The Department of Medical Services (DMS) is warning members of the public to strictly adhere to disease prevention measures during the upcoming holidays in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
This comes amid concerns over a potential spike in Omicron cases after New Year celebrations, with Thailand already confirming 11 imported cases.
Dr Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the DMS, said the Omicron coronavirus variant appears to be spreading faster than the Delta variant. He noted, however, that most people infected with the Omicron strain appear to exhibit only mild symptoms at most and can be treated in isolation at home.
Additionally, though a recent virology report found that the new variant can cause breakthrough infections, vaccinations can still mitigate their severity while drugs such as molnupiravir and paxlovid continue to be effective.
The director-general nevertheless reiterated the importance of following health safety guidelines, as the severity of the Omicron variant will ultimately depend on the total number of infections.
Wasun Chantratita, head of the Centre for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital, said data also showed the Omicron variant to be the only strain capable of pulling genomic parts from other variants. It then combines these parts with its own genomic sequence to produce three amino acids.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha meanwhile said the government has yet to decide whether current COVID-19 measures will be adjusted following the first reported death of an Omicron patient in the UK.
The prime minister also warned people to avoid fake vaccine certificates, which are a criminal office. (NNT)
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