10 things to know about Thailand’s latest Covid-19 wave

Leading virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan warned on Tuesday that a new wave of Covid-19 has emerged after the Songkran festival. Yong, who heads the Centre of Excellence at Chulalongkorn University, stressed the need to curb a resurgence of Covid, adding that it may come in the form of a new and more elusive variant.

He said the new wave is expected to accelerate from mid-May before peaking in June and then declining in September, in line with seasonal patterns of respiratory diseases.

Ten things to know about the new wave of Covid-19:
1. The latest outbreak is being driven partly by students after schools reopened, echoing an outbreak at the same time last year, he added.
2. The Covid virus strain has also undergone changes, Yong reported.

A study of Covid variants in Thailand by the centre shows that Omicron BA.2.75 was overtaken as the dominant strain by XBB.1.5 (Kraken) in March.

3. However, the new and more transmissible XBB.1.16 strain, nicknamed Arcturus, will soon be responsible for most infections in Thailand. Arcturus infections are currently surging in India and at least 20 other countries. This strain spreads about 1.2 times faster than Kraken so will almost inevitably become dominant in Thailand.

4. Arcturus is believed to be no more lethal than previous strains of Covid-19.

5. Arcturus may cause slightly different symptoms – including conjunctivitis (red, sticky eyes) in children. It has one additional mutation in the spike protein, which increases the rate at which it spreads.

6. Care and treatment remains the same, with precautions urged for high-risk groups and children under two years of age.

7. Vaccines and resistance: All XBB strains including Arcturus are able to evade immunity given by vaccines.

8. However, vaccines still reduce the risk of severe symptoms or death from Arcturus. Long-acting antibody (LAAB) treatment is not effective in preventing XBB infections.

9. Booster shots to protect against Arcturus and other strains are recommended, especially for senior citizens and people with low immunity who received their last vaccine shot more than six months ago. Pregnant women should also get a booster. Covid vaccines will be allocated in a similar way to seasonal flu vaccines – before the rainy season and to combat rapid spread of infections.

10. The main Covid preventive measures remain the same. Hygiene and sanitation guidelines are still in place, including regular handwashing and mask-wearing in crowded areas. Covid- infected students should remain at home, and anyone infected with Covid should wear a face mask.