Covid-19 now just flu-ing under the radar, says Thai virologist

Covid-19 is officially being treated like any run-of-the-mill respiratory illness, claims Dr Yong Poovorawan, a leading virologist from Chulalongkorn University. This dramatic shift comes as case numbers tumble and symptoms become milder.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Dr Yong revealed that this year’s Covid-19 cases are on a clear downward trajectory. At the start of the rainy season, Covid-19 made up a whopping 30% of 6,000 patients battling respiratory issues. By August, that figure had nosedived to just 5%.

Experts predict this downward trend will keep going until November, with a slight bump expected over the new year celebrations, potentially peaking in January or February. But fear not! Dr Yong reassured us that these peaks won’t reach the alarming levels seen at the start of this rainy season, which is notorious for its Covid-19 surges.

“The severity of the disease has decreased steadily. Therefore, it’s game over for Covid-19 overall, and the number of deaths shouldn’t be more than 300 this year and should keep dropping in the coming years.”

Dr Yong further explained that Covid-19 will now resemble a seasonal respiratory disease, with prevention methods similar to those for other respiratory illnesses. He highlighted that the current strains, XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16, have replaced the earlier BA.2.75 strain. All of these are sub-variants of Omicron, and the newer variants are over 90% less severe than the older ones.

He pointed out that most Covid-19 fatalities occur among high-risk groups, including people aged 60 and older, those with underlying health conditions, and pregnant women, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, a research team from Chulalongkorn University clinched a United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) for Innovation in Public Institutions. This UN award was given for their work titled Academic Insight into Action for Pandemic Response during a recent ceremony in Seoul, South Korea.

This award-winning study addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals on health and well-being as well as clean water management. The project, spearheaded by Jatuwat Sangsanont from the Faculty of Science’s Department of Environmental Science, leverages wastewater analysis for the early detection of disease outbreaks.