Covid-19 deaths spike in week after Songkran
The number of Covid-19 deaths spiked in Thailand this week after the Songkran holiday, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer said on Saturday.
Public health academic Thira Worathanarat said new infections dropped by 19 per cent this week – or by 11.65 per cent if ATK test results are included.
However, the number of Covid-19 deaths increased by 22 per cent from a week earlier, he added, warning people to stay vigilant and protect themselves against the virus.
Since the start of the pandemic, Thailand has recorded the eighth-highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world, Thira said in a Facebook post.
The Kingdom also accounts for more than one-fifth or 21.65 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in Asia, he added.
Thira said that more than 508 million people worldwide were infected with Covid-19 this week. New infections and deaths from the virus worldwide fell by 27 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, according to Worldometer.
In Asia, the number of new cases and deaths decreased by 34 per cent and 26 per cent from a week earlier.
Thira said the Omicron variant will continue to spread and likely mutate into more subvariants. However, symptoms should not be much worse, while more efficient vaccines and medicines will become available, he added.
Two factors would dictate how quickly countries open up and return to normality.
The first was whether they decide to control the virus or let it spread.
The second was the lingering effects of long Covid on public health.
Thira said he was waiting for the results of a study on whether the Omicron variant caused a greater risk of long Covid than other variants.
Thailand logged 20,052 new Covid infections and 129 deaths on Saturday.
