Early optimism that South Asia might have dodged the worst ravages of the coronavirus pandemic has disappeared as soaring infection rates turn the densely populated region into a global hot spot, AFP reported.

After several months trailing the US and western Europe, cases of Covid-19 are surging across South Asia — home to almost a quarter of the world's population — where the virus is wreaking havoc on fragile medical systems and underfunded health agencies are pushed to breaking point.

"The situation is catastrophic," Abdur Rob, a senior doctor at Bangladesh's Chittagong General Hospital, told AFP.

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