COVID-19 cases increase in Thailand after New Year holiday

Bangkok – Thailand is witnessing a rising number of COVID-19 cases after the New Year holiday, with those hospitalised up 7 per cent on last week, according to an epidemiologist at Chulalongkorn University.

The number of people reporting respiratory problems from the coronavirus disease also went up by 6.2 per cent over the same period, the biggest increase in four months, said Assoc. Prof. Thira Woratanarat, a specialist in preventive medicine and epidemiology at the university’s faculty of medicine.

Similarly, the number of COVID-19 patients who require breathing assistance rose 13.8 per cent, he said, predicting that new cases are likely to remain around 4,243 - 5,893 per day this week.

He also forecast the number of COVID-19 cases will continue rising for the next four - six weeks, and the best course of action is to strictly follow public health guidelines.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, its health chief Suphon Tatiyananthaphon also noted a significant rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases during and after the New Year break, and that the province is prepared for a steady rise in the number of patients requiring treatment in hospital.

Last week, the Centre for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital reported that the first cases involving the JN.1 subvariant of the Omicron variant have been detected in Thailand. This subvariant is expected to become the main one in the country.

The Thai Government announced on December 25 that four major Japanese automakers will invest 150 billion THB (4.34 billion USD) in Thailand over the next five years.

Floods in southern Thailand have killed at least six people and affected tens of thousands of households, authorities said on December 27.