FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

CU medical expert warns Omicron yet to peak in Thailand

CU medical expert warns Omicron yet to peak in Thailand

An epidemiologist and medical lecturer at Chulalongkorn University on Thursday has warned Thais to strictly protect themselves as the spread of the Omicron variant in the country has not peaked yet.

Thira Woratanrat posted on his Facebook wall that figures from other continents were an indicator the Omicron wave in Thailand and other Asian countries had not peaked yet.

Thira said Omicron started spreading in Asia after other continents and it was on the uptrend and but yet to hit highs like in other continents.

He noted that Thailand’s decision to open the country to foreign tourists could lead to various Covid-19 strains entering the country.

He said the most worrying virus now is a new Omicron variant, called BA.2 variant.

“From the timing and environment related to national policies, I can say it’s not our peak yet,” Thira said.

“It’s extremely necessary for us to strictly protect ourselves every day. We must wear masks all the time; two layers of masks — an inner surgical mask and an outer cloth mask,” Thira said.

He urged Thais to observe social distancing and meet other people only when necessary and spend the least time with them.

The medical lecturer also urged Thais to prepare all necessary medicine at home and buy rapid antigen test kits for home use in case some family members fall ill.

“Please be aware that you may get long Covid symptoms because Covid-19 is not a common cold,” he wrote.

The medical lecturer also noted that more children in the United States had contracted Omicron but the US has passed its Omicron peak.

He said the Omicron peak has affected the US seriously and the number of infections was much higher than in previous Covid-19 waves.

Although Omicron had caused less severe symptoms, the number of American people receiving hospitalisation and emergency care was higher than in previous waves, he noted.

Thira said the new Omicron BA.2 variant spread much faster than the BA.1 variant, so the situation is worrying.

Omicron infections have reached 362 million worldwide with 3.34 million new cases recorded on Wednesday, the epidemiologist said.

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