Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 3, 2023

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China saw infection cases spread throughout the Asia-Pacific region. By December 12, 2022, India had faced over 44.6 million coronavirus cases. South Korea followed behind India as having had the second highest number of coronavirus cases in Asia-Pacific, with about 27.7 million cases. At the beginning of the outbreak, people in South Korea had been optimistic and predicted that the number of cases would start to stabilize. 

What is SARS CoV 2?

Novel coronavirus, officially known as SARS CoV 2, is a disease which causes respiratory problems which can lead to difficulty breathing and pneumonia. The illness is similar to that of SARS which spread throughout China in 2003. After the outbreak of the coronavirus, various businesses and shops closed to prevent further spread of the disease. Impacts from flight cancellations and travel plans were felt across the Asia-Pacific region. Many people expressed feelings of anxiety as to how the virus would progress. 

Impact throughout Asia-Pacific

The Coronavirus and its variants have affected the Asia-Pacific region in various ways. Out of all Asia-Pacific countries, India was highly affected by the pandemic and experienced more than 50 thousand deaths. However, the country also saw the highest number of recoveries within the APAC region, followed by South Korea and Japan.