Provincial governors ordered to ramp up disease controls as Covid cases surge

Bangkok has ordered all provinces to ramp up their Covid-19 prevention measures as infections continue to surge across the kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that Sutthipong Chucharoen, a senior official at the Interior Ministry, has instructed all provinces to up their game when it comes to curbing the spread of the virus. Sutthipong says all officials, from village heads to provincial governors, must come together to monitor the infection rate in their provinces, particularly those that border neighbouring countries.

The order was issued yesterday, after daily new infections climbed for the sixth day in a row. The government wants provincial officials to have a plan in place for any worsening of the Covid situation. Between January 1 and February 13, Thailand reported 360,380 cases of community transmission, averaging around 8,000 a day. However, since then, the number has skyrocketed, going from 14,177 last Monday to 18,953 yesterday. The daily reports do not include results from antigen test kits, which need a follow-up PCR test before being confirmed as a Covid-19 infection.

Meanwhile, one of the country’s top virologists says Thailand could see 100,000 cases a day, based on the rapid spread of the Omicron sub-variant, BA.2. Dr Yong Poovorawan says the sub-variant has led to daily infections of 15,000 in Singapore, where the population is a tenth that of Thailand. He goes on to say that the Omicron wave has not yet reached its peak in Thailand, as it has done in Europe and the US. Until it does, cases will continue to rise, before eventually levelling off and beginning to drop.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post