In this scenario, it will take three to four months to control the outbreak, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Monday.

But if all relevant measures are strictly put in place, then daily infections and deaths may come down to 10,000 and up to 60 respectively, he said, adding that a lockdown would be the last resort.

He also said that though the Omicron strain is far more easily transmissible than Delta, the symptoms are relatively mild and can be controlled if everybody cooperates and gets their jabs.

Only strict measures will keep Omicron infections low, warns expert

A recent analysis conducted by the Department of Disease Control (DDC) shows that if no measures are taken to tackle the highly transmissible Omicron strain, Thailand will end up having to handle 30,000 new infections and up to 180 deaths daily.