Washington, Sep 28 (TIWN) The East Asia and Pacific region's recovery has been undermined by the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant, the World Bank said, calling for a comprehensive strategy to contain the virus spread and boost inclusive growth.

Economic activity began to slow in the second quarter of 2021, and growth forecasts have been downgraded for most countries in the region, according to the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Fall 2021 Economic Update.  While China's economy is projected to expand by 8.5%, the rest of the region is forecast to grow at 2.5%, nearly 2 percentage points less than forecast in April 2021, the World Bank said.