It has been eight months since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. To date, the coronavirus has infected almost 56 million and killed more than 1.34 million people in 217 countries and territories worldwide. Millions more are lying in hospital beds, fighting the disease. The figures are very disturbing, and the world must brace for many more cases and deaths before global mass vaccination is feasible. In the Asia-Pacific, governments are grappling with the heavy toll of the severe acute respiratory infection. India has recorded more than 8.9 million cases and 131,000 deaths, overtaking Brazil as the second-worst affected country in the world. Indonesia has the highest tally in Southeast Asia with 474,455 cases and 15,393 deaths as of Tuesday. Several countries have succeeded in keeping the pandemic in check, but what has compounded the health ...