hospital admissions also rose from 102 to 133. However, serious cases needing ICU care dropped slightly from three to two per day. Singapore’s health ministry said hospitals are currently handling the rise in cases well.Thailand reported over 33,000 cases from May 11 to 17, with about 6,000 in Bangkok. The rise is linked to the Songkran festival in April and the spread of the XEC variant, a type of Omicron.

In Hong Kong, the number of positive cases grew from 6.21% to 13.66% in about a month. Dr. Edwin Tsui said Hong Kong has been seeing new waves of COVID every six to nine months since things returned to normal. In China, more people tested positive between March 31 and May 4. The rate of positive tests among people with flu symptoms went from 7.5% to 16.2%, and for hospital patients, it went from 3.3% to 6.3%, according to official data.Officials in these countries are monitoring the situation closely to control the spread.