Most Omicron patients in Thailand have mild or no symptoms, says doctor
Most of the 200 or so Omicron patients in Thailand have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic, but infections are expected to jump soon.
Assoc Prof Dr Nithipat Jearakul, chief of Siriraj Hospital’s Department of Respiratory Disease and Tuberculosis, said on Saturday that as of December 19, some 3 per cent of Covid-19 cases had been tracked down to Omicron. However, he said, though Omicron cases in Thailand account for just 3 per cent of total Covid-19 cases, the number will soon start surging, especially at the beginning of 2022.
He said the daily number of new patients may peak at 10,000 to 20,000, but the number of severe cases will be around 2 per cent or 200 to 400, which the medical sector can cope with.
However, he said, this forecast is only an estimate and will depend very much on how the situation is controlled during the New Year break.
The doctor said treatment for Omicron patients is the same as those affected by other variants.
Though most Omicron patients develop mild symptoms, all hospitals in Bangkok are prepared for an influx of cases. Siriraj Hospital, meanwhile, does not have any Omicron patients.