Thailand Ministry of Health reports 22,387 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 105 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 27,680 patients recovered from the COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Prasit Watanapa, dean of Siriraj Hospital’s medical school under Mahidol University says cases could soar to 100,000 daily after the Songkran festival. According to the Public Ministry, most of the casualties are from those who have not received any vaccine. Also, underlying health concerns came as a factor.
The government continued to urge the population to complete their vaccinations before the Songkran festival. The massive exodus of people going home to their respective provinces could put the elderly at risk. He also added that around a million of those aged 60 and above have not yet been vaccinated.
“The message is: Don’t think one can be safe from the virus by staying at home. The virus can come knocking on your door during the festival when children and grandchildren come for a visit,” he said.
Before declaring COVID an endemic, the accepted casualty rate is at 0.01% which means for every 10,000 cases, there will be 10 casualties. At the moment, the fatality rate is 4 times above the acceptable rate. He then added that after Songkran, the estimated daily caseloads are at 50,000 – 100,000 a day.
To avoid overwhelming the health support system, the deaths should be kept below 200. He also added that the number of cases should be controlled to avoid overwhelming medical facilities.
Meanwhile, there are no additional reports of the XE variant in the country. It was initially expected to be more contagious but no cases have been reported recently.