Thai Health Ministry on alert as Covid deaths, intubations double in 2 weeks
The Public Health Ministry said it is closely monitoring the surge in Omicron cases, amid a doubling in the number of both intubated patients and fatalities over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, infections have risen 70 per cent over the last fortnight, according to health officials.
Infections within households are now driving the surge, said the Department of Disease Control (DDC)’s epidemiology director Chakrarat Pittayawong-anon.
Meanwhile, the Omicron wave is rising globally but infections tend to be less severe than with Delta.
However, the surge of new cases in Thailand called for close monitoring of severely ill patients to prevent deaths, said officials.
Chakrarat reported that the majority of new cases in Thailand have no or mild symptoms.
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The fatality rate for Omicron variant is 10 times less than for Delta while the infection rate is similar, he added.
He said that in most cases it was unnecessary to seek an RT-PCR test after getting a positive result from an antigen (ATK) test.
DDC deputy chief Dr Sophon Iamsirithavorn said that most infections were among people working in at-risk areas who then spread the virus to their families. Meanwhile, more children are being infected than during last year’s Delta outbreak. The elderly are experiencing fewer infections than other age groups, but they were more likely to develop severe or even fatal symptoms, Sophon added.
Meanwhile the bed the occupancy rate stands at 52 per cent of a total 180,000 beds, according to the Department of Medical Services. Most available beds are at hospitals.
The government may open more community isolation centres in Bangkok if the infection rate climbs further, it said, adding that Favipiravir would be reserved for patients who develop moderate to severe symptoms.
