Asia is opening, and its vaccination campaigns are moving progressively better, and that’s all-good news for the international community

In late September, President Joe Biden announced the United States would double its purchase of Pfizer’s COVID-19 shots to share with the world, bringing its total donations to one billion doses, and put forward the goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the global population within the next year.

Following President Biden’s announcement, the U.S. acquired the additional 500 million Pfizer vaccines — surpassing the one billion dose mark — and began delivering them to low- and middle-income countries at the end of October.

About 160 million shots supplied by the U.S. have already been distributed to more than 100 countries, representing more donations than the rest of the world combined.?

The remaining American doses will be distributed over the coming year.

Nowhere is this campaign more focused than in Southeast Asia.?

"Outside of Europe, Asia Pacific countries are beginning to get to a point where vaccinations mean international business and travel can now come back," says Jimmie Jeremejev, managing director at LehmanBush. "This is forward progress for the world if these countries can open safely and demonstrate success in keeping COVID-19 to the background."

As APAC countries are learning to live with COVID-19, these countries are gaining momentum in their vaccination campaigns, and several are reopening their borders and welcoming travelers.

Singapore, after more than 20 months of tight border restrictions, began loosening its international travel regulations last month. The city-state has fully vaccinated nearly 92 percent of its population, the highest rate in the world.

In Cambodia, which is reporting one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, fully vaccinated travelers no longer have to quarantine.

Indonesia and Thailand have allowed visitors from certain countries since October. Indonesia has fully vaccinated 33 percent of its population, while Thailand has inoculated 54 percent.

India reopened its borders to most international travelers in late November after 20 months of restricted travel. The country has fully vaccinated just 29 percent of its population but plans to open travel bubbles with 99 countries.

Vietnam, which has fully vaccinated 39 percent of its population, announced that international visitors are being allowed to visit tourist destinations, including the resort island of Phu Quoc and Quang Nam Province.

In the Philippines, where only 31 percent of people have been fully vaccinated, the Tourism Ministry said that it had approved opening to fully immunized travelers from certain countries "in principle."

The international travel openings come at a time when winter holidays are looming, but the omicron variant is on people’s radar.

On news of omicron’s slow spread out of South Africa, the Philippines barred arrivals from seven European countries — including the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy — and Singapore deferred the opening of quarantine-free "travel lanes" with United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Japan announced the country would bar foreign arrivals, only weeks after easing restrictions for visa holders including short-term business travelers and international students.

Australia followed by deferring plans to allow migrants and international students into the country until December 15, plunging into uncertainty the country’s emergence from one of the longest periods of international isolation.

"After two years, governments seem to be imposing 'knee-jerk' reactions and general panic to the omicron variant, which we haven’t fully analyzed yet," says Bobby Afshar, managing director at LehmanBush.

Both Jeremejev and Afshar agree the arbitrary border closures in response to the omicron variant only serve to continue punishing Asia’s economies, especially airline and service industries, just as APAC countries were finally opening back up.?

Asia’s aviation industry is expected to be worst hit in 2022, reaching just 11 percent of 2019 levels based on pre-omicron estimates. That compares to 75 percent in Europe, and 65 percent for Europe-North America routes.

"You can’t keep closing things down every time a new variant is identified," says Afshar. "A long-term policy needs to be in place to allow for movement, otherwise the world will never stabilize from this."