Thais urged to get booster shots as Covid-19 subvariant’s prevalence increases
As the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths rise during the cool season, the omicron subvariant BA.2.75 has become the main subvariant of the virus circulating in Thailand, officials say.
Omicron subvariant BA.2.75 has replaced subvariant BA.5 as the main cause of infection due, in part, to the swiftness with which it spreads, officials said.
They say confusion about the different variants is one reason people neglect to get booster shots, and urge members of the public to understand that booster shots are critical to prevent people from getting infected by new variants. Those who get infected after receiving a booster shot are less likely to experience severe illness, medical experts say.
Covid-19 variants have changed since the first arrived in Thailand. Below is a list of the variants that have arrived in Thailand since 2019.
Wuhan variant
Covid-19 is believed to have originated in China’s Wuhan city, most likely jumping from bats to people before human-to-human transmission occurred. The Wuhan variant (also known as the Serine variant) spread quickly around the globe, arriving in Thailand in January 2020. The first infection detected was in a Chinese tourist who was visiting from Wuhan.
The disease spread rapidly with large clusters around Rajadamnern Stadium and in Samut Sakhon.
Beta variant (B.1.351)
This variant was first detected in South Africa. It was found in Thailand in January 2021, likely arriving via a tourist from Tanzania.
This variant was found to spread 50% quicker than the original one. Moreover, it caused severe symptoms.
Alpha variant (B.1.1.7)
This variant was first detected in the United Kingdom and arrived in Thailand in April 2021. It was first detected here in a cluster of covid-19 infections traced to a venue in Bangkok’s Thong Lor district. This variant was considered less of a threat because it was found to be less powerful than its predecessors.
Delta variant (B.1.617.2)
This variant was first detected in India. It was found in Thailand in May 2021 after a cluster of Covid-19 cases was found at a construction site in Bangkok’s Lak Si district. It spread rapidly and caused alarm because it was more dangerous than the Alpha variant and caused severe illness even among people who had been fully vaccinated.
Omicron variant
Omicron was first detected in South Africa. It reached Thailand in December 2021. The World Health Organisation announced that it was a variant of concern because it could spread quicker than previous variants even among those who were fully vaccinated.
The variant caused the number of new cases to surge in a short time. Even some people who had previously recovered from Covid-19 became sick again after being infected with this variant.
Three sub-variants were subsequently detected in Thailand: BA.2, BA.4/BA.5, and BA.2.75. All spread widely.
In October 2022, Thai health officials downgraded the threat posed by Covid-19 from a “dangerous communicable disease” to a “communicable disease under surveillance”. Still, epidemiologists forecast that the disease would be more prevalent in some seasons than others.
Even though prevention measures have been eased, they are still important to protect health, doctors say, adding that the best protection is to continue getting booster shots to increase immunity against the virus. Booster shots also help decrease the severity of symptoms for those who still get infected.
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