Disease-control chief says Thailand’s third wave of Covid-19 has peaked
Thailand’s third wave of Covid-19 has reached its peak and should gradually decline over the next week or two, according to Disease Control Department chief
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong. On Thursday he credited the public for cooperating to control the latest outbreak, which has spawned more than 1,000 cases per day over the past week.
However, pubs, bars, parties were still adding to the daily caseload despite the government order to close entertainment venues and ban parties, he warned. People who were organising events that resulted in infections and quarantining should be punished according to the law, he added.
Dr Opas also provided more information about the stroke-like reaction suffered by six people among hundreds of thousands of Thais injected with Sinovac vaccine.
Most of the six were young women, he said. Their temporary symptoms – numbness and partial paralysis – were common to other vaccines, which suggests they were not caused by faulty manufacturing. Meanwhile, the symptoms occurred as soon as 5 minutes after vaccination, indicating it was not caused by germs. All victims recovered completely – some after treatment and some naturally. Finally, MRI scans showed no abnormalities, confirming full recovery.
The Public Health Ministry’s COVID-19 emergency medical centre has thus resolved to continue the Sinovac vaccination programme, but under strict standards, said Opas.
He added that Lampang Hospital had suspended Covid-19 vaccination for a few hours after one health worker developed stroke-like symptoms and dozens of others had fatigue and mild numbness in their hands and feet following their jabs. Reports that 40 had developed stroke symptoms were false, he said.
Meanwhile, vaccine recipients may soon get a mental health assessment before their jabs, said Opas. The assessment would help guard against what the World Health Organisation calls Immunisation Stress Related Response, or vaccine-related stress.
