Medic warns that Delta variant will be dominant in Thailand by end of July

More than half the Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, with a prominent doctor warning it will become the dominant strain in the Kingdom within weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the Delta variant, first reported in India, is set to replace the Alpha variant by the end of the month.

Nationwide, around 32% of infections are the Delta variant, with most cases in Bangkok and the surrounding central provinces. Supakit says 52% of infections reported in the capital are the Delta variant and it has also been detected in 47 other provinces, including in the south of the country.

“In Bangkok, the Delta variant is found in every district, mostly northern Bangkok. So, it can be said the Delta variant is currently spreading in the city.”

Meanwhile, cases of the Beta variant, first reported in South Africa, are also on the increase, mostly in the southern province of Narathiwat. A number of other southern provinces have reported Beta cases, including 1 in Surat Thani, 3 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and 1 in Krabi.

Yong Poovorawan from the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University has echoed Supakit’s warning that the Delta variant is the one that will take over. He is calling for a study to determine what vaccine regimens will provoke the strongest immune response in the face of ongoing mutations.

Meanwhile, the slow vaccine rollout continues, amid reports of fewer than expected AstraZeneca doses being made available and confusion and disarray surrounding the import of the Moderna vaccine.

Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says the government will administer 10 million doses this month, with the elderly being prioritised. He adds that 70% of Bangkok’s 1.8 million senior citizens will receive a vaccine in the coming 2 weeks. The 17.85 million elderly Thais in the rest of the country will get their first dose by the end of the month.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post